Softball Bat Rolling Services 101

Why should I roll my bat?
When Softball Bat Rolling a bat it's placed between two hard rubber or nylon rollers of a Bat Rolling Machine and then pressure is applied. When the barrel passes through or rotates within these rollers the carbon fiber material is stretched out and the resin (glue) binding the layers together is broken down. The is the same thing that happens as you take hours of batting practice. This causes the fibers to become more flexible which greatly improves the bat's trampoline effect. This trampoline effect is what produces the batted ball speed and distance. Following BAT ROLLING the typical distance increases range from 20-40ft and It will also widen the sweet spot of the bat which will make you a more consistent hitter. If you'd like to see how a composite bat is made please take a look the this YouTube Video.

What type of bat rolling machines are there?
There two types of bat rolling machines. There are Perpendicular style (similar to our BR2008) and Parallel style (similar to our Tri-Roller). The Perpendicular style roller have been around since late 2004. This has been and still is the preferred method of bat rolling. You may find others that claim a Parallel bat rolling provides better rolling but this is simply not the truth. During our 6+ years of rolling we've found this method will provide OPTIMAL results. The Parallel Bat Roller allows you to roll your bat faster but they MAY also put too much stress on the barrel of the bat if not done properly. Look at it this way, softball & baseball bats are designed to be compressed in small areas similar to hitting a ball. You will find some sites that claim Perpendicular followed by Parallel rolling is the best way to roll. During our 6+ years of Bat Rolling we have rolled bats every possible way. Rolling Perpendicular followed by Parallel DOES NOT provide any additional benefits to our customers so we stand by our belief that perpendicular rolling it the way to go. I'll give you more information on this subject below.

What Bat Rolling Method should I choose? - Since we started offering a choice of multiple bat rolling methods I get asked this question at least 5-10 times a week. The answer is really pretty easy. Since we can roll your bat ANY way you want. Choose whatever Bat Rolling method you are comfortable with. I say this because really doesn't matter. All I can do is assure you that the results will be the same for each method. We've been rolling bats for over 5 years and I give you my word that I will treat your bat like my own. I personally prefer Perpendicular but if you want a Perpendicular followed by Parallel roll we can do that as well. Perpendicular rolling most closely resembles the impact of a softball or baseball and that's what the barrels of composite bats are designed to accept. It makes me laugh when other companies claim to be "the first to offer Perpendicular followed by Parallel" bat rolling. These companies have only been in the rolling business for roughly 1 year (even though they'll tell you they been around for 4+ years). Bat Rolling has been around for about 7 years and for some reason they think they've found some new process that us VETEREN bat rollers haven't already tried. The TRUTH is we've tried it and it just doesn't make a difference. It's unfortunate that Bat Rolling has become so confusing and we understand that there are several choices out there. We simply ask that if you have visited other sites or plan on visiting other sites prior to placing your order we ask you to come back to our site when you're ready to place your BAT ROLLING order. Other sites may have more videos or articles but we offer the best BAT ROLLING available. We are a professional run company and customer service is our #1 priority. While others are making videos or writing articles we're busy rolling your bats.

Can you briefly explain your bat rolling process?
Most companies determine the maximum rolling pressure and start at that pressure. This is totally incorrect and usually causes durability problems and also potentially causes your paint to spider web prematurely. We roll all bats in 3-4 progressive compression points (depending on the type of bat). After we've rolled your bat it will have approximately 200 passes through the machine. Our process takes longer than those charging less than us but we want you to be happy so we don't cut corners. We DO NOT heat your bat before rolling since it does not provide any additional benefits. In fact it actually hurt the rolling process.

Will rolling my bat shorten it's life?
No, when we finish rolling your bat it will have the same durability it did before rolling. It will however be performing at its highest level of performance.

How will rolling effect a bat that already been rolled?
Even bats the have been used will benefit from our rolling process. We get bats in every week that have 300-400 hits on them and after we get the bats back to the owner they are very surprised with the results. In most cases you haven't properly broken your bat in and after a good rolling your bat will performance at it's highest potential.

Is bat rolling legal?
This is one of the most debated topics on the net today. All we can do is give you the facts as they stand today. Currently rolling is legal in only 1 slow pitch softball association. This association (ISA) clearly state in their rule book that rolling is legal. In another association (ASA), they have recently adopted a bat certification process that requires all bats to be tested after they have been rolled. This ensures that each bat that is certified by them does not exceed their performance factor after being rolling. We interpret this as rolling being legal even though it doesn't specifically say so. In USSSA, they do clearly state rolling is against the rules. Our opinion is that rolling your bat is doing nothing more than taking 500 BP swings. You're just doing it in a more controlled fashion and in a shorter period of time. Our advice to you is to check with your local association or league and find out what their stance is on this subject.

What type of bats can be rolled?
Any composite bat can be rolled to increase the performance. This includes Softball bats (Fastpitch or Slowpitch) and Baseball bats (2 1/4", 2 5/8" and 2 3/4" barrels). Aluminum bats can be rolled but the performance increases are less than composite bats. Aluminum bats typically increase only about 10-25ft after bat rolling.

Learn more about Bat Altering