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1 Level
790 Review
56 Karma

Review on Sledgebats SB 23 Training Green Yellow by Joseph Pudic

Revainrating 4 out of 5

A good option for those who want to train with a heavier racquet but want to use it sparingly.

The sledgehammer got its name because it is quite close in weight and size to a sledgehammer. There are two aspects to swing training: hard or easy. It's clearly on the "heavy" end of the spectrum with a very high "bat" weight (pounds, not ounces). In fact, my biggest concern is whether someone can hurt themselves if they don't already have a good fundamental swing. The main concern is the back which could be easily twisted with such a heavy ball attached to the end of a very heavy handle and shaft. The obvious advantages of this racket are related to the possibility of strength training. Another hidden benefit of this racquet is that it discourages some of the really bad swinging habits associated with throwing or pulling the racquet. With the racket's weight, it's difficult to control in every ball. I don't really recommend hitting the ball with this racquet, but I'm sure people will. Swing, because when there are multiple mistakes in the swing, the uncorrected aspect of the mistake will dominate the swing. Think about it like this. Heavy weight makes any backswing problems worse, which is only good if a single fault can be identified. With a light racquet it is much easier to work on and isolate a single mistake. Heavier racquets are good for building strength, but aren't necessarily the best way to develop racquet speed since the muscles are engaged in different ways. use and application. I doubt you'll see many professional trainers building a swing with this, but for strength it's pretty good. With all that said, the final aspect is that the racquet uses the ball to encourage the ball to hit the racquet's sweet spot. I have to say that off the tee it's certainly possible and I'm pretty sure it will work as advertised. But I'm not entirely sure how useful it is when you move on to serve ball. You'll learn club control and shot position (combined with proper kinematic sequencing), but other aspects, such as ball movement, affect variations in delivery. You just can't optimize the ball hitting the barrel because of all the external factors. However, it is helpful to improve your kinematic sequence along with the position of the club. It won't help much with the launch angle since both the bat and the ball are rounded on sledgehammers. A large part of the effect is to approach the ball from the inside and avoid hitting the ball (an awkward outward swing that destroys the ball's distance and speed). The product itself is designed for all ages with different sizes depending on how the racket is used. I would be very wary of using this product on younger racquets who haven't developed their swing (yet!). But I see it as an illustration for young thugs that if they pull the racquet they will actually be penalized (dropping the racquet will result in a several pound fine). This is generally the case because the batsman can no longer control the racquet and propel it towards the ball like he can with a lighter racquet (for a batsman who suffers from racquet drag). But the big problem is that the bat alone does not help in the repair process. It is better to use a lighter racquet (again in my opinion). If you have the money and time to actually use it with a reasonably fluted swing (with good mechanics) I would give it a try.

Pros
  • Baseball
Cons
  • Cord is shorter than others