When selecting your bat, we suggest that you give consideration to the weight and length of the bat, as well as its handle. A bat’s pick up or balance should also be considered as this will alter bat speed and therefore your ability to play shots. You should also consider the positioning of the sweet spot – it could be high, low or in a normal position.
Bat Weight

These are to be used as a rough guide only. Please contact us to discuss in more detail.
Bat Speed

Bat speed is the speed that the bat travels to hit the ball. Generally the faster the bat speed, the more likely the batsman is to hit the ball with the middle of the bat. This allows a batsman to be able to make slight adjustments to a shot when the ball deviates, or when they have made a misjudgement or error in execution.
The following factors influence the bat speed:
What all this means for bat speed?
Like the selection of any sporting equipment, there is a compromise to make. For bats this compromise is between fast bat speed and having a bat that has enough middle to get the ball to the boundary.
Fast bat speed allows adjustments to a shot whist it is being made as well as encouraging all different types of shot.
Bat Length

Options to change the length of the bat include changing the blade length and changing the handle length. At Laver & Wood we recommend most players use a standard blade with a standard handle. The rationale behind this is a Long Handle dramatically alters the centre of gravity of the bat, which alters the pick up and bat speed. This usually means having a lighter bat to compensate for the longer handle.
Long Blades are a better option than a Long Handle. A Long Blade has an extra half an inch to an inch in the blade (more on request), and does not alter the pick up as much as a long handle does. A long blade encourages you to stand up straighter when taking guard, which may or may not help your game.
Long Handle/ Long Blade is only recommend for the very tall and possibly suffer from back problems. James Laver is 6’5” and uses a long blade, mainly because it is very difficult to get a Long Handle/ Blade that feels good.
When using our free bat sizing tool to send us bat specifications please provide as much information as possible about your game. The more information you send the easier it is to recommend the correct size, weight, balance and style of bat for you.
Sweet Spot/Middle

The sweet spot or middle of the bat is the area of the blade where you are looking to strike the ball most of the time. Using the sweet spot ensures that you achieve the largest amount of power in the shot you are playing. The middle is dictated by the profile through the back of the bat.
Most players will have a bat with the sweet spot in the normal position. This would be about 4” from the toe to 12” from the toe. A bat with a normal sweet spot will suit a batsman who plays the full range of shots and does not favour any shot in particular.
A high sweet spot is usually 5” from the toe through to 13” from the toe. This bat suits a batsman who opens or prefers playing short pitched bowling and off the back foot. With a higher sweet spot, the weight distribution is higher up the blade, meaning that the bat speed is faster. This type of bat suits those who like playing cuts, hooks and pulls.
A low sweet spot is usually 3” to 11” from the toe. This type of bat suits a player who enjoys driving the ball and playing aggressively during the final overs of a game. It is particularly suited to wickets that do not have much bounce – those that are damp or have good grass cover. The pick-up is affected due to the weight of bat being nearer to the toe.
Please note that hitting the ball regularly in the desired area will enhance the sweet spot. If you have a bat with a high sweet spot you need to be hitting the ball high on the blade regularly to get the best out of the bat.
In general we recommend a sweet spot in the normal position, but if you have a preference for a particular position then we can make the bat to your specifications.