Randy Dunnett has the easy answer for young people, wood bats. Wood bats are not quite as durable which is why you see them broken occasionally during Major league games. Rest assured Wood bats very rarely break in anything other than a professional game. With an aluminum bat you can hit farther and are able to swing with more confidence since the weight is so much lower. However wood bats are what is required in the major leagues.

Even if young players do not see playing in the “bigs” as a realistic goal, a wood bat has some other important factors that Randy Dunnett thinks is important. The most important is to become a better hitter. There is an instant knowledge and recognition when a wood bat makes contact with a ball.

There is the beautiful crack that so many hitters know so well. It is the sound of connecting with the ball in just the right way.

If the batter does not hit the ball properly there is also distinctive recognition with the sting in your hands. That sting varies but you know that something was wrong.

This type of instant feedback can give a batter the knowledge they need to correct their swing. The only sound you get from an aluminum bat is a “ping” which sounds the same no matter how you hit the ball and it never gives you that bad hit feeling in your hands to help you know what went wrong.

It is true that the Aluminum bat hits farther and harder than a wood bat. However, there is a growing unease over how hard aluminum bats are hitting balls. In the Major league they understand that every single batting record would fall and that would be viewed by many as unfair. On the little league and high school level, there is a recognition that with more children and less protection than in the Major leagues people can be badly hurt. In 2006 a young pitcher was hit by a line drive which ruined his life. He is now brain damaged and paralyzed. The following year, 2007 a young player in Montana was killed by a ball hit from a wood bat. And he was not the first nor the last. Although there are safety concerns Young people want to hit the ball farther. This means they tend towards aluminum bats.

While that won't change, Randy Dunnett is doing what he can to not only protect his young players but also to teach them how to become better hitters. This is what a coach is supposed to do, and Randy Dunnett is a great one.

Randy Dunnett of Force Elite baseball requires that only wood bats be used in his facility but also requires that the only bats used by his players during a game, are wood bats. Randy Dunnett had done a great service to his young charges by looking out for their safety but also by making sure they have the tools needed to learn how to be better.