WHAT IS THE POW'R WRAP BAT WEIGHT?
The Pow’r Wrap bat weight is a weighted sleeve you place on your bat to loosen the muscles used in hitting a baseball or softball.
Typically, this is done in the on-deck circle just prior to your at bat. However, the Pow’r Wrap is a wonderful training device
which can be used almost anywhere to exercise the specific muscles used when hitting and thus increase bat speed.
Bat Speed.
Exit Velocity.
Barrel up the ball.
Launch angle.
These are the holy grail of power hitting. The key to hitting with more power is to develop faster bat speed. It follows that developing faster bat speed means you will hit the ball with a higher exit velocity. The ball seems to jump off your bat. Higher exit velocities results in harder hit balls, and greater distances the ball will travel. The Pow’r Wrap bat weight can help you do this.
Developing Bat Speed
The way to develop faster bat speed (or swing speed) is to strengthen leg, trunk, chest, and arm muscles. Strengthening these
muscles is accomplished through weight training and repetition. You can do this with a regular weight lifting routine. Furthermore, a routine of using the Pow’r Wrap can fine tune your efforts because it works the specific muscles used when hitting. This leads to faster bat speed which means higher exit velocities, resulting balls hit with more power.
Since the Pow’r Wrap is placed on the barrel of the same bat you will be using to hit with, the specific hitting muscles are exercised with the same grip and feel you will be using in game play. This leads to another benefit of the Pow’r Wrap–better bat control. As you probably know, better bat control leads to barreling the ball more often, resulting in the optimum launch angle. Bat speed, exit velocity, barreling the ball and launch angle—all can be improved with regular use of the Pow’r Wrap.
WHICH POW'R WRAP MODEL IS BEST FOR ME?
The Pow’r Wrap bat weight is made of a polycarbonate plastic composite material that is extremely tough and durable. It is likely that once you purchase the Pow’r Wrap you will never need to buy another one. It simply will not break or wear out.
There are three models of Pow’r Wraps: Baseball, Softball, and Youth.
• Baseball (white), fits 2 5/8” and 2 ¾” diameter bats, fits wooden bats, weighs 24 ounces.
• Softball (black), fits 2 ¼” diameter bats, weighs 24 ounces.
• Youth (blue), fits 2 ¼” diameter bats, weighs 16 ounces. (Note: does not fit the new “big barrel” 2 5/8” youth bats.)
WHO USES THE POW'R WRAP BAT WEIGHT?
The Baseball Pow’r Wrap
Professional ballplayers use the baseball model Pow’r Wrap (without being paid) and have been doing so since 1990. It’s the gold standard of on-deck warm up weights. See photo gallery, here: Photo Gallery
In addition to the pros the Pow’r Wrap bat weight is used by thousands of collegiate players and tens of thousands of high school players and youth players. Most kids thirteen years old and older can probably swing a bat with the 24 oz. baseball model Pow’r Wrap on it. It shouldn’t be too heavy for them. Kids twelve years old and younger–it’s a judgment call. Bigger, stronger kids could probably swing the baseball model Pow’r Wrap.
The Softball Pow’r Wrap
The softball model Pow’r Wrap, weighing in at 24 ounces, was originally designed for adults in slow pitch leagues. Of course, fast pitch players soon discovered it. High school and collegiate girl softball players also use the softball model. Moreover, some softball players, high school and/or adults, opt for the youth Pow’r Wrap instead of the softball Pow’r Wrap because they like the lighter swing weight it provides. Since both the youth and the softball model fit on bats with 2 1/4″ diameters either weight may be used on these bats.
The Youth Pow’r Wrap
The youth model Pow’r Wrap is used by nine to twelve year olds that swing a bat with a diameter of 2 1/4″. Since the youth Pow’r Wrap weighs 16 ounces it should probably not be used by children less than nine years old, unless they are bigger than most kids their age. Starting in 2018, youth players of the ages twelve years old and under may now swing “big barrel” youth bats of 2 5/8″ diameters. Please note that the youth Pow’r Wrap will not fit on these new USA Baseball 2 5/8″ big barrel bats.
THE POW'R WRAP: LEAGUE APPROVALS AND RULES
Generally speaking, there are no rules prohibiting attachable bat weights in traveling baseball leagues, high school leagues, collegiate leagues, and professional leagues, so the Pow’r Wrap may be used in the on-deck circle.
The softball Pow’r Wrap was the first attachable bat weight approved for league use, way back in 1990. It was approved by the ASA (now USA Softball), USSSA, and NSA leagues. There was a competing product that got league approval in the late 1990’s but that company is now defunct. The softball Pow’r Wrap is the only approved attachable weight for use in the on-deck circle for all major softball associations.
(Note regarding approval letters: The Pow’r Wrap is no longer approved by Little League Baseball®. In fact, attachable bat weights are no longer approved or even allowed in Little League Baseball®.)
The youth model Pow’r Wrap was approved by Little League Baseball® in 1993 and was allowed to be used in the on-deck circle for fifteen years, but subsequent rule changes have made ANY attachable weight illegal for use on the field in Little League Baseball®. However, it’s likely that the youth Pow’r Wrap is legal in local parks and rec leagues as well as traveling baseball leagues. Rule of thumb would be if they allow donut weights they will allow the Pow’r Wrap bat weight. Check with your league for the official rules on attachable bat weights used in the on-deck circle. Regardless of the rules you could use a youth Pow’r Wrap to warm up with off the field.