Quick guides | Parent’s Clubbie

Bat guides

Sizing by age, the marks leagues require, the drop, the length chart and wood.

What size bat for a 7-year-old?A 7-year-old usually swings a −13 to −12 bat.
What size bat for an 8-year-old?An 8-year-old usually swings a −12 to −10 bat.
What size bat for a 9-year-old?A 9-year-old usually swings a −12 to −10 bat.
What size bat for a 10-year-old?A 10-year-old usually swings a −12 to −10 bat.
What size bat for an 11-year-old?An 11-year-old usually swings a −12 to −10 bat, or −8 for a bigger, stronger player.
What size bat for a 12-year-old?A 12-year-old usually swings a −12 to −10 bat, or −8 for a bigger, stronger player.
What size bat for a 13-year-old?A 13-year-old usually swings a −5 bat.
What size bat for tee ball?A tee-ball bat is 24 to 26 in long with a 2-1/4 in barrel, at a drop of −14 to −10.5, and carries the USA Baseball tee-ball mark: it is only for use with approved tee balls.
What is the difference between USA, USSSA and BBCOR bats?They are the marks different leagues require on a metal bat: USA Baseball in Little League and most rec leagues, USSSA in travel ball, and BBCOR in high school and college.
Can a 10-year-old use a USSSA bat in Little League?No. Little League Minors and Majors require the USA Baseball mark, so a bat with only the USSSA mark is turned away at the plate.
Are USSSA bats legal in travel ball?Yes, in USSSA travel ball through 14U: a bat there carries USSSA 1.15, BBCOR or solid one-piece wood.
Is BBCOR required in high school baseball?Yes, for the 2026 and 2027 seasons: a high-school bat that is not solid wood must carry the BBCOR mark, at a −3 drop, with a barrel up to 2-5/8 in.
What does drop −10 mean on a baseball bat?A −10 bat weighs 10 ounces less than its length in inches: a 30 in, −10 bat weighs 20 oz.
When should a player move from a −10 to a −8 bat?At ages 11 to 12, and only for a bigger, stronger player: −12 to −10 is the default through 12, and −8 is for bigger, stronger players aged 11 to 12.
When should a player move to a −5 bat?At ages 13 to 14: −5 is the drop then, and a smaller player can stay at −8 where the state allows it.
When do kids switch to a −3 BBCOR bat?In high school, for the 2026 and 2027 seasons: high-school and college bats are −3 with the BBCOR mark.
What bat length chart do I use by height and weight?Use your player's height and weight, not age.
How do I measure my child for a baseball bat?Measure height and weight at home and read the length off the chart; no tape on the arm is needed.
Is a heavier or lighter bat better for a kid?The heaviest bat your player can still control.
Should I buy a 2 5/8 or a 2 3/4 barrel bat?It depends on the league.
What is a balanced versus an end-loaded bat?A balanced bat spreads its weight evenly, so it feels lighter than its number; an end-loaded bat puts extra weight toward the end of the barrel, so it swings heavier than its number.
Maple, birch or ash: which wood bat is better?Birch for a first wood bat and a younger player: it forgives mis-hits.
Is maple or ash better for a beginner's wood bat?Neither is the first choice: birch is, because it forgives mis-hits.
What is the ink dot on a wood bat for?An ink dot on the handle shows the maker tested the grain slope.
Can you use a wood bat in Little League, USSSA or high school?Yes: solid one-piece wood is legal everywhere without a mark.
What length and weight should a wood bat be for a 14-year-old?−3, or −2 for a bigger, stronger player, at the length the wood chart gives for your player's height and weight.

Glove guides

Size by age and position, webs, and the glove a young player can close.

Cleat guides

Metal or molded by league, youth sizing, and wide feet.

Catcher's gear guides

Sizing catcher's gear by age and measurement.

What size catcher's gear for my age?Sized by age band (youth, intermediate, adult) and by measurements: chest protector by torso length, leg guards by knee-to-ankle.

Training guides

Bat speed by age, when a bat sensor is worth it, and setting up a batting cage at home.