knocking in
- Thread starter Jimjam
- Start date
Re: knocking in
i had my bat knocked in by a machine, and id probably rather do it myself in future. its a painstaking task, but the machine didnt really do a great job. it compressed the bat massively in some areas, but not everywhere equally. the bat has hard and soft spots on it now, and a couple of small cracks developing. i spent ages knocking it by hand on top of the machine and that improved it quite a bit, it feels a lot more even now, rather than having randomly placed sweet spots, and randomly placed dead spots.
i had my bat knocked in by a machine, and id probably rather do it myself in future. its a painstaking task, but the machine didnt really do a great job. it compressed the bat massively in some areas, but not everywhere equally. the bat has hard and soft spots on it now, and a couple of small cracks developing. i spent ages knocking it by hand on top of the machine and that improved it quite a bit, it feels a lot more even now, rather than having randomly placed sweet spots, and randomly placed dead spots.
WK_Batsman
New Member
Re: knocking in
Just do it by hand, it's sooo enjoyable.
Just do it by hand, it's sooo enjoyable.
onemoreover
Member
Re: knocking in
WK_Batsman;404977 said:
roosters hack
Member
Re: knocking in
Australia is SOUTH of England.....Lauchie Fisher will do it for you!!
Jimjam;395470 said:
Australia is SOUTH of England.....Lauchie Fisher will do it for you!!
Re: knocking in
ive been knocking my new bat in myself for the past week, its got about 3 hours on it so far, a few more to go yet. its so much better than having it knocked in for you, you learn a lot about the bat by knocking it in, you can also make sure that its done properly. its quite a rewarding process (even if it does tire your shoulders and arms out a bit).
il never use a machine again. theres a big difference in performance between hand knocked and machine knocked bats. my previously machined bat took the best part of a season to start playing nicely, and by then it had cracks all over the edges and toe.
ive been knocking my new bat in myself for the past week, its got about 3 hours on it so far, a few more to go yet. its so much better than having it knocked in for you, you learn a lot about the bat by knocking it in, you can also make sure that its done properly. its quite a rewarding process (even if it does tire your shoulders and arms out a bit).
il never use a machine again. theres a big difference in performance between hand knocked and machine knocked bats. my previously machined bat took the best part of a season to start playing nicely, and by then it had cracks all over the edges and toe.
onemoreover
Member
Re: knocking in
I have done quite a bit of reading and hopefully learning, on the subject of knocking in cricket bats. This was mainly due to the enormous amount of conflicting advice that was coming from various casual sources. Sources that I suspect had simply taken onboard information from other sources that was probably not entirely qualified as well. I am sure the advice evolves over time. There are some variations for sure on the approach to knocking in bats, but they should all have the same end point aim. As a result the following is a summary of what I believe is relevant and fundamental when preparing a raw bat. This does NOT apply to pre-prepared bats, only to, as I call them, new RAW bats.
1/ The knocking in process should only affect the face and facing corner edges of the bat to a relatively shallow depth.
2/ The aim is to create a compressed hard and protective surface on the face and facing corner edges of the bat, while leaving the core, edges and rear timber fibres of the bat uncompressed so they retain their natural "spring" and flex.
3/ Too much knocking in compresses the timber fibres too deep into the bat. Too little knocking in leaves the face with reduced protection and resilience. You should therefore avoid either.
4/ Use only a small amount of oil to coat the face of the bat. This is generally only needed to stop the bat face from developing little/hairline cracks during the knocking in activities. Smothering the bat in oil where it manages potential deeper penetration damages the the natural "spring" and flexing characteristics of the timber fibres.
5/ Knocking in by hand should on average take a total time of 100 to 150 minutes. This can be split up into small sessions over a desired period of time.
6/ The initial knocking in is best done with a wooden knocking in mallet for the time indicated in item 5 above. After that it's down to the nets for throw down sessions using a progression of old balls through to new balls. You will need to determine how many sessions this takes before you are happy with the bat. Should not be many. The final result should be that the new cricket balls are not denting the bat face if everything has been done correctly.
7/ This is a personal opion only, but machines that "knock in"/compress your bat by "rolling" it under pressure are a quick and nasty form of knocking in that are likely to give you a peice of cast iron in your hands, with no real middle. As I say that is just my opinion, but also experience.
8/ ALWAYS check your bat manufactures specific knocking in instructions and follow them. This will a) ensure the integrity of your warranty and b) account for specified variations to the knocking in process that may be required.
Since learning and applying these basic rules, obtained from reading various bat manufacturer recommendations, all the bats I have knocked in by hand, have been awesome, without exception.
What are the thoughts and experience of others?
Cheers
I have done quite a bit of reading and hopefully learning, on the subject of knocking in cricket bats. This was mainly due to the enormous amount of conflicting advice that was coming from various casual sources. Sources that I suspect had simply taken onboard information from other sources that was probably not entirely qualified as well. I am sure the advice evolves over time. There are some variations for sure on the approach to knocking in bats, but they should all have the same end point aim. As a result the following is a summary of what I believe is relevant and fundamental when preparing a raw bat. This does NOT apply to pre-prepared bats, only to, as I call them, new RAW bats.
1/ The knocking in process should only affect the face and facing corner edges of the bat to a relatively shallow depth.
2/ The aim is to create a compressed hard and protective surface on the face and facing corner edges of the bat, while leaving the core, edges and rear timber fibres of the bat uncompressed so they retain their natural "spring" and flex.
3/ Too much knocking in compresses the timber fibres too deep into the bat. Too little knocking in leaves the face with reduced protection and resilience. You should therefore avoid either.
4/ Use only a small amount of oil to coat the face of the bat. This is generally only needed to stop the bat face from developing little/hairline cracks during the knocking in activities. Smothering the bat in oil where it manages potential deeper penetration damages the the natural "spring" and flexing characteristics of the timber fibres.
5/ Knocking in by hand should on average take a total time of 100 to 150 minutes. This can be split up into small sessions over a desired period of time.
6/ The initial knocking in is best done with a wooden knocking in mallet for the time indicated in item 5 above. After that it's down to the nets for throw down sessions using a progression of old balls through to new balls. You will need to determine how many sessions this takes before you are happy with the bat. Should not be many. The final result should be that the new cricket balls are not denting the bat face if everything has been done correctly.
7/ This is a personal opion only, but machines that "knock in"/compress your bat by "rolling" it under pressure are a quick and nasty form of knocking in that are likely to give you a peice of cast iron in your hands, with no real middle. As I say that is just my opinion, but also experience.
8/ ALWAYS check your bat manufactures specific knocking in instructions and follow them. This will a) ensure the integrity of your warranty and b) account for specified variations to the knocking in process that may be required.
Since learning and applying these basic rules, obtained from reading various bat manufacturer recommendations, all the bats I have knocked in by hand, have been awesome, without exception.
What are the thoughts and experience of others?
Cheers