If you’re a newbie to the baseball world, or maybe just starting out with bat grips, you might be wondering exactly how to wrap the bat. You may generally understand the basics, but there are a few things to know before you get started so you’ll have greater success with the bat grips. You don’t want it unraveling when you need it the most. The ultimate goal is to bat more comfortably and with confidence. Here are a few things to consider when wrapping your bat with a Lizard Skins bat grip.
First things first, you’ll want to make sure the bat is clean. This is mainly important if you use pine tar, but it’s a good rule of thumb to clean the bat before wrapping it. You’ll also want to peel off old bat tape so that you have a bat that’s ready to go. You don’t want to put a new baseball grip over an old one because it will be way too thick and hurt your performance.
Choosing your baseball bat grips is all about personal preference. Lizard Skins offers grips that have a thickness of 1.8mm, 1.1mm and 0.5mm. The thickness is 100% up to you. It’s about your comfort and what you feel will best assist you when batting. If you haven’t tried the different thicknesses, you might want to try each one out to see what works for your hands.
Lizard Skins also come in a wide array of colors and patterns. We even have grips with professional team logos on them. So, you can pick your favorite color or pattern for your grips. We can also personalize the grips with your name and number or an MLB logo. So you can have grips that fit comfortably in your hands while looking amazing.
As far as wrapping the bat, you might think you can just jump right in. While the process is simple enough, there are a few things to keep in mind and a few small tricks that can make your grips work better for you. Five things to think about include:
So, with these tips in mind, you’ll want to start with your bat grip tape out of the packaging and hold the bat steady. Start by pulling back just a little of the adhesive backing (you’ll want to peel it back little by little as you go to avoid a mess). Place the unfinished edge of the grips on the butt of the bat. Then, gradually rotate the bat. Check as you go that you’re getting a consistent overlap of the grips as you wrap. If you notice that it is starting to look inconsistent, you can pull the grips back a little bit and redo it.
Make your way down the barrel of the bat until you’ve gotten to the bottom. When you finish, we suggest using a piece of electrical tape to tape it down so you’re making contact with the grip and the bat. Then, take the included finishing tape and cover the electrical tape. Be sure not to stretch the finishing tape and try really hard not to touch the adhesive for the best finish.
If you’re a leftie, you might be wondering, what about me? How do you install Lizard Skins on a bat if you’re left-handed? It’s actually pretty simple. You can just follow the instructions listed above, but start with the finished edge and wrap in a clockwise direction. Here’s a video that we made to help, as well. You’ll get all of the same benefits right-handed players get from using bat grip tape.
It’s always better to remove the old grips, clean your bat, and replace them rather than re-wrapping over the old ones. In some instances, people have double-wrapped bats for younger and less experienced players. However, it’s better to go with a thicker bat grip instead. You want to make sure you have enough contact with the bat to be hitting accurately.
It’s pretty simple and once you’ve done it, you’ll find a groove. If you’d like to see a how-to video that shows you how to wrap Lizard Skins on your bat, check out our tutorial here. If you’re looking for ways to take your batting to the next level, Lizard Skins specializes in batting grips and batting gloves for comfort and the ideal grip. Check out our website for more information.
