BAT TESTING STANDARDS INFO FOR 2008

NSA Canada Bat Approval Information (based on USSA and NSA testing standards)

Although they don't have different names, the old 1.20 test (used only by Senior Softball) measures the bat at one spot, the COP (centre of percussion). The result is also rounded to 2 decimal points. This means a result of 1.209 would be reported at 1.20.

The new test measures (NSA Canada Bat Standards) the bat at multiple points along the barrel, and is rounded to 3 decimal places. This means a maximum result of 1.201 would fail.

ASA Bat Approval Information (New for 2008)

ASA has adopted a new testing procedure which will once again decrease the performance of their bats. In the old ASA test a bat must pass the 98MPH standard all along the barrel straight out of the wrapper. With the new test they are going to roll the bat, test it's compression and then measure the performance. They will then roll the bat again and test the compression. If the compression lowers by 10 points or more, it's performance will be measured again. This will continue till the compression gets stable. Essentially fully broken in the bat will still have to be at 98MPH.

BAT STANDARDS 101

Please take a moment to review the following information in an attempt to put an end to the bat controversy that has pummeled softball for two years!

Standards remained split, with ASA announcing its new batted-ball standard and USSSA explaining its expanded 1.20 "profiling" method of measuring bat performance. Meanwhile Senior Softball-USA(SS-USA), ISA, and NSA remained the only national organizations to retain the original 1.20 bat performance factor standard.

SS-USA, ISA and NSA all told the combined group of scientists and manufacturers that their associations were committed to working toward a single standard for all associations, no single standard was adopted.

Currently, ASA has banned 12 bats since its inception and have added a new list for 2008! By doing this, they have created an unsure purchasing customer as to what or when a bat will be banned! USSSA has banned only the Miken II, NSA has banned the Miken II and Original Easton Synergy along with a couple of obvious bats, and both ISA and SS-USA allow use of all bats meeting the 1.20 bpf (including the Synergy and Miken II).

The Bat Summit in Dallas was set by the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association (SGMA) during its annual ASTM meeting, which sets new standards for sports equipment. The Summit consisted of several presentations explaining the two bat standards currently in use.

ASA Standard or MPH testing – # 2019 ASTM
BPF Standard / 1.20 BPF - #1890 ASTM

Although, the test are created for the same product testing they do not co-exist as a bat that has a 98mph rating is tested as ASA, and a bat that has a 120 rating is tested as BPF standard ( 1.20 ) and the common misconception is that they are 120 MPH. That not being the case as most 1.20 BPF bats test at 100 MPH rating with a +/- ratio of 2 MPH. Therefore softball bats that meet the BPF 1.20 standard are testing at 100 MPH (plus or minus 2 MPH anywhere from 98 MPH to 102 MPH) The reality of this is a variance of 4 miles per hour or 12 feet in distance. NSA Canada and at least 75% of the slopitch players in North America who are under the USSA, NSA, ISA, and Senior Softball USA feel that this is not enough of a factor to ban bat’s that ASA has banned from their testing system

Most of the discussions and explanations centered on the new 2019 ASTM Standard, which is being adopted by ASA. The 2019 Standard measures batted-ball speed and uses a ball traveling at 110-mile-per-hour at the point of impact with the bat.

The original standard ASTM #1890 is the 1.20 BPF, which has been the mainstay of most associations. The 1.20 standard uses a ball traveling at 60 mph at the point of impact.

Both the new batted-ball speed test used by ASA and the expanded 1.20 test used by USSSA and NSA measure the performance of a bat at three points along the barrel. The original 1.20 bpf test measured the bat at a pre-determined spot known as the Center of Percussion (COP).

The COP was the sweet spot on aluminum bats. However, the new composite bats were found to have sweet spots away from the traditional COP, which is why the new tests have begun bat "profiling", or testing the bat along three points on the barrel.

Using the expanded 1.20 bpf test, USSSA has not approved the Miken II, while NSA has banned both the Miken II and the Synergy.

ASA's test sets stricter standards and 12 bats have not been approved, along with the 2008 additions?

"We agree that a single standard is the best thing for the sport and we are dedicated to work toward that goal," said Terry Sibbick, chief executive officer of NSA Canada “However, the latest reports show that softball continues to be the safest sport in North America and softball has seen no increase in serious batted-ball injuries and until one industry standard is adopted that is fair to all of our customers we will continue to use the BPF 1.2 standard. The reason most often cited for the new standards is the desire to come up with a test that accurately measures bat performance and NSA Canada feels that this has not been achieved, or will be by banning $400.00 bats that our players buy each year!