Tour of Combat facilities

I had the distinct pleasure of touring the Combat factory last weekend as I was in Ottawa for business and what a great experience it turned out to be!
The factory was originally 7500 ft in 2005  and has grown to around 20000 sq ft in today as well as adding a huge expansion to the US in Seattle with another 20000 sq ft.
Two of the greatest things I learned from Fred St Laurent who is in charge of R&D and who personally took me around through the manufacturing side was 1- there is a real passion for their products , both diamond sports and hockey and 2- they can go from a design idea to creation to mold to testing in less than 24 hours!
This has given them a huge advantage over the larger competitiors as most of them do all their sourcing overseas which can take months to get to where Combat is in a day...
also dealing with a canadian company gives us all a bit of pride, buying a quality product from a good Canadian company makes us all proud!
With the changes to the rules upcoming and no one entity knowing exactly where the business is going to fall, Combat has positioned themselves for a great year in 2012 moving forward as they are ahead of the curve in terms of innovation and product knowledge.
The testing facility they have is fantatsic and as well the actual tech they use which is composite in a sleeve or sock shape allows for them to have no seams which is quite common with other manfacturers  and usually creates a point of weakness that is where the cracking begins.
More reviews of bats to come....
Stay warm and happy holidays

Combat Pure Review and other tidbits

Sorry for the delay in posting but it's a busy season right now for all.
Finally had a chance to get out to the cages with some of the batmen last night and we hit some of the new offerings form Combat and Louisville.
Will review the new Combat Pure USSSA 1.20-2012

This bat looks great, slick and has a carbon fibre look to it that the JK Reloaded had.
With the abiilty to see the Helix technology of the carbon fibre through the clear coat, it has a cool, mean look.
With the gear technology that is consistent with past models such as the Jason Kendrick Reloaded,Afflicted, the vibration dampening technology helps with mishits and adds to the crisp feel.
The 5 of us put about 150 hits on the test model (27 oz) and were impressed how crisp and clean the ball came off the PURE, we hit it against the Avarace and the Avarace 98 and while we were in a cage which doesn't show the true flight, we all agreed that the PURE has some skills.

 This is going to be a good addition to the Combat line as is legal for play in all 3 big ones.
Put it on the Xmas list, you'll like it!

http://youtu.be/v2qynXEI_y8

Review of the 2012 Combat Avarice USSSA

As mentioned before , Canadian Slopitch Blog has added a couple of the bigger bat men in Canada to hit the new product thats coming out and give us their take on it so we can pass it on you...
Here is the first one on the new Avarice from Combat...

"Always been a fan of the Combat Equipment, especially the NSA stuff, and the Avarice looks like that trend will continue. Fresh out of the wrapper it felt a little different than the normal Combat feel to me but quickly heated up and was providing results that were well ahead of any bat I currently own, outdistancing a well broken in U-Trip product by a good 20-30 feet on average. If chicks truly dig the long ball then you may want to get yourself one of these in the very near future."

I had a chance to go out with another one of the batmen and hit the same Avarice and was really surprised at the performance because to be honest when I first was test swinging it it felt like a anchor...

When I actually starting hitting balls with it, I was impressed with the performance distance.

Now I should mention that I wasn't "hitting them on the screws that day"(I rarely do..lol) but I was still seeing  excellent distance  and  power  through the infield.

When I asked the guys about this feel, they agreed , saying that it almost didn't feel that you ever hit it clean but the flight of the balls was a direct opposite of this.

To quote" when you hit an Assault cleanly you don't even have to look up.. you know it's gone, just flip the bat and trot..... with the Avarice , soon as you hit you look for it and are surprised where it is in flight and how quick it's moving" end quote

This bat so impressed all of us that we each ordered one 

http://www.thezoneslopitch.ca/index.php?option=com_virtuemart&page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=1659&Itemid=62

Going to the indoor next week to swing them  as well as the new FH52, PURE and Avarice 98 as well as the new Catalysts from Louisville Slugger

If you have any feedback or questions on this , please feel free to send them to

canadianslopitchblog@gmail.com

till next time .... stay warm!

points to ponder in regards to the new bat rules....

So after having time to read the somewhat confusing info that has been coming out of all organisations in regards to the new bat rules moving forward....
What do you think?
 Does this help or hinder your game for 2012 and beyond?
 Here is my take on it...first SPN 's new rules:
 On the surface not alot has changed as ASA rules are still in effect with the addition of 2012 USSSA Approved bats now allowed. My belief in this reasoning is that they(SPN) have taken this tack to make the move while not completely losing face with their customers(you) in going back on their long term stance that the USSSA rules were dangerous and the ASA rules safe.
As you know, there has been alot of info pushed around from, players in the know, to bat and ball manufacturers that the difference between ball speed in the infield  whether you are using a 47 core or the new ball is minimal , the lower core balls are flight restricted  which obviously doesn't affect "through the infield speed"
In fact some of the more interesting comments coming back on the new restricted balls is that the bounces in the infield  and the "knuckleball " effects are bigger and almost impossible to predict.
Talk about ducking and diving!
This is coming from players who participated in SPN provincials this year.
But enough about balls... we are talking about the new bat rules...
So here is a scenario, Team A is playing Team B and Team A is using all ASA approved bats and team B is hitting with 2-3 USSSA 2012 approved bats, same talent, no "doctored" bats for arguments sake and they hit the same, who has the advantage?
Second to this , not all leagues and teams are going to use new ball, what happens then?
I believe this is going to be an interesting year for all SPN followers as the rules are going to be open to interpretation with whatever ball, which bat etc.
After swinging the new Combat Averice to test for upcoming reviews on this blog, this would be the weapon I would want in my hands over ASA tested bats, it has a great feel and pop.
In regards to the SPO ruling this is going to make an absolute mess of the retail market place as with an extra year of old USSSA bats allowed, you have now created the marketplace where  "trunkers" are going to be running around selling extra product bought in the states and on line.
I have nothing against trunkers and bat whores who provide a good product at a good price and back it up with warranty and good customer service, what I have a problem with is there is a bigger percentage of "fly by nights" who will bang out some big deals and leave customers high and dry if there are any issues associated with the product sold.
SPO has made this extension saying they did it with the players and retailers in mind....
Talking to some of the retailers in Ontario, they are worried that there is some pressure from SPO 's partners to let them "blow out" their extra product.
This is going to create a great buyers market, but not a good sellers market.
We will have to see how this goes but expect to see some crazy things for 2012 plus some new and interesting products.
I will keep updating as more news becomes available
I want to hear from you, the player on what your thoughts are, please send your emails to
canadianslopitchblog@gmail.com
I will do my best to answer any and all questions that come in.
Stay tuned for some bat reviews this week 

The Upcoming Bat Rule Changes and how it affects you the Canadian Slopitch player..

So here are three slo-pitch groups in Canada and their  individual take or ruling on how the new bat testing parameters will change/evolve, interesting read....albeit a little confusing to the every day player.

I am going to follow up with some thoughts on this in my next post

SLO-PITCH NATIONAL BAT POLICY ANNOUNCEMENT - NEW FOR 2012

Beginning on January 1^st, 2012, Slo-Pitch National is pleased to announce that we will be recognizing and accepting the USSSA bat testing methods for use in the SPN program www.usssa.com.

All USSSA approved bats must carry the “NEW” USSSSA stamp on the taper of the bat, for use in the SPN Program.

Starting on January 1^st, 2012 USSSA bats marked with the “NEW” USSSA stamp on the taper of the bat will be allowed in the SPN program. SPN will continue the ASA and ISF Approved bat list

“NOTE” SPN WILL NOT BE GRANDFATHERING USSSA BATS WITHOUT THE NEW STAMP ON THE TAPER OF THE BAT IN THE 2012 SEASON”.

Slo Pitch Ontario

New Slo-Pitch Ontario Softball Bat Marks and Grandfathering Rules

Effective January 1 2012

Effective  January 1,2012

• Have a new USSSA Mark on it's taper OR
• Have the old USSSA Mark OR
• Be a wood Bat

All of the above must be manufactured by an approved USSSA Bat Licensee

Effective January 1, 2014

• Have the new USSSA Mark on its taper OR
• Be a wood Bat

All of the above must be manufactured by an approved USSSA Bat Licensee
                                       
Slo Pitch Ontario has grandfathered this rule one additional year.
This was done with the interests of the players and retailers in mind.

 

For Release- October 2011.

NSA Canada Head Office

With the news this week of SPN adopting the USSSA bat standards……

 SLO-PITCH NATIONAL BAT POLICY ANNOUNCEMENT - NEW FOR 2012

Beginning on January 1^st, 2012, Slo-Pitch National is pleased to announce that we will be recognizing and accepting the USSSA bat testing methods for use in the SPN program www.usssa.com.

All USSSA approved bats must carry the “NEW” USSSSA stamp on the taper of the bat, for use in the SPN Program.

Starting on January 1^st, 2012 USSSA bats marked with the “NEW” USSSA stamp on the taper of the bat will be allowed in the SPN program. SPN will continue the ASA and ISF Approved Bat List.

“NOTE” SPN WILL NOT BE GRANDFATHERING USSSA BATS WITHOUT THE NEW STAMP ON THE TAPER OF THE BAT IN THE 2012 SEASON

 We at NSA Canada wanted to address some questions and concerns that have come up due to this release.

 NSA Canada has always been the Market Leader in Canada in regards to many areas and one of these has been the 1.20 BPF testing standard.

Before Slopitch National and Slopitch Ontario decided to join us at this similar testing level through their approval of  the USSSA standard, NSA Canada had set the 1.20 BPF standard as this is what our customers, YOU …the players, asked for.

The players wanted to swing 1.20 BPF approved bats in their respective league and tournament play because it was the best performance and selection of product available for slopitch in Canada.

And when you are swinging the best available performance product, you are less inclined to “cheat” by doctoring or altering the bat to improve the performance level.

Going into our 15^th season in Canada using this standard has improved game performance while still keeping an eye on the incidents of injury which is still less than 1% per season(this includes all forms, base running, fielding, liability and batted ball)

For years, the contention from NSA Canada’s main competition was that the 1.20 BPF approved bats were dangerous and players were going to get hurt and their association kept its bat standard with ASA approval to “protect” the player.

In all honesty, the testing has always amounted to a minimum difference of 1-2 miles per hour in batted ball speed between the ASA 98 MPH testing and the 1.20 BPF standard.

 In the infield , where most batted ball injuries occur, this is a negligible amount for speed and with  the SPN new adopted standards of USSSA for 2012, they are agreeing with this, as even with the new 52 300 ball, this will not slow down  batted balls through the infield, but just restrict their flight.

As a players first company, we at NSA Canada  have been involved in lengthy conversations with players , directors, bat manufacturers and testing experts to ensure we do what’s right for not only the organization but more importantly our participants.

We don’t want jump too quickly in regards to this as we want to make sure we make a truly informed decision.

More info to come

Please feel free to contact us at NSA Canada Head Office – info@nsacanada.ca

If you have any questions or points of view to contribute.

Welcome to the Canadian Slopitch Blog!!!

As the 2011 season winds down , we start casting our focus to a changing landscape that will be the 2012 season...
With all the new rules and association specific changes coming around, we believe that there is a need for info and analysis that will help you the Canadian Slopitch player with assoc. decisions, equipment buying and new product development.
We are by association, NSA Canada friendly and will continue to be as we believe this is the way of the future, but we will strive to discuss all info fairly as this is an open forum.....
We have arranged to add some of the best weekly info from Canadian Bat Enthusiasts as well as Umpire in Chiefs , Association leaders and Slopitch Manufacturers.
Please feel free to comment on our stories and updates. ask any question that you want, we are excited to use this medium to enhance the Canadaian Slopitch experience.
this week we will have all association bat rule changes for the upcoming season highlighted for discussion
Welcome to  CSB!