Practice bat

A practice bat for establishing a swing coordination as between hands in a two-handed swing movement comprising:

• an elongate head having an axial opening in one end;
• a grip element having a generally cylindrical configuration and having an axial opening in one end thereof;
• a spring axially into the openings in said head and said grip;
• a plurality of pins through said head and said grip and passing transversely through said spring in said axial openings;
• a potted plastic matrix filling said openings and imbedding said spring and said pins;
• said spring forming a resilient gap between said head portion and said grip portion and separating said grip portion into a pair of grips, an upper and lower grip;
• and
• bumpers around said grip and head portions adjacent said gap.

A method for manufacture of a training bat having an universal articulated flexible joint between adjacent hand grip areas, one on the grip side and one on the head side of the bat including the steps of:

• cutting a conventional bat across its principal axis to form a separate lower grip portion and an upper head portion;
• forming an axial opening in the grip portion and in the head portion at the ends adjacent the cut;
• inserting a spring element into the openings formed in the upper head portion and the lower grip portion with said spring bridging a gap between said grip portion and said head portion;
• transversely applying fastener elements which run through the axis of said head and grip portions and through the spring and axial openings while retaining said spring, said grip and said head in axial alignment substantially filling said openings and imbedding said spring and said fasteners with a potting compound of resin and hardener and curing said resin in situ;
• and
• applying an annular bumper over said grip and said head at the ends of said grip and head from which said spring extends.