BRUCE BOLT BLOG

What Is SFIA? What Does SFIA Approval Mean for Football Gear? Are Football Gloves Required to Be SFIA Approved? Why SFIA Certification Matters for Youth and High School Athletes What to Look for in SFIA Football Receiver Gloves Gearing Up for the Season Ahead   At a Glance: SFIA gloves meet the SFIA Football Glove and Hand Pad Specification, a performance standard the NFHS, the NCAA, and youth leagues recognize for game play. Because it measures grip rather than protection, the standard caps how tacky a palm can be. Any pair that passes carries a visible SFIA mark on the...

From Gainesville to Kansas City The 2026 Breakout, by the Numbers What Caglianone Wants in a Batting Glove What He Tells Younger Hitters Gear Up Like Caglianone   At a Glance: Jac Caglianone is one of baseball's most exciting young power hitters, selected sixth overall by the Kansas City Royals in the 2024 MLB Draft. The former Florida star set the program's single-season home run record with 35 homers and earned the John Olerud Award as the nation's top two-way player. Now competing at the highest level, Caglianone trusts BRUCE BOLT batting gloves to provide the durability and comfort he...

Understanding the Hit-by-Pitch Rule Pitching Around the Hit-By-Pitch Rule Famous Instances of the Hit-by-Pitch Rule Protecting Yourself at the Plate with BRUCE BOLT The Short Answer: The hit-by-pitch rule awards first base to a batter who is directly struck by a pitch while standing in the batter’s box. While it may sound simple, there are exceptions to be aware of, which we will get into later in this article. Understanding the Hit-by-Pitch Rule Official Baseball Rule 5.05(b)(2) states that a batter is entitled to first base when a pitched ball touches him, his clothing, or his equipment. There are two...

The Case for Playing Multiple Sports How Skills Carry From One Sport to the Next What College Coaches and Athletic Directors Look For How to Build a Multi-Sport Schedule That Works Staying in the Game for the Long Run The Short Answer: Multi-sport athletes develop a wider range of movement skills, decision-making abilities, and athletic habits that can carry over to their primary sport. Playing multiple sports also gives young athletes different ways to build strength, coordination, and confidence throughout the year. Somewhere around sixth grade, many families hear a version of the same advice: pick one sport, commit fully,...

What Shakes a Young Hitter's Confidence How Bat Sting Affects a Hitter How the Right Batting Gloves Change the At-Bat The Rest of the Gear That Builds Confidence Building an At-Bat Routine You Trust Walking Up Ready to Swing   The Short Answer: Building confidence at the plate starts with preparation and the right equipment. A hitter needs an approach they feel comfortable with and gear that helps them stay confident through every swing. Every coach has watched it happen. A kid who crushes the ball in batting practice steps into the box during a game and becomes a different...

What Bat Drop Means and How to Calculate It How Drop Weight Changes Your Swing Drop Weight Rules by League and Age Why Two Bats With the Same Drop Can Feel Different How to Choose the Right Drop Weight for Your Swing Lock In Your Connection to the Bat The Short Answer: Bat drop is a bat's length in inches minus its weight in ounces, written as a negative number like -10 or -3. A 30-inch bat that weighs 20 ounces is a -10, and the larger that number gets, the lighter the bat feels in your hands. Every baseball...