Lesson 4 of 15

Knocking-In, Oiling & Bat Care

5 min read•5/19 sections

Why a new bat needs 6 hours of mallet work.

Care: Light raw linseed oil 2–3 times a season; never -oil (kills the ping).

Technical Breakdown

19-section schema

The compression process that compresses willow fibres on the face and edges of a new bat before live use.

Bats have been made from English/Kashmir willow since the 18th century; blade dimensions are fixed under MCC Law 5 (max 108 mm , 67 mm deep).

Knocking-in raises the willow's effective hardness, preventing and surface dents under live .

4–6 hours of progressive mallet work plus old-ball throwdowns; surface starts soft, ends with a hardened playing layer.

Skipping knocking-in — the bat splits on first live encounter with a 130+ km/h ball.