I was going to give you all of this info,till I saw you were on the other side of the world
I coach and I also have 5 boys who play from ages 7 to 18
Alloy bats will drive a ball further,period. Unsure if it is allowed where you are or in the league you will be in,but if you get an alloy bat, have it turned. Turning the bat will simulate 100 hits on the metal. This will tighten the bat,compress the metals and allow a more solid hit and longer balls. Turning is banned here in any age group since a ball coming off a turned bat can exceed 120 MPH and kill a person in a quick way.
Wood bats give a better feel and a more solid form of contact. Wood is softer than metal,so physics tell you why the ball will not go as far.
Wood is dangerous at lower age groups because splintering wood,cracked bats,etc. Metal bats split, but rarely,if ever, crack in half and get launched at a player.
If you are heavy into practicing ,get a T or fashion one. T's are usually for beginners in the effect they get them used to swinging a bat. However, even my 18 yr old uses one I have fashioned. The purpose is to make your main line,level swing, mechanical. Done without though. If you get to where you can crack the ball just below chest heigth,every time and making no contact with the stand/ball holder, you can then consider your accuracy dead on
At that point, if you have even rudimentary hand/eye coordination, your body will adjust to any ball coming your way,giving you a solid hit each time.
Think about it, in ANY thing we do in life,repetitive actions teach us the best . In the military you are taught to be able to do your job,effectively,efficiently and nearly robotic because you may be doing it under fire, with no sleep, in bad weather,etc,etc. The same applies to anything.
Batting cages end up being costly,time consuming and do more harm than good unless you can control the ball feed timing. Most machines launch,then a 5 second count, launch,over and over.
Make sure you are using a cored ball and not a rubber packed ball.
I could tell you more on how to stand, move and hold your bat as well as how to correct issues, but you may not need all of that and youtube has some decent videos
For bats, do not fall into the hype.
ZOMG ! MUST HAVE THE NEW CATALYST !!...No....
The primary issue is finding bats to try out. No one will let you take a new bat and beat the **** out of it too see if it works for you. I do not know if your area of the world has Walmart,Kmart or any such type of store, but it is best to get a cheap 30.00 bat to practice with,to get into the "groove" get the motion and feeling of the swing down, prior to considering a full time bat. God knows I hate it when I piss 200+ on a bat and one of my boys says " nah,that TPX bat feels better and I get a better transition on it" and I have to go out and piss another 200-300 .
THis will sound retarded, but Kangaroo hide gloves are the best. I saw retarded as most people on this board have had to avoid them while driving or some other such issue,whereas I have seen them in the zoo only
I do know Bretts Catcher's mitt is Kangaroo hide and I can feel a serious difference in it and a cow hide. The snap takes less tension it opens much easier than a treated and cured cow hide.
If you need any other tips, let me know
