When your new bat is delivered to you, probably one of the first
things you do is inspect it. In this process of looking over your bat
you probably notice some anachronisms like ASA, USSSA, ISA, NSA and ISF.
These are letters identifying the governing bodies that certify that
this bat is acceptable for play in a given league or tournament
sanctioned by the association. There are roughly 20 governing bodies in
softball which maybe easily recognizable. There are however, five which
we might consider as the major bodies. These five are the: Amateur
Softball Association (ASA), United States Specialty Sports Association
(USSSA), Independent Softball Association (ISA), the National Softball
Association (NSA), and the International Softball Federation (ISF). Even
though these governing bodies may follow similar guidelines and rules
each governing body is separate from the others. Therefore, you must
adhere to that specific governing body pending your league or tournament
play. One can begin appreciate the complexity of the governing bodies
relationships. No matter what governing body one might play under there
are more similarities than differences. Every organization has a set of
rules which promote consistent, fair, and safe play. One of the most
interesting differences is in the certification of bats.
USSSA and NSA also test bats for certification. Those associations
use a test developed by Dr. Brant a physics professor at New York
University. This test, as attested by many players, allows for greater
ball acceleration off the bat. On the field we might say these bats have
more pop. Some people, possible erroneously, have referred to these
bats as 100 + mph bats.
To get more detailed information on the certification procedures one
can access the individual governing bodies’ web sites or contact them
directly. At these sites you can also find information on bats that are
certified and those that are not approved for play in a particular
association.