cricket bats

Most bats, when first purchased, are not advised to be used straight away. They often include a small manual advising, for the safety of the bat, to knock in the bat by hitting the surface with a cricket ball or a special bat mallet first. This compacts the fibres within the bat and protects the bat from snapping which would often be the case should the bat not be knocked in. It is advised by many cricket bat manufacturers, including Gray-Nicolls, Puma AG and Kookaburra Sport, that the time spent knocking the bat in should be around 3 to 6 hours. However it is worth it, as the bat becomes more controllable, manipulative of the ball and provides the user with more power.

Some bats, however can be purchased pre-knocked (in meaning that in the bat's creation the bat has already been knocked). The price is higher but saves the owner a lot of time. These bats are said by most^{[weasel words]} to have a negligible improving effect upon a given innings, but their main purpose is to increase the comfort and confidence of the batsman and to promote the quality and range of bats from their manufacturer.