How to Easily Store Your Batting Cage Net

Yesterday was batting cage take down day for Boaz High Baseball. Each year at this time we take down our 4 outdoor batting cages and put them into storage until next January. There are three reasons we do this: 1)For security to insure that no one steals or damages these valuable assets of our program. The area where they are located is accessible year round. 2)The AHSAA has rules restricting the use of these cages in the off-season, and 3)Storing them during the off-season will double their life expectancy. We have been using these cages for 5 years and we expect to get at least 5 more years of use out of them.

Tips for Off-season Batting Cage Storage:

1. Make sure that your cage is absolutely dry before taking it down. Do not store your cage if it is damp or wet.
2. Make sure to repair all holes if you have any before you take it down. Often we have small tears or holes that we easily and quickly fix with heavy-duty black weather proof twine.
3. Make sure to collect all cables, rope, clips and other hardware in a bucket or box and label it for easy location when you put the cages back up.
4. BEST TIP EVER - To easily store your cage and to make it easy to carry, use the heavy-duty paper roll or tube that new carpet or flooring comes on. Carpet store and flooring stores will often give you this tubes free. They are about 12 feet long. If these are not available, use heavy-duty PVC pipe.
5. Spread your cage out evenly on the ground and roll in onto the tube. This makes the cage easy to carry by two people, and you can hang the net from the ceiling in your garage, carport, or basement. Use heavy-duty wire, rope, or chain to hang net from a adequate support structure. Make sure that what you use to hang it with is strong enough to safely hold the weight.

Remember you can depend on Nedco Sports and CoachesBest.com for all of your batting cage and net needs. Our customer support, toll free, number is 1-877-431-4487.

I hope you find these tips useful. Have a great day, Nick

The Home Batting Cage: Giving Your Player the Best Chance to Succeed

Does your baseball/softball player get enough batting practice during team practices?

Does your ballplayer play in a league where the onfield practices are short and scheduled due to a limited number of ballfields and multiple teams to use them?

Would you like to give your ballplayer the best chance to succeed as a hitter?

If you answer YES to any of the above questions, you should seriously consider purchasing a Home Batting Cage. A Home Batting Cage allows your players to get all the swings they need to make them the best hitter possible. With a Home Batting Cage, your players can take batting practice whenever they want. I think that being able to practice whenever a child gets the urge is very important. Also, you can have your child's whole team over to get extra practice in order to help the team be more successful.

A Home Batting Cage is the most logical and productive thing you can do if your son or daughter really loves the game of baseball or softball. Buying a cage can be like "putting-money-in-the-bank" if your child shows the potential to be a college player.It is a known fact that players that have Home Batting Cages, on the average, have more hitting success than those players that do not have Home Batting Cages. I will admit that there are always exceptions. I am sure that we can all name a couple of excellence hitters that did not have a batting cage in their backyard.

However, a high percentage of today's collegiate baseball and softball players had daily access to a batting cage when they were gowing up. Many of those players had their very own backyard batting cage.

If you can afford it and you have a secure place to set up a cage, you would be well advised to order a cage as soon as you can. www.CoachesBest.com specialize in selling "Total Batting Cage Packages" that have both the net and frame included. Buying a cage this way saves you time and money and insures that you will have a top quality batting cage at the best price possible. Buy one of our systems and you buy a net and frame that are "made for each other". This insures quality performance and longevity.

www.CoachesBest.com has complete Home Batting Cage packages measuring 40', 55', 60' and 70' long. These packages are mixed with #21, #36, and #45 Poly Netting (depending on which package you choose) in order to give you options when selecting that important investment for your child. You can view these Home Batting Cage packages athttp://store.baseball2u.com/basob.html.

Remember, a Home Batting Cage can give your player or players a significant edge over the competition and give them more of a chance to get that scholarship so many parents dream of for their kids.

Good Luck to your ball players and have a great day, Nick.

Baseball "L" Screen Basics

Hello and Good Morning. Having a baseball pitching "L" screen is a must if you are buying a new batting cage. The "L" shape design of this screen gives it its name and provides a protective barrier to protect the batting practice pitcher.

Buying tips for buying an baseball pitcher's "L" screen.

• Do not try to save money by buying a small screen. The larger the screen, the better, when it comes to a pitcher's safety.
• A "sock" designed net fits over the frame like a sock. The frame is constructed and then the net is slide down onto the frame and tied intot place. "Sock" nets provide "double" protection because they provide two layers of net protection.
• Make sure that you buy a "L" screen made of "heavy-duty" netting. Most "L" screens are made of #36 netting. Anything lighter in weight is not recommended.
• Regularly check your "L" screen for holes, tears, or loose bindings. If you find a problem, repair it immediately. If it can not be repaired, "shut down all cage work" until the "L" screen is replaced.

Baseball2u.com has top quality "L" screens for discount prices.

I hope these tips are helpful to you. Have a great day, Nick

Why Baseball Batting Cage Safety is Everyone's Concern

I hope all is well with you and yours. The next time you have to remind a player to wear a helmet in the batting cage, tell them about the following article. You may want to print the aticle and post it for everyone to see.

Batting cages and batting cage batting practice can be a totally safe environment when safety rules are learned and followed. Although batting cage injuries are rare, we should always remember what can occur when we drop our guard!

Click here to read this article in the Dallas Morning News.

Let's keep our baseball players safe! Have a great day, Nick

A question I often Have asked: "What is the life expectancy of my baseball batting cage?"

How many years of use can I expect to get out of this investment?

This question's answer depends on several factors:

• Is the batting cage used indoors or outdoors?
• If the batting cage is used outdoors, does it stay up all year?
• Do you have a "ball impact" net saver screen behind the batter?

Covered batting cages and batting cages set-up indoors can last for 10 or more years. They are protected from the elements and this greatly extends their life.

Net's used outdoors, can be expected to last 4 to 6 seasons with year round exposure to the weather elements.

It is recommended that you do the following to extend the life of your cage:

• If you can set you batting cage up indoors by all means do so. This extends the life of your batting cage plus, it allows you to taking indoor batting practice when the weather outside is too wet or too harsh for outdoor use.
• Take your net down for 6 months and store it in a dry place indoors.
• There are recommended weather-proofing chemicals that you can use to treat your net before you put it back up.
• Use an "ball impact" net or tarp to protect the area behind the batter. This area is prone to wear out faster because of the constant impact of the ball.

Have a great weekend, Nick

Batting Cage Myth - A Batting Cage Must Be Long to Be Useful

“A Baseball Batting Cage must be long for it to be useful.” This is simply not true.

Players of all ages, even at the high school and collegiate levels benefit from batting practice in batting cages that are 35’ to 50’ in length. Shorter batting cages may be limited in length, but they offer huge benefits when they are used regularly. Very seldom do baseball and softball batters take cage batting practice from their regular pitching distance. The wear on the throwers arm to reduced at shorter distances. The accuracy of the batting practice pitches are always more consistent when at shorter distances. Shorter Batting Cages are of course less expensive and they do not require the space that much larger cages reuire.

“Long-toss”, “front-toss”, and various other batting practice drills can be performed at distances under the regular pitching distance. When batters take swings at pitches thrown at 35’ the batter is seeing and reacting to pitches that simulate higher speeds at the normal pitching distance. The player’s “triggering”, “separation”, and “loading” mechanisms are all at the same speed, rhythm, and timing as under normal game hitting.

For more great information, drills and tips, visit the Baseball Coaching Digest.

Have a great day, Nick.

Buying a "Batting Cage Package" may save your time and money

Hello,
I hope that you enjoyed the MLB All-Star Game last night as much as I did! I thought it was going to last all night. It was definitely worth losing sleep for.

Just a quick note for those of you that are wanting to buy a batting cage but are undecided on how to build or contruct the frame structure to hold or support it.

You should check out the "Batting Cage Packages" that include both net and frame for one low price. This batting cage setups are great for backyard batting cages for baseball and softball families.

You can order a cage that is perfect for the size of your yard. These cages can be seen at Baseball2u.com. If you have questions, they have customer service that is available by phone.
Thanks, See ya later, Nick.

The 59th Major League Allstar Game

Seeing such a great collection of Major League Allstars on the field for the National Anthem will always be a memory that I will cherish.

This is truly America's game. I am proud to have the priviledge to coach it. Thanks MLB for a special moment. It was great to Yogi Berra, one of my all time favorites Hall of Famers. The clips of him leaping high into the arms of Don Larson in the 1956 World Series were a special touch to the telecast. For more on the 1956 World Series visit the Baseball Almanac.

I can't talk about Yogi without including three of his famous quotes that I consider to be "classic":

"You can observe a lot just by watching."
"I always thought that record would stand until it was broken."
"Baseball is ninety percent mental. The other half is physical."
For More MLB Quotes - Baseball Amanac

Amazing Facts: Yogi Berra originally sined for $500 and $90 dollars a month. Yankee Stadium cost 2.5 mil to build. Now 41 MLB players make more annually than it cost to build that stadium.

Tonight was a special night for all baseball fans! Thank you Major League Baseball!

My first official post..

Hello and welcome to my blog. One of the greatest assets that a baseball or softball player can have is a backyard baseball batting cage. A baseball or softball team that does not have access to a batting cage will often find it difficult to compete with teams that do. Baseball and softball teams that have batting cage access often get more quality batting practice swings than team that do not use a cage.

Buying a batting cage does not have to be an difficult and challenging experience. With the right knowledge and help, you can determine your best option to meet your needs. I will provide you with as much information as I can. I hope that you will find my post helpful. One thing is for sure, when the buying and installation process is complete, you will be glad and thankful that you took action and had the intiative to take the "big step" and buy a cage. Your player and/or team will benefit greatly from the convenience and regular batting practices that batting cage ownership offers. I will also include suggested drills and tips for getting the most out of your batting cage workouts. Thanks. Have a great day, Nick.