Baseball Batting Cage Blog for Batting Cage Owners

Welcome to the BATTING CAGE USERS GUIDE. Our posts can help you build or buy your own backyard or team batting cages. Our post can can help you better utilize your batting cage and improve your batting practice. Our free baseball articles, tips and drills provide you with useful information to help your player or team improve their baseball batting skills. Make sure to bookmar or save this site to your favorites for future visits. Good luck to you and your team!

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Batting Cage - Its Types


http://www.baseballcoachingdigest.com

Batting Cage - Its Types
By Nancy Chin

A batting cage is generally used to practice batting skills for the game of baseball. It is a netted cage that encloses a particular area to catch the balls. A home batting cage is also referred to as backyard batting cage. It is very useful for those who need regular practice as they can skip out on long waiting hours at the sports complex and also save up on traveling time.

When one decides to purchase a home kit, he should make considerations such as, the space available to set it up, the period of use, whether temporary or permanent, and also the perfect pitching distance. Some ideal pitching distances can be seen as follows.

Pinto - 38 ft
Mustang - 44 ft
Little league - 46 ft
Bronco - 48 ft
Pony - 54 ft
Pro/ College/ High school - 60.6 ft

The size of depends on specific requirements for example if you require a pitching machine you would need more space. Whereas a batting cage for T- ball would require very less space. Batting cages are made of different materials for different purposes, for example, if you need to set up one outside, in the sunlight, material suggested is polyethylene. This material is also best for backyard use. Setting up of a cage does not take long, after the ground sleeves are cemented in, it should take roughly one or two hours to finish installing the frame. While using a pitching machine, it is advised to use a backstop. This helps to prevent damages done to the net. This can be used if the pitching machine is at 60 mph or less. For machines more than 80 mph it is advised to choose twisted poly and nylon.

Netting can either be twisted or knitted. Twisted netting is a stronger type of netting, it has knots and includes three strands together. These are hung on squares. Knitted netting in knitted like golf netting. I does not let the balls to escape through them. It is recommended for under high school level baseball. These are hung on diamonds which increases the stretch from all sides.

Batting cages can either be nylon or poly. In case of an indoor one, it is advised to use a nylon cage net. This material is stronger than poly. If outdoor batting is the choice, then one should use poly batting nets.

Our entire selection of pitching machines & batting cages are on sale now. Also enjoy free shipping on your baseball pitching machine, softball pitching machine, or batting cage this week only.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nancy_Chin

Monday, November 22, 2010

How to Hit Better in Baseball Immediately

How to Hit Better in Baseball Immediately
By guest author: Jeffery A Wise

Every baseball player serious about the sport desires to become the best hitter they can be. Even major leaguers always seek to improve their hitting. You should also want to learn how to hit better in baseball.

Players, parents and coaches should all be interested in learning the secrets to hitting better. Parents can encourage their children and give pointers. Coaches have a huge impact on teacher their players the hitting skills they need. If the following skills are practiced regularly, players' hitting abilities are sure to improve.

The basics include hitting mechanics, confidence and the right timing. Let's touch on hitting mechanics first. If we don't go over the mechanics of baseball hitting then we are doing a disservice to ourselves. Remember, even professionals work on basic mechanics every day. They get to the ballpark early to practice hitting and fielding. Those basic mechanics are:

-Stand shoulder width in the batter's box for maximum balance and bend slightly at the knees and waist while holding your bat in a vertical position six to eight inches away from your chest.
-Wait for the ball and keep your shoulder and hips closed until it's time to swing.
-Always have your head pointed towards the pitcher and keep your eyes on the ball at all times.
-Try to have a smooth and consistent swing no matter where the ball is pitched.
-Make sure you follow through with your swing

Confidence is most important while hitting. Remain in control, be selective and hit your pitch. Don't swing at the first pitch for a while to get the feel of the pitcher. If your at-bat goes all wrong, don't let it get you down. Even if you have no hits in three at-bats, the next at-bat might be the one to win the game or sustain a rally for your team. Stay calm and in the game.

When referring to right timing, it's not about the timing of your swing. Instead, it's the reality that sometimes the hits fall for you and sometimes they don't. You can have all your mechanics and confidence down to a science, but sometimes you hit it right at a fielder or you hit the ball foul by one-half inch. That's part of the game everyone goes through. If it wasn't, then everybody would hit.750 or better.

To learn how to hit better in baseball, begin working on these tips immediately and regularly. Never give up. Be sure of yourself and always be ready to attack the ball. These tips will help you be the best baseball hitter you can be.

Jeffery A Wise invites you to learn the proven system of how to hit a baseball so that you can learn how to hit a baseball better. Start learning today by reading our information, watching our videos and participating in our blog.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jeffery_A_Wise

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Friday, November 12, 2010

Bunt Young, Bunt Often In Little League

Bunt Young, Bunt Often In Little League
By guest author: Marty Schupak

Bunting is a very big part of baseball. And, when a bunt is laid down the right way, it is very difficult to defend. I have always been big on bunting, and feel it can be taught at a young age. There are basically two types of bunts: the square bunt and the pivot bunt. My preference is the pivot bunt because the players just pivot on their toes and do not have to lift their feet. Once in a playoff game, I had a player perform a square bunt, and he put down a perfect bunt, and beat it out...we all thought. The only problem was, when he lifted his leg and put it down in a different position, it was right on home plate and he was called out. The best way to teach bunting for the first time is to practice with a soft covered ball or a rag ball, which is described in The 59 Minute Baseball Practice video. With the rag balls or a soft covered ball, there is very little danger of getting hurt, and the players can actually pitch to each other. Once they seem confident, coaches can pitch a hard ball to his team.

There are many bunting strategies that can be used in a game. My favorite is with less than two out and a runner on third. In this situation, the batter can bunt to the third baseman as the base runner bounces toward home. When the third baseman releases the ball to first base, the player on third runs home, and must slide. If it is a good bunt, and the base runner breaks to home when he should, this is almost unstoppable. Remember that youth baseball players can practice bunting at a very young age. Seek out your high school coach to teach the proper technique. Also, make sure your best bunters get a chance to swing away.

http://www.YouthSportsClub.com

http://www.VideosForCoaches.com

Marty Schupak has coached youth baseball for 18 years and is the video creator of "The 59 Minute Baseball Practice", "Backyard Baseball Drills", "Winning Baseball Strategies", "Hitting Drills & Techniques", “Pitching Drills & Techniques”, and author of the popular book, "Youth Baseball Drills". He is a principle with Videos For Coaches and is also President of the Youth Sports Club, a group dedicated to making sports practices and games more enjoyable for kids.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Marty_Schupak

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Saturday, November 6, 2010

Build a Batting Cage



Build a Batting Cage

If you want to build a batting cage in your backyard, I recommend checking out my e-course, "Build a Batting Cage on a Budget." Click on the URL below to get a free preview of the e-course.
http://www.baseball-equipment-review.com....

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www.BattingCagesDirect.com

BATTING CAGE NETS without FRAMES
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Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Used Umpire Equipment

Used Umpire Equipment
By guest author: Pete Reiser

Buying used umpire equipment requires, as Will Ferrell's George Bush once said, "strategery." The purchase of some used items is just plain gross (e.g. a protective cup). The purchase of other used gear may be a smart move.

Mask

At first blush using someone else's mask sounds just nasty. However, an umpire mask is composed of two parts, the frame and the padding. Most most mask manufacturers make replacement pads. For instance, Diamond offers replacement pads for its widely popular DFM-UMP that sell for about $18. Most used masks on Ebay sell for around $15. If you can buy the mask for $15 and pop in new padding for $18.00, you can save a few dollars off the $60 retail price.

[editor's note: I have actually seen a new DFM-Ump on sale for as low as $35 online. It seems to me a little legwork on the internet is a better choice than buying used umpire equipment.]

Chest Protector

Let's face it: umpires sweat - a lot. Some umpires do not use undershirts (gross). Luckily some chest protectors are washable (e.g. Pro Nine Chest Protector CPU).

Leg Guards

Some leg guards are washable. Some leg guards can be disassembled for washing.

My opinion is that the above equipment can be purchased new for around $150. Used you may get it for $80. Personally I would rather pay the extra $70 for equipment that is my own and does not remind me of rotten fish. Use umpire equipment is generally not worth the savings. With that said, I would consider a great deal on an unblemished lightweight mask if I could replace the pads and save more than 50%.

Pete Reiser is an amateur baseball and softball umpire in the Midwest. Pete has umpired at various levels from 9U to NCAA Division I.

For more information about umpiring and equipment visit Pete's blog at
http://www.midwestump.blogspot.com


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Monday, November 1, 2010

Derek Jeter Hurricane Hitting Machine - HurricaneMachine.com



Derek Jeter Hurricane Hitting Machine - HurricaneMachine.com
Coach2winVideos
The Derek Jeter Hitting Machine is the world's most popular baseball rotational hitting machine. With no balls to chase and limited space requirements, the Hurricane Hitting Machine by SKLZ can be used indoors and outdoors. It has height ans speed adjustments for all ages and ability levels. If you are looking for a trainer that can take your team or player's offensive game to the next level, you can stop looking, you have found it. http://www.HurricaneMachine.com Visit the Hurricane Hitting machine Training Blog http://hurricanebaseballtrainingmachi... for free baseball tips, baseball drills, and baseball coaching articles. Availabe at http://store.baseball2u.com/husotrmaj...