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| SOFTBALL LINKS |
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Indoor Batting Practice
by Dave
Tuesday, August 30, 2005
Ever since I was a kid, I always wanted to have a pitching machine of my very own. I loved to hit back in those days. I still love to hit. When my children started getting interested in softball, I started fantasizing about setting up my basement as a sort of training center but alas, I haven't the funding to do what I would really want to do. I have to be a little more creative until that day I finally win the lottery.
I have looked far and wide for things which are cheaper and can work in less than optimal space. Luckily some of the products that are readily available provide me what I was looking for. I was able to set up the basement sufficiently to practice many important softball skills including hitting on rainy days and during the winter.
My first purchase was the Hit-N-Stik which is a great tool for batting practice in a limited space. The device is basically a flexible stick with a ball on it. I covered the use of this in a previous posting called Effective tools for batting practice. Please see that for more on the subject.
I also purchased a batting tee and some softball-sized whiffle balls for different kinds of fun without damage. Then I bought a big double net and found a soft toss machine on ebay. These are all great but I still dreamed of a pitching machine. There just is nothing like hitting a real pitch. A pitching machine is by no means the same as hitting live pitching but just as big time softball players work with batting tees, they also make frequent use of pitching machines to train their eyes. I want a pitching machine for myself as much as my kids!
I remember the first time my daughter attended a practice for a highly competitive team. They did the usual skills in some interesting ways but when it came time for batting practice, I was a little surprised to find the team manager pitching tiny, golfball-sized whiffle balls to the team. These are great because hitting something that small makes even an extremely fast pitch appear to be easier to hit than it would otherwise be. I started thinking about having some sort of pitching machine which would pitch these balls. Luckily I found one.
The Sluggomatic Micropitching Machine pitches golfball sized whiffle balls. The device holds about 2 dozen balls and comes in three different models. There is the standard model which has a 2 hour battery and 1 year warranty, the high school model which has a 4 hour battery and 2 year warranty, and the pro model which throws both curves and screwballs. All three models throw from 25 to 45 mph which should be sufficient since you won't set it up at 43 feet from the hitter. The unit ways just a couple of pounds and since it is portable with battery power, you can bring it outside during the season. It is offered for sale by JumpUSA.com who markets a number of unique sports training devices.
You likely have read about how major league baseball and Team USA softball have in recent years made novel use of pitching machines. The top athletes from both sports use an extremely expensive type of pitching machine to throw small balls (such as tennis balls) at very high speeds. Another interesting variation on this is to paint numbers and/or colors on the balls. The hitter then must call out the color or number before swinging. As an alternative, the hitter can swing at balls with orange or red paint, or the number 1 while holding on those with black or yellow paint, or the number -0-. The result of this kind of training is the eyes become more accustomed to smaller balls and much more trained to see and make quick decisions about the pitched ball.
The Sluggomatic Micropitching Machine provides much of the same benefits of the very expensive device used by world class athletes at a much lower price. Prices span from $180 - $260 (before shipping and any applicable sales tax) depending on which model you purchase. And because this machine uses whiffle balls, you can use it almost anywhere including your basement.
If you decide to make use of this device, don't be lulled into believing that whiffle balls cannot be dangerous. The manufacturer states that the balls can be hit as far as 100 feet. So you can be sure that they do fly off the bat. I overheard one coach telling girls to pay attention because getting hit by one of these balls feels like being stung by a bee. And because these balls are very small, the last thing you want is to have someone hit in the eye by one. But on the other hand, if your team is paying attention, there is almost no chance of anyone being hurt during batting practice using it. And inside your house, whiffle balls are unlikely to do much damage provided that you use your head about where to set it up. I'm sure these balls can break lightbulbs, for example. But if you set things up so your daughter can hit into a concrete wall, you should be OK.
Hitting whiffle balls pitched from a machine may not be quite as much fun as hitting real balls or real pitching but it does train your eyes. Also it provides a realistic opportunity to face fast pitching with lots of repetitions. If you have been looking for something to keep your girls busy throughout the winter, I think this may be right for you. And if you are a coach looking for something to increase fun during batting practice, this is a great portable way to do it.Labels: hitting
Permanent Link: Indoor Batting Practice
 
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