Practice Batting Cages

Building a batting cage doesn’t have to be an expensive endeavor. There are a couple of routes you can take. You could look at buying a ready made kit from a reputable vendor that comes with the poles and net or attempt to build your own. The first option will more than likely save you from having to put together all the parts and materials as well as providing a very detailed instruction manual on how to put the cage together. However, the second option of building your own batting cage is probably the most cost effective approach but will require you planning out the project a little more thoroughly.

Location

Determine where you plan to build the batting cage. Try to find a flat level ground area as this will make it easier when it comes time to actually using it for practice. Also, try to find a space that is at least 40 feet long and about 15 wide. If you have more space that is great but if you don’t then these dimensions coupled with creative hitting drills will allow you to still have an effective practice area.

Net

There several ways to finding a net. First, determine whether you want a new net or a used one. You can find several places online which sell new nets that will fit the dimensions you require. Once you spend a little time understanding the various characteristics of a good batting cage net maybe you’ll determine that a used one is the way to go. Try shopping online at places like eBay and Craigslist or you might even try your local classifieds.

Poles

The most cost effective poles are 4 x 4 treated wood posts. Compared to steel tubing, wood is an inexpensive approach for a frame. There are a couple of things to keep in mind. First, buy enough posts to spread them out over the length of the cage a span of 12 – 14 feet in between in each post. So, if your cage is 40 feet long, then you’ll need 3 for each side for a total of 6 posts. Second, you’ll need to concrete the posts in the ground. Follow your local building code for how deep the posts should go in the ground in order to get below the frost line. Also, ideally, your posts will be about 10-12 feet above the ground once buried. You’ll need this type of height in order to compensate for the sagging of the net.

Materials

You will need to purchase eye hooks that will screw in to the posts. Clips that will attach the net to the eye hooks and you might need to purchase wire that will run across the net in order to prevent too much net sag. The good thing is that all the materials including posts and concrete can be purchased at your local home improvement store.

This is a rough plan but one that will work and save you some money in the process. Learning how to build a batting cage is something everyone can do and provide hours of enjoyment for your family.

If you enjoy baseball or softball, you understand the importance and benefits of batting cages. Not only do they keep the ball contained in the netted area for safety reasons, but they also help the hitter in several areas, such as bat speed, accuracy, hand-eye coordination, timing, stance, etc. A batting cage also allows the hitter to spend more time hitting and working on their technique and fundamentals than chasing balls. This can add hours of more quality practice.

Lets face it, batting cages are expensive. New batting cages can run up into the thousands while used batting cages are cheaper can still be several hundred. It would make a lot more sense for a coach, parent, or baseball/softball enthusiast to purchase a used batting cage. There are many places you can find used batting cages. You can find them on Craigslist, ebay, your local newspaper, garage sales, and high schools and colleges. If a school happens to be doing an equipment upgrade, you might be able to get their old one for cheap, especially if you’re a member of the community. Make sure to call local athletic directors in order to explore this option.

Another option is to build your own batting cage by piecing together the various parts that make up a cage. You can find pipe at your local hardware store and netting from your local sports department store or from a sports equipment dealer. If you have the standard batting cage kit, you will see that building a batting cage is easier than you may think. That said, if you’re not the handy type and you want to make sure that the work has been done by a professional, then purchasing a used batting cage is the way to go.

Regardless of what you decide, make sure you get the right kind of batting cage. If you’re cage is going to be outside in a cold weather area, you want to get something tough and sturdy. This will usually be more expensive. On the other hand, if you’re batting cage will be in a warmer climate or indoors, you can take the cheaper option and buy a batting cage that doesn’t need to be as tough or sturdy.

After you buy your used batting cage, whoever steps inside will begin to improve their swing within a short period of time. The more they use the cage, the better they will get. The sky is the limit.

The premise of this site is to share ideas about batting cages – not only things to look for if you are interested in purchasing one for your backyard but also how to get the most out of your batting cage.

Practice Batting Cages covers a variety of topics that are ultimately focused on helping your child become a better hitter. It is often said that if a player can hit, then the coach will find a position for him to play. There is no doubt that having access to a cage can bring a tremendous advantage to your ball player, after all who wouldn’t like to walk out their back door and take a little batting practice. However, you also want to use your time effectively all the while making it fun and enjoyable.

As you look around the site, you’ll notice that the structure is laid out into four distinct topical areas:

Batting Cage Frames
There are many decisions that need to be made in regards to buying and building a cage with the first one being what kind of frame do I need. Frames come in all shapes and sizes and you can either build your own cage buy purchasing a frame independently or go the route of buying a ready made kit which typically comes with a frame and net together. Either way, it comes down to your budget and available space in your backyard. One thing to keep in mind is that the size of the cage should be the last thing to consider when looking at frame sets. You don’t necessarily need the biggest cage available. You can still maximize its use with proper equipment and well thought out drills.

Batting Cage Nets
Just like frames, nets also range in variety. Once you’ve decided where to put your cage and decided on a frame, be sure to choose a net that will meet your needs. When in doubt go with a heavier gauge (thickness) net and smaller size if space and money are tight. The gauge will help determine how long the net will last and provide many years of use.

Training Equipment
You’ve got your batting cage built now you’ll need some tools to help maximize its usage. Just taking batting practice off of a live arm is not enough. You’ll want to encourage proper technique with the use of certain tools like a tee, l-screen and possibly a pitching machine.

Hitting Drills
This portion of the site describes a few drills to use while in the cage. The key to hitting is repetition and these drills encourage good fundamentals while making it fun for the hitter.

It is the hope of this site that you find this information helpful in your quest for acquiring ideas in not only purchasing and building a batting cage but how to most effectively get the most use it as well. Remember – one of the hardest things to do is hit a round ball with a round bat. There is a reason that 3 out of 10 gets you into the hall of fame! It is very difficult. Encourage your young ball player; make it fun and they will be a better hitter.

Do batting cages make better hitters?

Like anything else, you get out of it what you put into it. If you want to learn to jump higher in order to get the edge on the basketball court then you would invest in vertical jump training. The same thought applies to baseball. It certainly won’t hurt to have a batting cage at your disposal whether public or in your own backyard. Learning to hit a baseball requires a tremendous amount of time and repetition. Now, if the only thing you do is put your player in the cage and simply let them hit pitch after pitch from a pitching machine then you are definitely not getting the most out of your batting cage.

It is not how long you work on your hitting but how effective your swings are that matters.

4 Hitting Drills
These hitting drills will make batting practice fun for your young player while at the same time putting the necessary swings in to be a better hitter. Work these drills into your practice time and you’ll begin to see the difference in no time both in confidence and mechanics.

Hit off of a tee
This is the classic of all drills and is not just for tee ballers. Don’t overlook this one as a lot can be accomplished with this little piece of equipment. The two biggest things that you want to work on is your weight shift from back to front as well as finishing your swing. First, start with the your weight slightly back on the back leg. Really exaggerate the weight as this will demonstrate how using your body can generate more power. Second, work on exploding through the ball with your hands – extending your arms as you finish your swing. This exercise will help create backspin on the baseball which allows the ball to carry and turn those singles into doubles and triples.

Soft toss from the front
You’ll want to use your l-screen for this drill. Place the screen about 8-10 away from the hitter. Feed the baseballs to the hitter in an underhand fashion. This will allow the balls to be flat but yet have just enough velocity. The goal is to build on the tee drill focusing on trying to hit line drives off of the l-screen. Again, explode through the ball with your hands and extend your arms.

Use a donut on the bat
This is a fun drill. Go to your local sporting goods store and purchase a donut for your bat. Again, using your l-screen in a similar fashion to the soft toss from the front exercise throw balls to the batter. With the donut on the bat, the player hits the baseballs thus reinforcing getting the bat through the strike zone. The donut will practically carry the bat through and help to create muscle memory.

One handed drill
The one handed drill is just that – use one hand to swing the bat. If the player bats from the right side, use your right hand and vice versa for the left handed hitter. Have the player choke up quite a bit so that they have a little more control. The idea is to teach the hitter to get through the zone with the knob end of the bat. Loading up the barrel until the last possible second until it finally hits the ball. Try to catch the ball out in front of the plate. Try not to have the ball get deep in the zone. This drill promotes quick hands and hand eye coordination.

A very important aspect of getting the most out of practice time, whether in your backyard or at a training facility, is the batting cage equipment.  The right equipment coupled with appropriate and highly focused drills will allow you to maximize the use of your cage as well as your time while at the same time making the practice time fun for the young player.

Home plate
This is an obvious piece of equipment.  Having a home plate available allows the hitter to align themselves up and maintain a proper hitting stance.  Effectively used for soft toss drills or actual batting practice from a live arm or pitching machine.

L-screen
An L-screen is simply that – a screen in the shape of an L that allows the pitcher to throw batting practice while providing protection from line drives.  If you can afford one piece of equipment then this would be the one to buy.  Having an L-screen will not only provides protection it will fully allow you to maximize the size of your batting cage.  You can place the L-screen closer to the hitter while still maintaining a very effective practice session as well as open your session up to many different types of drills.

Tee
A batting tee is often an overlooked piece of equipment but still needs to be a part of your training regimen.  There are, of course, many varieties of tees on the market today.  Some contain one single post or stem while others enable you to move the post around the area of the plate to work inside or outside pitches.  The ability to move the post is not essential for effective hitting practice.  You can simply move the tee itself around home plate to get the same effect and is really more cost effective.   No matter which type of tee you choose, be sure to work it in to your practice as it is still the best piece of equipment for instantaneous feedback on mechanics and the development of repetition.

Pitching machine
Of all the pieces of equipment listed above, this is the one piece that you could really live without if need be.  Pitching machines come in a couple of various types including wheel based and “arm” based.  Wheel based machines use a rotating wheel to throw the pitch while an arm type machine will catapult the ball towards the hitter.  It really comes down to preference and budget as to selecting the best type of machine.  A pitching machine is non-essential but there is also a lot to be said for predictability and consistency of pitches in practice time for developing young players while more experienced hitters can benefit from hitting high velocity and trick pitches.

Similar to choosing a batting cage frame, selecting the proper net can also be just as challenging.

The Wrong Idea
Don’t choose a net just because it is the cheapest.  More than likely, there is a reason that it is the most inexpensive.  There are, however, several factors that play into the cost including gauge, length, width and material.
How long do you expect to have the batting cage?

The life span of a batting cage net factors into the cost of the net.  If your child is playing in youth leagues and you hope to have your batting cage until he or she graduates high school then you may want to consider investing in a longer term solution.  Otherwise you will be replacing the net in a few years due to premature wear caused by the sun, winter wind and ball abrasion.  If, however, you decide that you only need your net to last of couple of years then your options open up considerably.

One thing to keep in mind while you are evaluating your needs is the size of the net does not determine a hitters success.  It’s the time that the player puts in inside the cage that makes the difference.  Check out these hitting tips for ideas on how to get the most

out of batting cages regardless of size or location.

Batting Cage Nets

Nets are typically made from two types of material – either nylon or polyethylene.  Nylon is typically used for indoor nets and is more expensive.  It is less resistant to weather but handles ball abrasion better than that of polyethylene.  Polyethylene is inexpensive compared to nylon and does not deteriorate as quickly due to moisture.  Both of these materials will perform quite well if properly constructed by the manufacturer.  Cage nets are typically rectangular in shape (although there is tunnel type nets used for batting cage kits) and good nets will use rope borders to form the rectangle which also helps to prevent sag.

Gauge or thickness of the twine is another important characteristic that needs to be evaluated when purchasing your net.  Nets typically come in #21, #30, #36 or #42 and sometimes you can find #62 and #90 gauge twine.  The important thing to remember is that the higher the number, the heavier the gauge, the more expensive the net will be but the more durable and long lasting it will be as well.

The key thing to remember is when in doubt, choose a shorter cage with a heavier strength net rather than a longer batting cage with lighter weight netting.

Batting cage frames come in all shapes and sizes.  With so many options on the market, you might be thinking where do I begin? The goal of this article is to help you determine the types of frames available and what to consider when deciding the type of frame to use.

When choosing the type of frame for building backyard batting cages there are several factors that you will need to consider.

1. How much space do you have available?
Try not to let space limit you in your decision to build a cage. A 70 foot length cage would be nice but if you do not have that kind of space don’t sweat it. Even in the tightest of spaces, a cage can be constructed and effectively used with proper equipment and practice drills.

2. Do you want a permanent structure or a cage that can be disassembled?
Permanent structures are one way to go but you may want to break down the cage in the off season or maybe you would like to consider a portable cage in order to carry it to tournaments for your team to use.

3. What is your budget?
Ultimately, it all comes down to how much you have available to spend.

Your options are endless, however, your answers above will best determine the type of frame that you have available to choose from with 3 types of frames being at the top of the list.

Types of batting cage frames

Galvanized steel
There are many types of frames that are commonly used with the most common being galvanized steel tubing which is typically the most expensive option. Galvanized steel will provide the most stability and be able to bear the most weight. Several galvanized steel systems available suggest putting PVC tubing in the ground as sleeves to hold the steel tubing up-right thus providing a breakdown or portable option.

PVC Tubing
A cheaper option is using a PVC type material. Only use this type of frame if your budget is very restricted as it tends to sag with the weight of the net.

Wood
Another viable option is 4 x 4 treated posts. In reality, this is probably the most cost effective approach while providing the stability to handle the weight of a net. This option also is more permanent as you’ll want to put the posts in concrete.

No matter what type of frame you choose for building your batting cage, the net that you ultimately go with will weigh between 200 to 400 lbs and sometimes more depending on the gauge of the net so the frame needs to be able to support the weight.

One last thing, don’t forget the hardware:

• concrete (for use on permanent structures)
• cabling in order to hang or suspend the net
• hooks and clips to attach the net to the frame