Practice Batting Cages » Nets

Tips for Buying a Batting Cage Net

admin — Fri, 21 May 2010 01:29:00 +0000

Batting cage nets play a very important role in baseball practice and the benefits are obvious. They save time and energy and let everyone focus on the task on hand instead of worrying about fetching the ball every time it flies off in a random direction. They also prevent loss of balls and therefore can save you some money as well. Since the baseball generally hits the net at a high velocity, the nets need to be really strong and have high tensile strength.

Batting nets are generally made from two materials: nylon and polypropylene. While nylon has a high tensile strength, it is not very durable and elements might reduce its efficiency and durability, polypropylene is both durable and strong but it is more expensive than nylon. Therefore, while a nylon net would do well for personal use in your backyard, polypropylene nets are more suitable for commercial use.

Batting cages are of three types:

cages with a sloping floor, to automatically feed the ball back into the automated pitching machine typically found at family fun centers
non-automated flat-floored cages that require someone to get the balls back after they have been hit most often used at training facilities
mechanical and automated cages that employ conveyor machines to transport the balls back to the pitching machine

Deluxe nets come with special features like steel-snap hooks, doorway over flap and lead core ropes are also available in the market. One can also add further accessories to the batting cages or buy cages that already come with accessories for better safety and efficiency. Batting cage accessories include vinyl backdrops for protection and shock absorption, ball hopers for better organization, tees, weighted balls and other training aids.

Before buying a batting cage, one must ensure that one has enough area to install the same and area measurements should be taken along while selecting the cages. It is advisable to buy cages that have dedicated doorways and which allow additional stakes to be used. If buying cages with pitching machines, one must take care that the machines are portable enough.

Batting cage nets are easily available in the market and can also be purchased online. Some sites give good discounts on them with often nil shipping charges, so it can be worthwhile checking out the prices online before going forth to buy a batting net for yourself.

You also have the option of getting batting cages custom built for your usage but you must be ready to shell out some extra dollars for such nets. If you are interested in such cages, you should request quotes for the same on multiple websites and compare prices so that you are not charged unreasonably.

Depending on the quality and size, batting cage nets can cost you anything between $1000 and $2000. If possible, try to buy better quality nets, which will last long and will prove a better investment. All in all, batting cages are extremely useful and are the perfect product to gift your baseball-enthusiast kids. Get a batting cage net for your son today and help him save his time and become a better batter. In addition, perhaps the next baseball star of the country!

How To Shop For Used Batting Cages

admin — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 01:01:43 +0000

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 Truth About Batting Cage Nets

admin — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 03:34:25 +0000

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.