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.