Baseball Hitting Aids For Any Back Yard

By Agnes Dickson


Any young batter will seek the right equipment as he or she tries to make the most of natural talent. It doesn't hurt if the youngster is gifted with cat-like reflexes and sharp eyesight, but there is no substitute for a balanced, economical swing. Only repetitions hone this sort of swing, and without baseball hitting aids it is quite difficult getting those kind of repetitions when batting is interrupted by collecting balls from over the field.

The simplest of these aids is the common batting tee. Essentially it does the same thing a golf tee does but comes with a stalk to hold the ball higher, usually adjustable and ranging between just below thirty inches to nearly four feet. This places the ball right within most young hitters' sweet spot, letting them repeat a well-balanced swing.

With a portable screen added to hitting practice, a batter can not only use the tee all afternoon but won't have to interrupt practice by spending time going out after the balls he or she has crushed. Many nets also have brightly colored targets that are stitched into the net to show the player where and how well they are nailing the ball. Screens and tees are useful for practicing both baseball and softball, and are typically built to stay put on windy days.

The entire problem of catching the batted ball before it flies off is altogether avoided by using a swing tee. With such a tee the ball is fixed to an arm that swings around an axis, that arm being parallel to the practice field itself. When the ball is struck it quickly is whipped about its stalk, then snaps back relatively slowly.

Many versions of the batting tee are good for sharpening a hitter's form using repetitions, but none of them simulate the reality of being thrown to by an actual pitcher. Unfortunately it is very difficult to get the repetitions one really needs when relying on others to pitch, especially repetitions in getting a feel for the strike zone and knowing just when to swing. This is where a pitching machine becomes useful.

Many people naturally think of a pitching machine as a rather expensive proposition, the sort of device only baseball teams and batting ranges can afford. It might come as a surprise to find that there are plenty of home pitching machines out there, especially for the younger players who need them most. Some of them cost little more than a bat or a glove, and in fact are some of the least expensive aids one can find.

There are backyard protection nets, like rooms with netting for walls, built to hold in balls blasted off either a pitcher or a pitching machine, whichever is available. On the pricier end are the packages a training equipment, frequently associate with a big league star. In these packages, which combine equipment, there usually is more distinction between softball and baseball.

Much equipment once available only to the professionals is now ready for home use. It has been brought down from man-size to boy-size and girl-size, but is still tough enough to take the punishment. These are a useful set of tools to sharpen players' talent, all across the country and all across the world.




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