Batting Cage Netting - Which Type Is Appropriate For You?

Batting Cage Netting - Which Type Is Appropriate For You?
By Colin Scott

So you are an avid baseball fan and not such a bad player your self and have decided to invest in a backyard batting cage for you and your family to enjoy. From time to time you will need to do some maintenance on your batting cage netting or you may simply want to buy one to make a batting cage. Whatever the reason, there are a few pointers that you should keep in mind.

The strength of the netting is very important. They come in two types of materials nylon and polyethylene fibers. Both are great for durability and tend to be highly resistant to weather conditions.

The next thing that you should be aware of is the way in which the netting is constructed. The most highly recommended type is the one with square construction. It is more resistant to the wear and tear that it will go through.

Needless to say the color of the netting is of some importance when making your selection. Netting with dazzling colors should be avoided. They are a source of distraction and are not as resistant to the suns rays as the black ones. So play it safe and go with the black ones. It is not about style but practicality.

Of course you need to consider the size of the cage that you are getting the batting cage netting for. The more professional baseball players prefer to use the nylon netting as it has a longer life span. For home use however the polyethylene nets are more appropriate and cost-effective. They provide better protection from the harmful ultraviolet rays of the sun and are water resistant.

Getting batting cage netting is nor an unduly tedious task. As long as you know how large the cage is you will not have any problems getting what you want. After all there are only two choices with type and it pretty much clear which one is better in which case.

Colin Scott is an expert on recreation and sports. For more information on Batting Cage Netting visit http://battingcagenetting.net/
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In baseball, the slurve is a hybrid pitch of the curve ball and the slider, but it is not as effective as mastering one or the other. Throw a slurve like a slider with the motion of a curve ball with tips from a baseball instructor in this free video on baseball tips and tricks.

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Steps to Building a Pitching Mound

Steps to Building a Pitching Mound
By guest author: Tauqeer Ul Hassan

There are some times when a person has heavy schedules like rejecting your kid's invitation for a basketball match in a court down town. Or maybe one just missed a baseball match because of being busy in other activities. One can learn how to make a pitching mound and it can be built in the backyard right away. A child will have an opportunity to practice on a pitching mound that will have the measurements same as the league in which he will play. In addition, having a pitching mound is a good place to practice throwing the mound during free time

First, the measurements of a live game pitching have to be taken and one has to be built accordingly. The diameter is normally 18 feet. A suitable spot has to be selected in the backyard and it has to be made certain that the land is level. The materials needed are rubber mat, sand, silt and clay.

An outline of the pitching mound needs to be drawn. For building the pitching mound, one inch thick layers of sand mixture have to be put on at a time. An equal amount of sand and clay have to be mixed in a container before dividing the mixture into equal parts. The first layer of mixture has to be laid out on the outline and a roller should be used to press down the soil until it gets firm. A stake has to be placed at the front point of the outline and a string has to be tied to it. The other end of the string has to be tied to another stake that is placed at the end point where it measures 17 inches from the front point. Another layer of soil mixture has to be added to the base and pressure should be applied so that the layers get flat to one inch per layer.

After this, the next step is to move the stake at the end point one inch to the middle. The layers of mixture have to be tramped each time they are laid down. Only one inch has to be added at a time until the pitching mound is 10 inches away from the ground.

For doing the final layer, measure 10 feet 6 inches from the front point and a stake has to be placed there. After this, measure 5 feet to the back of the mound and another stake has to be placed there. Four stakes have to be placed on the top layer to the left edge and another four stakes have to be placed to the right edge. Sand mixture of half an inch thick has to be laid out and it has to be pressed using roller until the soil is firm. Now, there will be a plateau that has a height of 10.5" from the ground with a width of 5'. A stake has to be placed in the centre point of the pitching mound. 2" has to be measured from the front point and the point has to be marked with another stake. Place the rubber mat 2" from the front point and it has to be rolled to the centre stake. In short, this is a basic guide to build a pitching mound.

You might also want to know how to build a pitching mound and how to build a pond.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tauqeer_Ul_Hassan

Baseball Coaching Digest - Home Batting Cages - Two Misbeliefs Concerning Baseball Batting Cage Use

Baseball Coaching Digest - Home Batting Cages - Two Misbeliefs Concerning Baseball Batting Cage Use
By Nick Dixon

Two Batting Cage Misbeliefs that baseball people need to know about are (1) Many people belive that a Batting Cage must be long for it to be usable for all ages. That is not true. (2) Many people believe that a batter must see 75 miles per hour pitches to receive maximum benefit from cage work. That is not true.

This article discusses how many buyers are mistaken or misled in the buying or building a new baseball batting cage. The article outlines Two Batting Cage Misbeliefs that are simply not true:

1. Batting Cage Misbelief Number One - A Cage must be long for it to be usable for all ages.

This is simply not true. Players of all ages, even the high school and collegiate levels can benefit from batting practice in cages that are 35 to 50 feet in length. A cage does not have to be 70 feet long for it to beneficial to advanced players. The reason for this is that long-toss, front-toss and various other batting practice drills can be performed at distances under the regular pitching distances. When batters take swings at pitches thrown at 35 feet, the batter is seeing and reacting to pitches that simulate higher speeds at the normal pitching distance. The player must perform the swing with the proper trigger, separate, and load actions. All of these elements of the swing must be done at the same speed, rhythm, and timing as under normal game hitting.

2. Batting Cage Misbelief Number Two - A batter must see 75 miles per hour pitches to receive maximum benefit.

Most hitters at all levels of play including high school, college, and pros would rather see and hit live arm pitches at 45 miles per hour at 30 feet than pitches thrown by a machine at 75 miles per hour. Live-arm batting practice is batting practice thrown by a person not a machine. We must remember that advanced batters benefit most from seeing pitches thrown by a person. The batter must pick-up the pitcher arm-slot, the pitcher release point and time the speed of the pitch thrown. When a person is throwing batting practice the speed and location of every pitch can be changed. It is also a fact that many people are not adept at throwing strikes at longer distances. However, most people can throw an accurate pitch for a strike from 30and 40 feet distances. The batter gets more work in because more pitches are hittable. Not as much time and effort is wasted by with bad pitches out of the strike zone. The shorter distance makes the workout more efficient.

What does this all mean to a potential batting cage buyer?

For the average home user shorter batting cage is suitable for all drills, batting practice, and applications that you will need for your player to be successful through the high school level. I think it is important to realize that the system you buy will be used for a variety of batting drills. The function of the net is safety, ball containment, and practice efficiency. The batting net is no better than the parent or coach that dedicates time for its use. If you use it, you will experience incredible results. It will be a wise investment. Kids can not use the cage without parental or adult supervision and participation.

I hope that you found this article useful and informative. You may find more like it at the Baseball Coaching Digest and at the Youth Baseball Digest. Thanks for reading my article. Have a great day. Nick

Batting Cage Door - The safest, easiest and quickest way to enter and exit a batting cage.


Check out the BatAction Hitting Machine baseball pitching simulator. This high speed training machine is 100% Guaranteed to raise Batting Averages and has a full year warranty.

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Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nick_Dixon

How to Get Better at Baseball

How to Get Better at Baseball
By guest author: Jack Perconte

How to get better at baseball? Of course, the easy answer is to play as much as possible. Increased play however does not guarantee that a ball player will get better. The secret lies in the quality of practice and play. Performing a skill numerous times and playing in games without the correct fundamentals only leads to tired ball players. Coaches and parents should stress quality first. Quantity is good only if the skill is being done correctly. Parents may have to search out a baseball coaching specialist in order to find out the correct fundamentals and drills that will help develop correct baseball skills. In my opinion, it is well worth it to get this information at a young age if baseball appears to be their favorite sport. Once bad habits are formed, they become much more difficult to change. Correct fundamentals, formed early in their career, will to give baseball players their best chance at success and reaching their potential. With this in mind following are other suggestions for helping players get better at baseball.

1. Observe - Young ball players should be encouraged to watch fundamentally sound players and picture those good actions in their own mind. Most behavioral experts will tell you how important this "visualization" is to improving performance. Putting a good fundamental picture in their mind and then trying to perform that action can help skill development. Watching good players performing a skill over and over will lead to quality practice time.

2. Make practice fun - Playing in games is usually fun for kids at least up to a certain age or competition level. Coaches and parents who can make practice fun go a long way to developing hard working, dedicated baseball players.

3. Teach strategy - It is one thing to know how to hit, field and throw and another to know the strategic details of the game. Good coaches teach game "know-how," also.

4. Play with good players - Playing with higher caliber players can bring out the best in players. Of course, some players may become over matched with this suggestion.

5. Encourage old fashioned neighborhood play - Teaching kids how to play baseball skill games like in the old days (when I grew up) is important. Playing pitch and hit, three flies up, pickle, pepper, etc... with a couple of friends can help players. Using safer baseballs in crowded areas can help encourage play when an open field is unavailable.

Often, I hear dads complain that their kids do not play baseball unless it is with their organized league. Part of the problem is that parents have not done a good job of passing along some of those above mentioned, small group games that were so much fun and helpful.

Former major league baseball player, Jack Perconte gives baseball hitting tips and batting practice advice for ballplayers of all ages. His baseball hitting lessons advice can be found at http://www.baseballhittinglessons.com/baseball Jack is the author of two books, The Making of a Hitter and Raising an Athlete - his parenting blog can be found at http://positiveparentinginsports.com

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Catching Instructor Joe Wilkins (www.joewilkinscatching.com) takes his catchers through a throwing progression sequence at The Baseball Academy Please click to "watch in high quality" at the bottom-right of the screen for best viewing results!

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Blocking Drills for a Baseball Catcher

Blocking Drills for a Baseball Catcher
By guest author: Scott Mathewson

The most unheralded position on a Baseball field is the Catcher's position. The reason being you are involved in all the action but receive very little of the glory. If you are truly doing a good job back behind the dish, you have a ghostly appearance. It is those who struggle that are at the forefront and stick out like a sore thumb.

With all this being said, the thing that I see most Catcher's need to work on is their blocking skills. Too many out there try to catch the bouncing ball with the glove. That is mistake #1; because your main purpose at that point is to block the baseball, not catch it. I say this because you shouldn't go into that situation thinking I need to catch this because more can go wrong than can go good. When you try to catch the ball your body tends to rise up, leaving a huge gap between the legs, or in terms of baseball lingo the "wickets". I will bet 9 out of 10 times it find that gap.

So when blocking a baseball the first key is to have the right mindset, next think of your body as a pillow. Drop to your knee's and let your arms fall straight down next to the outside of your legs. Palms up and relaxed the ball will bounce off the ground first and then off you preferably off your chest protector. If you have the perfect form the ball will be within a couple feet of you. Always try to round the ball off angling your body towards home plate. By doing this you can usually avoid the errant bounces to the backstop. Here are some drills that can help catchers blocking skills.

- Practice dropping straight down on your knees in full gear repeatedly and getting back up into the squatting position. This builds quickness and strength.
- Use a flat glove and have someone throw balls at you for a period of a couple minutes. This constant repetition in a short period of time builds up your endurance and reinforces the mindset of not trying to catch the ball into your head.
- Practice rounding your body off angling it always towards home plate. If the ball is a foot to the right than slide your feet over two feet to the right. Always exaggerate your movements.

I've coached many kids here in Omaha and a good catcher makes the team so make sure you praise them. At our store, PrimeTimeSportingGoods you can find the equipment you need for these drills - like the Mizuno training glove. You may also be interested in our youth chest protectors. For a little baseball commentary, come visit our baseball blog [http://coloradolegionbaseball.org/baseball-cash].

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