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.
A good place to begin might be with perhaps the simplest aid of all, the everyday batting tee. It does just what a golf tee would do but holds the ball higher, usually between thirty and forty-five inches high. This is a good range for younger hitters just perfecting their stroke.
To keep the ball close after hitting it hard, one can supplement the tee with a portable screen that nets the ball once struck. Some of these nets have targets stitched inside them so the batter can practice placing the ball. Like the tees themselves, the screens are perfect for baseball or softball as well, and can be weighted and designed not blow away or tip over when it is windy.
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.
Several types of batting tee work to sharpen a young hitter's swing by making maximum use of repetitions. Sadly, there really is no replacement for a live pitcher, especially for development of both timing and eye for the strike zone. The pitching machine is invaluable at helping develop these facets of good hitting.
One might reflexively assume a pitching machine might be expensive, enough so that one might not expect to see one except at a ballpark or a batting range. These days, however, pitching machines have been scaled down to where they are just right for boys and girls, and at that scale made to be as inexpensive as a better catcher's mitt, or even less expensive than that. Indeed these machines have become some of the most economical hitting aids one might find.
One might look to buying protection nets for the back yard, looking like rooms or hallways woven out of fishing nets, for practicing with a pitching machine or with a practice pitcher. Those who don't mind something more pricey can look to the packages of equipment, quite often sponsored by a big name star. With packages one does see more of a difference between baseball and its cousin, softball.
There is a lot more equipment once reserved for the practice field that is now available for home use. All of it is conveniently scaled down for smaller athletes, but sturdy to withstand those shots that are sure to come as their skills sharpen. This equipment is quite possibly sharpening the skills of future batting champions every day.
A good place to begin might be with perhaps the simplest aid of all, the everyday batting tee. It does just what a golf tee would do but holds the ball higher, usually between thirty and forty-five inches high. This is a good range for younger hitters just perfecting their stroke.
To keep the ball close after hitting it hard, one can supplement the tee with a portable screen that nets the ball once struck. Some of these nets have targets stitched inside them so the batter can practice placing the ball. Like the tees themselves, the screens are perfect for baseball or softball as well, and can be weighted and designed not blow away or tip over when it is windy.
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.
Several types of batting tee work to sharpen a young hitter's swing by making maximum use of repetitions. Sadly, there really is no replacement for a live pitcher, especially for development of both timing and eye for the strike zone. The pitching machine is invaluable at helping develop these facets of good hitting.
One might reflexively assume a pitching machine might be expensive, enough so that one might not expect to see one except at a ballpark or a batting range. These days, however, pitching machines have been scaled down to where they are just right for boys and girls, and at that scale made to be as inexpensive as a better catcher's mitt, or even less expensive than that. Indeed these machines have become some of the most economical hitting aids one might find.
One might look to buying protection nets for the back yard, looking like rooms or hallways woven out of fishing nets, for practicing with a pitching machine or with a practice pitcher. Those who don't mind something more pricey can look to the packages of equipment, quite often sponsored by a big name star. With packages one does see more of a difference between baseball and its cousin, softball.
There is a lot more equipment once reserved for the practice field that is now available for home use. All of it is conveniently scaled down for smaller athletes, but sturdy to withstand those shots that are sure to come as their skills sharpen. This equipment is quite possibly sharpening the skills of future batting champions every day.
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