Batting Cage Set-up for Home..

Welcome aboard the HSSBW KeysTodd.

I found you a picture...someone else will have to fill you in with other details.

Iron Mike's are pretty pricey although quite good. Why are you buying such equipment for your 12 y.o.? I would suggest you consider holding off buying this until you are sure (age 14 or so) that your son will 1) continue to play ball, and 2) will be a position player rather than pitcher.

If he's a pitcher, you won't need it! (Laugh if you want, but that's what happened to me.. my son turned into a LHP after spending good money on a Casey Pro Atec. It's now being used by others in my health club.)

At his age there are a lot of cheaper alternatives. May I suggest: 1) Solo Hitter. About $200 and you can get in quality cuts year-round. It is the best money I ever spent on baseball equipment. 2) Wiffle Balls. Again, you might laugh, but I swear my son got more cuts and better cuts with this lost-cost alternative than he ever did with the batting cage.

Just my humble opinion. Regardless what you decide, Welcome Aboard HSBBW and good luck to your son!

this is a fairly inexpensive cage, i bought one about 7 years ago still up in the back yard. acts more like a trap this time of year. easy to put together etc.been used by many over the years and holds up well.if you look in buyers guides etc. you can find used pitching machines. i was lucky enough to have an atec given to me.there are many crazy dads out here that are beyond it now.lol.

http://cagesplus.com/

quote:

Originally posted by KeysTodd:
Was told that the Iron Mike machines were real good.

Were you also told how big, bulky and extremely heavy they are???

Hey, hey Beez!

Da' Coach might need to lose a few, but that's no reason to beat up on him here.



If you look at the menu at Ditka's you can see that he's trying...he has many Heart Healthy choices...here's one...check it out...

Mike's Salad
Organic greens, Granny Smith apples, Danish blue cheese, toasted pecans and sherry vinaigrette, all adorned tastefully with a half dozen of my large and meaty pork chops! .....86 Bucks. (Defibilrator service extra)

I especially like the one where he recommends that you just rip out the ol' ticker...who needs the worry...right?



As the chant at the training table goes..." bon appetit...this bone has no meat...bring me twenty more!"

They are big, heavy & expensive. But they are good machines.

Of course, you could go with the ones that are programmable to throw curves, sliders, c/u's, etc. Probably for not too much more...

Keys todd;

why do not purchase a batting tee?
can you teach your son to self teach?
proper thinking and the tee is all you need.
"save your money". Go to Spring Training camps and watch the hitting coaches teach the minor league players.

Bob Williams

KeysTodd-Have to agree. We have the whole set up. Cage, screens, machine. Never use the machine anymore. Son is 13. All we got out of it was a player that learned to swing at spots and not the ball. Now we use the cage for soft toss and hitting off the tee and if parents are feeling courageous, some live pitching. I'd go the less expensive route. It really was money wasted. Could have used it on other baseball related things. Just my opinion.

originally posted by 20dad

quote:

acts more like a trap this time of year.

Ha! How true. Especially good for catching rabbits and birds. Caught this guy once.



I agree with the consultant. Buy a tee, and with your savings you can buy the wife something nice and still be able to frequent the local batting cage more than needed.

spizzle:

You caught him once...that's it? How much did this get up cost? How'd it fit? Was it a little tight around the middle?

Actually my a** looked great in it. But the bird was a little chewy, and every time I burped it sounded like I was cuttin off an '88 Toyota Corolla. Mmeep Mmeep.

With a tee, batting practice balls, a net to hit into, the total cost is about $150.00. An extra advantage is that during the winter you can move the operation into the garge and get swings in all winter. I like to start at the cheapest end of the spectrum and then gauge my son's (vs. my own) enthusiasm for our newest training tool. Once he shows that he has outgrown or overused the cheaper end, I then move up the $ lader.

KeysTodd

It's your kid set him up right. Tee? and a net cmon... Include the tee along with the rest of the setup. High school is right around the corner. Get him the good stuff: 70' x 14' x 10' batting cage with quality net, a pitching machine, lights for the cage, (dad doesn't get home till 5:30) a L-screen and yes a tee to work on certain drills. Use it all!
and most importantly educate yourself as much as you can in the science of hitting. There are several good web sites that discuss hitting. Try'em all and pick what works best for your son.

Good luck!

Iron Mike - I've always thought these were for full time indoor failities as they aren't real mobile....

Might want to search for a 'wheeled" machine - Jugs, Bata, Atec... Used maybe a good option - BBFAM might sell you his?

As for the need: obviously personal preference...

We have a cage, machine, tees, auto feeders and balls.... right next to the half-pipe, horse shoe pit and coolers.... Have FUN - numero uno!!!

I also have three kids ages 9-15, all of whom play the heck out of the game, baseball and softball... We use this equipment all the time...

I've never felt that if my kids didn't receive D1 scholarships that all this stuff would have been a waste of money - I'll resell it when their done or maybe use it for grandkids (LORD HAVE MERCY - I'm way to YOUNG for THE "g" word....)!

To go along with all of the equipment you do need SOLID mechanics - TEE WORK!!!! NO DOUBT!

truth be known i've enjoyed our cage as much as my kids. the old man can still hit..........just can't see as well.

We have a Jugs free standing cage (50'x12'x12') with L screen set up in the backyard for BP. Also use the LiteFlite, Jugs Jr, and Toss machines as well. Truth be known I hit off of the the machines more than my son. Mostly because he is young and has not developed the ability to pitch good BP yet. Too often he wants to hum it in below my knees from 30' away, or hit me in the back. Silly me, I still want a pitch I can see in the strike zone somewhere over the plate. I say you buy the gear to have fun with and get over its "potential" investment value. You're better off saving for a college education rather than thinking you'll secure one by training the kid to play baseball.

Have fun and play hard!

Just wanted to say thanks to everyone that posted all the valuable info.

We decided to hold off on the machine and cage for now.

Todd Carter