How To Buy The Right Pitching Machine… velocity is overrated!

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Since 1999…

We have specialized in finding, offering & matching customers with appropriate pitching machines and batting cages.

In that time I have been repeatedly asked to fulfill basic requirements and make recommendations from first-time buyers (which tend to be the great majority of our customers) as well as the baseball lifer/coach in high school, college and pro ball, plus the hundreds of retired players who now work with indoor training facilities.

Even the professionals don't buy pitching machines and batting cages often enough to know that much about them. Many are simply skilled and experienced in using them.

What's Changed?
Due to the dramatic increase in the number of serious players and travel teams of all ages over the last 10+ years, a few creative engineers, designers and manufacturers have both improved and increased the number of available pitching machines while extending price ranges in both the inexpensive (this includes some junk but I want nothing to do with) as well as the opposite end of the spectrum where some specialty products can exceed $15,000, obviously exceeding the needs of most of our readers.

The Common Questions… and some answers
Velocity - this is probably the number one consideration in question I have fielded over all this time. Frankly guys, velocity is overrated… Way overrated!

Okay it's fun to hit off the fastest speed you can get your hands on, but that's not really batting practice… that's just the fun that you might have with the last two coins or tokens that you place at the commercial batting cage at the end of your batting practice Session. But again that has little to do with becoming a better hitter.

Heres Why… watch what the big boys do
Young players, regardless of age want and need to attend games where the players really know, or are learning, their stuff… college, independent leagues, minor-leagues, collegiate summer baseball… and of course Major League (MLB) games.
The trick is getting there when the gates open with your eyes & ears completely open.

I always feel it important for young players to see pregame batting practice and the team's pregame routine

Watch Batting Practice… It tells you a lot!
Are batting practice pitchers throwing from the mound?
No… they are throwing from 40 to 45 feet away from the hitter (not from the mound at 60 ft 6 in.) and standing behind a pitchers protective L screen on a turf covered platform called a portable pitching mound.

Are they throwing blistering fastballs were exploding sliders?
No… they are probably throwing 55 to 65 miles an hour… and to particular parts of the strike zone.

Here's Why… it's about a building block approach
Hitting is all about timing and balance. So by taking hundreds, leading to thousands of correct, repeatable swings in particular areas of the strike zone, a player is much more of improvement and production as he grows and gains more experience. This has little to do with velocity.

So What's Wrong with the Added Velocity?
Nothing really, other than hitters can achieve so much more improvement swinging at BP (batting practice) velocities when they are swinging at comfortable speeds over and over and within each session.

Quickness Is Probably More Important
There are a few important reasons why BP pitchers throw from the shorter distances.
They certainly can be more accurate, it certainly takes less out of their throwing arm… but perhaps more importantly, it forces the hitter to make all the I and coordination decisions that successful hitters must do in a shorter amount of time.
So it becomes… about quickness.
This reduced reaction-time overcomes any perceived lack of velocity and will absolutely help to keep hitters taking way the pitcher's number one weapon, the fastball.
This alone, can keep a player in the game longer… as pitchers get larger older stronger and more skilled.

Heres The Steps To Buying Your Pitching Machine & Batting Cage

1. Bump up against your budget & don't take food off the table for bells & whistles
2. Measure the space that you have to work with and know that the length or height of your batting cage will never dictate a player’s future batting success. When in doubt and when dealing with your budget, choose a heavier net with a shorter cage, not a longer cage with a lightweight net that may not last as long.
3. Choose a pitching machine that throws a fastball first and consider machines that throw curve balls and other off speed pitches only when budget allows.
4. Emphasize auto ball feeders only in situations where a player will be practicing by himself most of the time… as it is an added expense and worth it…and always can be added at a later time.
5. Please don't shop by price alone… this is most important when purchasing batting cage netting and certainly can be problematic with pitching machines as well. Everything looks good coming out of the box; it's what happens in years down the road where we see most disappointment.
6. Purchase from people you can talk to & who do this for a living… it's that important and you don't want to buy the stuff twice. We are at www.baseballtips.com & available at 1-800-487-7432

In Summary
I've said it 1000 times… any player who's fortunate enough to have someone with the time, interest, money & space to purchase a pitching machine and batting cage…
that is one fortunate player who will improve just by walking out the back door and taking the hundreds and then thousands of quality swings that he would have never had the opportunity to have otherwise.
It is simply the single greatest training tool that any player could dream for.

BTW
When Attending College and Pro Pregames… Its all about quality repetitions!
Watch pitchers fielding practice (PFP) plus infield / outfield pregame routines!
This is similar in concept to batting practice routines. You won't see coaches hitting screaming ground balls line drives and flyballs but rather the repeatable hits off the bat that players must successfully field day in and day out…. That's baseball and it's all for good reason

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