Baseball Batting Cages- A Great Teaching Tool

A baseball batting cage is a great tool to use for teaching all skill levels of baseball players. Almost all high schools employ them in their teaching program, and it would be very hard indeed to find a college that didn't have an indoor and outdoor batting cage. A batting cage's primary purpose is to act like a "catcher" to the ball. It will in essence stop baseballs that get past the hitter, keep foul balls from getting to the side or behind you, and act as a containment field when using tunnel batting cages. In this way you can rapidly pitch baseballs to a player in confined areas without risking hurting other people or property. Batting cages are an excellent way to increase a players pitching speed, hitting accuracy, endurance, and agility. You can use batting cages for a variety of drill besides normal hitting and pitching. For example, they are great teaching tools for the "pitch from behind" baseball drill and whoofle ball hitting. The kind of material you use for your batting cage depends on whether you are using it as primarily indoors or ourdoors. See my other post to find out what's best for either one.

Batting Cage Frame

When shopping around for a baseball batting cage, another important factor you should consider and focus on is the batting cage frame. All cage frames should be made out of aluminum or steel, and be at least l 1/4 in. thick. Heavy duty batting cage frames are usually around 2 inches thick. These frames are used for professional baseball batting cages. It is also helpful to have proper and simple corner fittings and connectors, so that the whole frame is sturdily constructed. Also, the frame appearance has a great deal to do with the quality of the batting cage. If the poles on the frame are less then 1 1/2 inches, then the poles should be angling outward as it nears the ground. This is to ensure maximum stability. If the poles are thick than 1 1/2 inches, then it is acceptable to have a square frame construction. These rules only apply to tunnel baseball batting cages. The portable batting cages usually have one design and are sturdy.

Over the Frame Netting Batting Cages

When you are looking for baseball batting cages, there are basically two broad choices to choose from. Standard portable batting cages that surrounds the hitter, or over the frame netting batting cages (also known as tunnel batting cages). The latter is mostly used for indoors, and is an excellent training tool for high school and college baseball teams. This type of batting cage contains the hitter, pitcher, and consequently the flying baseball within the cage. The cage net is usually draped over the frame, giving the inside maximum space for hitting baseballs. Net material is the same as most portable baseball batting cages, so the same rules apply with this material (see my post on batting cage net material). Nylon is the most popular net material for this type of batting cage, as it has a high-speed break point. These tunnel baseball cages are the only solution to indoor hitting, unless of course you are on a professional baseball team and have the whole stadium to hit.

Baseball Batting Cage Prices

Batting cages can come in all sorts of prices. First of all, there are many types of baseball cages, so you'll have to choose which one best fits your needs. The top of the line professional batting cages are truly spectacular, but at a price. A good quality MLB batting cage will run you around $2500-3000. This is quite spendy but worth it if you are running a semi-professional baseball team, or else your high-school has an excessive of money. The quality and size of these batting cages is unparalleled, and it should be if your treating professional baseball players. There are a couple other choices for batting cages if you want to go slightly cheaper. College and high school portable baseball batting cages can be priced $1200-2000, if you want a good quality one. If you want a cheaper option for little league or other similar programs, than you can get a nice batting cage for around $600. You can get better prices, but then you are looking at personal home batting cages, which will run you under $400 or so.

Batting Cage Net Construction

Another important feature of batting cage you should consider when purchasing one is the netting construction. When looking at the batting cage, take a closer look around the perimeter of the net. See how that net is attached to the frame of the batting cage. If the net strings are interlocked around the frame and secured well, then you can be assured that the batting cage will last a long time. If, however, the net appears to be insecurely fastened to the baseball cage frame or cheaply assembled, then you should probably move on to a different batting cage. You should also take notice of how the pattern of the net is constructed. A diamond net is stronger and will last longer, but is also more expensive. A square constructed net will be less expensive, but will also be more prone to tear and wear out faster than its superior diamond counterpart.

Baseball Batting Cage Material

One of the most important parts of batting cages is the net material. The net of a batting cage is constantly taking beating from baseballs, the elements, sunlight, and the occasional bat or helmet thrown in anger at the net. So when shopping for a batting cage, it is paramount that you take into account the material used in construction of the net. Nylon is the most common material used in batting cage nets. Nylon is a very sturdy material used for most Major League batting cages. Some advantageous features of using nylon nets are that it has a very high break speed, meaning that it take quite a beating from 100 mph pitches. However, nylon has a tendency to readily soak up water, often succumbing to weakness and breaks if left outdoors. For this reason nylon batting cages should be used for primarily indoor use, and minimal outdoor use. If left to the indoors, batting cages with nylon nets will last a very long time.