Backyard batting cage?

[Drama Llama]

Does anyone have a backyard batting cage?  Is there such a thing as a portable batting cage?  I think my kid would really like one, but we don't have the space to leave one up.  Is putting one up and taking it down realistic?

[aggie96]

We put up this cage in our side yard. I bought it with the expectation that it would easy to put up and down. It was not easy. The first storm (Hurricane Harvey), we rushed out and removed the net. BIG PAIN! We never even moved the rods/frame. Our cage just fit in the space we had, so maybe that made it harder than having an expanse of space all around.

Having said that it was a tough cage and withstood nasty rain and wind. We only took it down the one time. We would hook the bottom of the net up all around to be able to pass through when doing lawn work. The net was never damaged. The rods were never bent, and they did get battered in the wind a lot.

We bought a different brand pitching machine made for backyard practice (softer balls). Ages 8-55 used it. A 22ft cage was the smallest I felt comfortable with given they are hitting balls.

I do NOT think it is realistic to have a "portable" cage.

Don't be deceived by the height of this cage I am linking. It's only 8ft tall. That kid in the picture must be very small.

https://www.amazon.com/HEATER-PowerAlley-Baseball-Softball-Pitching/dp/B001916GRK/ref=sr_1_15?dchild=1&keywords=heater+batting+cage&qid=1605746557&sr=8-15

[Drama Llama]

Darn, I was hoping this was realistic.  I am jealous of people with side yards.  

Our backyard isn't 22 feet in any dimension.  Maybe diagonally, but I'm not sure even then.  We could put a 2 yard one up at my FIL's if we spaced it perfectly, but that space gets used for all sorts of other things, so it would need to come up and down. 

We drag all sorts of equipment into and out of the garage, such as spike ball, and soccer/roller hockey goals, and bikes.  But it sounds like it wouldn't work for this.  

I'd love to figure out a way for him to bat.  Baseball was his love before covid, and it's now been many months since he's been able to hit a ball.  He's gotten some practice pitching and fielding with his uncle, but I'd love to figure out a way for him to bat.  

[aggie96]

He could hit weighted practice balls. They have them on Amazon. Our team uses those as part of their practice off-field out of the cages. 

[Drama Llama]

12 minutes ago, aggie96 said:

He could hit weighted practice balls. They have them on Amazon. Our team uses those as part of their practice off-field out of the cages. 

Oooh, tell me more.  How do they work?

 

[WendyLady]

We have neighbors who have some kind of temporary batting cage in their garage. The boys are like 13 and 16 years old (so it's not a toy.) They have a net that they put across the front of the garage, but I'm not sure exactly the ball set up.  I don't think they have a pitching machine, but it is possible, I guess. They could have a ball on a string kind of thing but I don't know. They use metal bats and a real ball (not whiffle) and it makes a good "nice-hit" ding when they are out. Let me know if you want more info, I can ask my neighbor what they use. 

[Drama Llama]

1 minute ago, WendyLady said:

We have neighbors who have some kind of temporary batting cage in their garage. The boys are like 13 and 16 years old (so it's not a toy.) They have a net that they put across the front of the garage, but I'm not sure exactly the ball set up.  I don't think they have a pitching machine, but it is possible, I guess. They could have a ball on a string kind of thing but I don't know. They use metal bats and a real ball (not whiffle) and it makes a good "nice-hit" ding when they are out. Let me know if you want more info, I can ask my neighbor what they use. 

I'd love more info.  

 

[aggie96]

I had forgotten about those garage-net setups. They have some that ?attach? to the garage opening. Maybe Hitzem brand?

They have these on Amazon that people in the comments say they use in the garage and backyard.

https://www.amazon.com/Hit-Run-Steal-Baseball-Softball/dp/B07SHXY2YG/ref=sr_1_28?crid=WEATY08XV276&dchild=1&keywords=hitzem%2Bbaseball%2Bnet&qid=1605823182&sprefix=hitzem%2Bba%2Caps%2C223&sr=8-28&th=1

Weighted balls (heavy balls)-they are heavy and kinda mushy. They don't travel far. Boys hit them next to spectators out at games (clear of swing zone of course). Used for training so would be good to practice with anyhow.

https://www.amazon.com/GoSports-Weighted-Training-Baseballs-Mechanics/dp/B07RJZLQY7/ref=sr_1_5?crid=3ZXMHFURC9CG&dchild=1&keywords=weighted+baseballs+for+hitting&qid=1605823341&sprefix=weighted+basebal%2Caps%2C212&sr=8-5

 

[Drama Llama]

We have a net like that for him to practice pitching, not a garage one, a freestanding one, and he's used it with a tee, but I don't see how he could hit a moving ball into it.  For him to get far enough away for someone to pitch to him, or for a pitching machine to work, I think we'd have too much risk of the ball going astray.  

Maybe I'm wrong?

[WendyLady]

2 hours ago, BaseballandHockey said:

I'd love more info.  

 

I texted my neighbor and she is asking her son. I'll check back when I hear more!

[matrips]

We had a device called the hurricane for the boys to practice batting.  https://www.academy.com/shop/pdp/sklz-hurricane-solo-swing-training-machine?campid=71700000050598219&adgroupid=58700004941711366&device=m&keyword=92700058631525979&Channel=pla&&gclsrc=3p.ds&msclkid=c11fdeb7e125150165028100e7e93d63&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Non-Brand | Shopping | High Intent | Sports %26 Rec&utm_term=4583520392775534&utm_content=Sports %26 Rec | Baseball&gclid=c11fdeb7e125150165028100e7e93d63&gclsrc=aw.ds#repChildCatid=37841&ogmap=SEM|PLN|GOOG|SHOP|m|SNR||NonBrand-Shopping-HighIntent-Sports_and_Rec|Sports_and_Rec-Baseball||71700000050238202|58700004916746701

[WendyLady]

On 11/19/2020 at 1:12 PM, BaseballandHockey said:

I'd love more info.  

 

I heard back from my neighbor - he told me that they use a hitting net called the BowNet Big Mouth X. They set it up in front of the one car garage door (we have garages with a two car garage/one car garage split) and it basically covers the opening. And they hit off of a T - he said they just use a basic adjustable height T from Walmart.

That's it. Super simple. It is probably not what you are looking for, but maybe it will be helpful for someone!  They are big (adult sized) kids and seem to hit hard, but the balls don't fly all over the neighborhood, so I think it's pretty affective! 

[Spy Car]

On 11/18/2020 at 6:18 PM, Dreamergal said:

A batting cage is the length of a cricket pitch, 22 yds if I am right. DH would love one so he can play cricket with DS. We are not baseball players. Unfortunately we do not have the space in the backyard because we have made it into a sports arena with soccer goal, tennis "court" and other assorted junk paraphernalia.  

If you have the space keep it up otherwise I do not think you will use it much. Whatever sports equipment we have is used because we have it out permanently. I don't think portable works for most sports equipment especially a batting cage.

Do they every play "tape-ball?"

For the uninitiated tape-ball is when a cricket ball is replaced with a tennis ball that has been carefully wrapped with electrical tape (which cuts the amount of "travel").

Bill 

 

 

[Spy Car]

On 11/18/2020 at 3:23 PM, BaseballandHockey said:

Does anyone have a backyard batting cage?  Is there such a thing as a portable batting cage?  I think my kid would really like one, but we don't have the space to leave one up.  Is putting one up and taking it down realistic?

A much easier option:

https://www.amazon.com/Hitting-Batting-Trainer-Baseball-Softball/dp/B06Y5B4SWP

Bill

[Spy Car]

Hey @Dreamergal here is a picture of my son (then what? About 4 years old, now 16) that I took one day when we were playing tape-ball with his wood cricket bat. Pretty good form, eh?

A mail crate is serving as our wicket.

Bill

Edited November 20, 2020 by Spy Car

[Drama Llama]

17 hours ago, Spy Car said:

A much easier option:

https://www.amazon.com/Hitting-Batting-Trainer-Baseball-Softball/dp/B06Y5B4SWP

Bill

 

I will get him one of those for Christmas!   Suggestions are really helpful since I need to put together some Christmas gifts for him. 

He's a 13 year old.  Before the pandemic, he was playing baseball pretty seriously, 3 seasons a year, and summer camp.  He'd really like to play in high school in spring 2022, which would mean passing try outs.

He hasn't hit a pitched ball, or pitched to a batter since March 2020, and I don't see that changing much in the next little while, although in the winter, it might be that he and his uncle could find an empty field. Even if he has a net, and a tee and we get trainer like that, moving balls would be a good thing, which is what lead me to the batting cage idea.  

 

[Drama Llama]

Just now, kand said:

We have this one:

SKLZ Hit-A-Way Portable Baseball Training-Station Swing Trainer with Stand https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002MADLCA/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_ufxUFbPYFRNGN?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

Oooh that looks really good.

Can the kid play alone?  He's a kid who likes repetitive practice kind of things.  

[Spy Car]

1 hour ago, Dreamergal said:

DH was notorious for landing the ball inside the idli batter that was being made weekly through a window with bars though he was outside playing with friends every Saturday. He swears accidentally but mil tends to take a dim view of that.  

DH is a member of a league during non-plague years. He is just missing that, but I would love to live in my peaceful neighborhood as long as I can with the friends we made and so no balls flying about especially when there are so many glass windows. 

 

We have a really beautiful complex of cricket grounds near where I live. I don't think most Angelenos are even aware these fields exist--but cricketers come from all over Southern California to play there.

I took up the game really late and never got to be especially good, but the guys treated me well and seemed to enjoy watching a local pick up cricket.  

Some of the best food I've ever eaten has been at the mid-game cricket "teas." The home team always hosts the teas and the rivalries to put on the best meals between Indian, Pakistani, Caribbean, Australian, South African, and other ethnically-based teams means really good eating!

Bill

 

[Drama Llama]

Does anyone have thoughts on comparing these two.   I am thinking that if an actual batting cage is not an option, these might be our best bet.

The one @matrips suggested: 

  https://www.academy.com/shop/pdp/sklz-hurricane-solo-swing-training-machine?campid=71700000050598219&adgroupid=58700004941711366&device=m&keyword=92700058631525979&Channel=pla&&gclsrc=3p.ds&msclkid=c11fdeb7e125150165028100e7e93d63&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Non-Brand | Shopping | High Intent | Sports %26 Rec&utm_term=4583520392775534&utm_content=Sports %26 Rec | Baseball&gclid=c11fdeb7e125150165028100e7e93d63&gclsrc=aw.ds#repChildCatid=37841&ogmap=SEM|PLN|GOOG|SHOP|m|SNR||NonBrand-Shopping-HighIntent-Sports_and_Rec|Sports_and_Rec-Baseball||71700000050238202|58700004916746701

 

Or this one from @kand

 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002MADLCA/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_ufxUFbPYFRNGN?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

 

Or something else?  

@Spy Car

 

I'd love to get him a nice baseball related gift for Christmas.  

 

[Spy Car]

2 hours ago, BaseballandHockey said:

Does anyone have thoughts on comparing these two.   I am thinking that if an actual batting cage is not an option, these might be our best bet.

The one @matrips suggested: 

  https://www.academy.com/shop/pdp/sklz-hurricane-solo-swing-training-machine?campid=71700000050598219&adgroupid=58700004941711366&device=m&keyword=92700058631525979&Channel=pla&&gclsrc=3p.ds&msclkid=c11fdeb7e125150165028100e7e93d63&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Non-Brand | Shopping | High Intent | Sports %26 Rec&utm_term=4583520392775534&utm_content=Sports %26 Rec | Baseball&gclid=c11fdeb7e125150165028100e7e93d63&gclsrc=aw.ds#repChildCatid=37841&ogmap=SEM|PLN|GOOG|SHOP|m|SNR||NonBrand-Shopping-HighIntent-Sports_and_Rec|Sports_and_Rec-Baseball||71700000050238202|58700004916746701

 

Or this one from @kand

 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002MADLCA/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_ufxUFbPYFRNGN?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

 

Or something else?  

@Spy Car

 

I'd love to get him a nice baseball related gift for Christmas.  

 

 

I think I'd lean towards the Hurricane 4; however, I claim no experience in this situation.

The "ball" end of this device looks just like the hitting stick I linked at first. The significant downside of the hitting stick is that it takes a willing helper, and holding the stick can get tiring after awhile.

With the Hurrince 4 a batter can practice solo.

The reviews on Amazon are more favorable that on your link,

https://www.amazon.com/SKLZ-Hurricane-Category-Baseball-Adjustable/dp/B002MA7Y1Y?ref_=ast_sto_dp#customerReviews

Bill

[Spy Car]

@BaseballandHockey

One more quick note after reading the Amazon reviews. In the pre-Covid era I coached my son's Lacrosse team for many years. As we expanded the number of teams at our club, dragging huge and heavy Lacrosse cages (goals) out to practices so every team had one to use became totally impractical.

So our club president-founder found these nifty fold up Lacrosse goals that broke down into a bag that I could tote very easily in my MINI Cooper. They were made my SKLZ (same company).

These goals got heavy use (and some abuse). When we had parts fail (as we did) SKLZ was really good about getting us replacement parts and typically under warranty. I was impressed.

Not sure about now under the current conditions, but in past experience I'd rate their customer service as excellent. That we had parts that failed spoke more to the use we put lightweight pop-up goals to replace heavy welded steel cages. I was very impressed how well their stuff held up. If we had had to purchase new ones each time we had an issue, I'd still have gone with them.

Bill

[Drama Llama]

9 minutes ago, Spy Car said:

@BaseballandHockey

One more quick note after reading the Amazon reviews. In the pre-Covid era I coached my son's Lacrosse team for many years. As we expanded the number of teams at our club, dragging huge and heavy Lacrosse cages (goals) out to practices so every team had one to use became totally impractical.

So our club president-founder found these nifty fold up Lacrosse goals that broke down into a bag that I could tote very easily in my MINI Cooper. They were made my SKLZ (same company).

These goals got heavy use (and some abuse). When we had parts fail (as we did) SKLZ was really good about getting us replacement parts and typically under warranty. I was impressed.

Not sure about now under the current conditions, but in past experience I'd rate their customer service as excellent. That we had parts that failed spoke more to the use we put lightweight pop-up goals to replace heavy welded steel cages. I was very impressed how well their stuff held up. If we had had to purchase new ones each time we had an issue, I'd still have gone with them.

Bill

That's good to know.  The reviews make this thing seem like it's not very sturdy.

Can you figure out how this works so you hit it when it's moving?  Do you just wait till it swings back and hit it again?

Or am I putting too much emphasis on the moving part?  Like it seems to me that my kid should be hitting a moving ball, if he can't hit a pitched ball, but maybe that doesn't matter?  

 

[Spy Car]

8 minutes ago, BaseballandHockey said:

That's good to know.  The reviews make this thing seem like it's not very sturdy.

Can you figure out how this works so you hit it when it's moving?  Do you just wait till it swings back and hit it again?

Or am I putting too much emphasis on the moving part?  Like it seems to me that my kid should be hitting a moving ball, if he can't hit a pitched ball, but maybe that doesn't matter?  

 

I believe you hit the "ball" when it is static, just as with the hitting stick I'd mentioned originally. I'd purchased a "stick" for my nephew that we later inherited. It was highly recommended by a batting coach.

I do get the idea of hitting a static ball vs the timing issues involved with a dynamic object.

I'll leave you get get more expert advice than I can offer about this, but my impression is that even practice hitting a static "ball" can improve a players swing and accuracy quite a bit--especially with a lot of repetitions. So for something one can set up at home that is much more practical that building a batting cage (and who is going to pitch?) it seems like a reasonable option to me.

I would assume these are not super-sturdy, so your son should understand that he should not abuse it if he wants it to last. Just like we could break the SKLZ Lacrosse goals if someone abused them. But the fact that most of our club's goals lasted a season or two (or more) under the sort of use we put these through impressed me. They look to me to be of similar builds.

Bill

 

 

 

[Drama Llama]

7 minutes ago, Spy Car said:

I believe you hit the "ball" when it is static, just as with the hitting stick I'd mentioned originally. I'd purchased a "stick" for my nephew that we later inherited. It was highly recommended by a batting coach.

I do get the idea of hitting a static ball vs the timing issues involved with a dynamic object.

I'll leave you get get more expert advice than I can offer about this, but my impression is that even practice hitting a static "ball" can improve a players swing and accuracy quite a bit--especially with a lot of repetitions. So for something one can set up at home that is much more practical that building a batting cage (and who is going to pitch?) it seems like a reasonable option to me.

I would assume these are not super-sturdy, so your son should understand that he should not abuse it if he wants it to last. Just like we could break the SKLZ Lacrosse goals if someone abused them. But the fact that most of our club's goals lasted a season or two (or more) under the sort of use we put these through impressed me. They look to me to be of similar builds.

Bill

I was assuming I'd buy a pitching machine for the batting cage, but I have been convinced that that is not realistic.  My baseball lover could also pitch to his brother and cousin, although I don't know that either of them is good enough to pitch to him and have it be helpful.

My son is careful with things, but this is an item designed to be hit as hard as you can with a bat.  That is the purpose of the item, and it sounds like that is the kind of abuse that it doesn't stand up to.  Maybe I'm wrong.  I might just buy it and see.  

Do you have any other suggestions for Christmas for a 13 year old who has far too many relatives determined to spoil him and basically isn't leaving our property for the foreseeable future?  

[Spy Car]

1 minute ago, BaseballandHockey said:

I was assuming I'd buy a pitching machine for the batting cage, but I have been convinced that that is not realistic.  My baseball lover could also pitch to his brother and cousin, although I don't know that either of them is good enough to pitch to him and have it be helpful.

My son is careful with things, but this is an item designed to be hit as hard as you can with a bat.  That is the purpose of the item, and it sounds like that is the kind of abuse that it doesn't stand up to.  Maybe I'm wrong.  I might just buy it and see.  

Do you have any other suggestions for Christmas for a 13 year old who has far too many relatives determined to spoil him and basically isn't leaving our property for the foreseeable future?  

My son loves his skateboard. He's out riding now with his masked-up and socially distanced posse of friends.

The board has helped keep my boy sane during the pandemic. It is "freedom" to him the way having a bike was for kids in my generation. But young people have different things that make them happy.

I saw some reviews of the Hurricane that highlighted breakage, which is why I brought up the overly long Lacrosse goal story. My experience pre-Covid was that SKLV were very good about replacing broken parts. Do save the receipt. Take a photo or scan so you have digital back up if you buy one. Their stuff isn't "overly-engineered," but it also avoids the weight and very high cost of what an overly-engineered solution might entail.

If you son wants to practice hitting and you were even remotely considering the extravagance of building a cage and buying a pitching machine, this strikes me as a pretty reasonable alternative. Useful, while not breaking the bank or tying up your outdoor space with netting. Getting lots of rep should help with batting skills, and I understand the feedback one gets from hitting squarely is very good. The hitting stick provided that same feedback--you just need someone who is willing to stand and hold the thing. The Hurricane seems more practical.

Bill

[Spy Car]

Ignore the quality of the batting, but this vid shows a kid getting some "dynamic" work in with a Hurricane:

 

[Spy Car]

And another with a better (older) batter:

Bill

 

[Drama Llama]

2 hours ago, Spy Car said:

My son loves his skateboard. He's out riding now with his masked-up and socially distanced posse of friends.

The board has helped keep my boy sane during the pandemic. It is "freedom" to him the way having a bike was for kids in my generation. But young people have different things that make them happy.

I saw some reviews of the Hurricane that highlighted breakage, which is why I brought up the overly long Lacrosse goal story. My experience pre-Covid was that SKLV were very good about replacing broken parts. Do save the receipt. Take a photo or scan so you have digital back up if you buy one. Their stuff isn't "overly-engineered," but it also avoids the weight and very high cost of what an overly-engineered solution might entail.

If you son wants to practice hitting and you were even remotely considering the extravagance of building a cage and buying a pitching machine, this strikes me as a pretty reasonable alternative. Useful, while not breaking the bank or tying up your outdoor space with netting. Getting lots of rep should help with batting skills, and I understand the feedback one gets from hitting squarely is very good. The hitting stick provided that same feedback--you just need someone who is willing to stand and hold the thing. The Hurricane seems more practical.

Bill

The only place we have to ride a skateboard is a driveway that is one car wide and two cars long.  Is that enough to make it fun?  

I think the batting cage was never realistic.  I really don’t know what I was imagining.

[Spy Car]

Just now, BaseballandHockey said:

The only place we have to ride a skateboard is a driveway that is one car wide and two cars long.  Is that enough to make it fun?  

I think the batting cage was never realistic.  I really don’t know what I was imagining.

No. The driveway alone would not be fun.

Is he not allowed beyond the house? Or do you live on a hill? Other?

Yes, the batting cage was highly unrealistic. But The Hurricane is looking better and better to me.

Bill

 

 

[Drama Llama]

1 minute ago, Spy Car said:

No. The driveway alone would not be fun.

Is he not allowed beyond the house? Or do you live on a hill? Other?

Yes, the batting cage was highly unrealistic. But The Hurricane is looking better and better to me.

Bill

 

My kids go back and forth between our house and their grandfather’s house pretty much every day, and we come to see DH’s sister on the weekend. All 3 households are almost totally quarantined, so we figure it’s like a pod.  But other than that, the kids aren’t going anywhere except bike rides and golf.  Which is why the batting thing is an issue. 

At our house, we have a shared driveway that is too steep to drive on, but at Grandpa’s the driveway is nice and flat.  My SIL has a better space but that’s where he’s got the most people to play with, so something solo like a skateboard wouldn’t make sense there.  My ideal gift would be something he could do in my tiny back yard the hurricane sounds like it might fit.  At his grandfather’s there is enough room for soccer or basketball or hockey and he can pitch into a net so it’s home where he needs to be busier.