new hitting area

[SBFAMILY]

Good one Tim

 

[Axe]

Just completed this in my basement for my 4 girls, just in time for winter. 40' x 12' with 10' ceilings, we're psyched.

 

[rdbass]

Better then a mancave a place the whole family can enjoy. lol

 

[straightleg]

Straightleg
Has Casey ever smack your boat?

No one has. Net goes to ceiling and the ends are curved. The nicest part is the trough in the bottom. Chase very few balls.



Straightleg

 

[straightleg]

Dont let him fool you thats no longer a boat but where he sleeps, hes spent so much time doing hitting there the wife moved him to the garage lol

Sounds like you been there!! lol



Straightleg

 

[SBFAMILY]

Mine is in the basement and not as nice as Gerry's and those above. I'm kind of spoiled since we have a field house with an indoor softball field three indoor cages, weight rooms, and meeting rooms for coaches i at our high school that is located 5 min's from my house. I use them as much as possible , since I help coach our high school team. We can rent the building for travel teams. It 's a nice place to have a practice during the winter.

 

[rdbass]

I was spoiled was A.D. for my kids CYO at their school and had 2 gyms for my use.Catholic school closed there goes the job and gyms.So I had to redo the garage.I miss the gyms and the room.

 

[Axe]

My 7 yo DD goes into withdrawal if she can't hit after dinner with daddy every day, I had no choice!

 

[SBdad]

I always wanted to make one of these types of hitting areas for my 4 kids growing up, but never got around to it. One idea I had was to make some type of trough across the bottom that balls could drop down into after they hit the net/tarp. The trough would slope from one end to the other and lower end would be high enough so balls could fall into a bucket....Or, have a long tubing connected at the lower end of the trough,and have it running back to where the batter was, so the balls would be continuesly rolling back to the batter. You wouldn't need as many balls doing it this way. (Not that I'm lazy,(lol) just thought these ways might be better than picking balls up all the time)
What's your thoughts on this?

 

[Axe]

I'm not sure that setup would catch enough of the balls to make it worth it. I stand behind a 7'x7' pitching screen and try to encourage the kids to hit as many line drives back at the screen as possible. With the screen blocking the cage the balls tend to gather by the screen next to the net. Only the balls hit to the first base side (i'm left handed) or over the screen make it all the way to the back.

I'm used to doing the same thing in the yard and hunting around for all of the balls (the bushes conceal them remarkably well) so just having to pick them up off of the floor doesn't seem like much of any inconvenience.