Pitching net

[YOCOACH]

Not only was the tarp cheap, we also got to "recycle" the old swing set at the lake house! Another bonus of using a tarp is I challenged my DD to bust a hole in it and told her I would get her a new bat when she busted through it.....this incentive program also helped me sell my DW on allowing me to buy another bat!

Sneaky but a great idea nonetheless!!!

 

[DmystifieD]

Yes a big mouth bow net will work. have one, but dont use for pitching.

For me and our outdoor "lane" on side of house, I went with a Zone In target catcher. In order to save balls from going into/over wood fence behind the Zone In, I went with Bow Net Backstop. Yes, if a changeup hits that bottom 2" pipe it can pop up and over the back or side fence, hence the backstop. Those two things and a turf pitching mat and we have our own pitching lane. The Zone In I first saw at Cal Berkeley....they must have 6 or so lined up so all pitchers could work without a catcher in sight.....that was all i needed to see. Cal did not have the velcro zone locator on any of them and we rarely use too (novelty wore off, just hold self accountable to location). the biggest thing this allows is the ability for her to go throw whenever she wants, 43', with instant feedback on location. Also means mom and/or dad dont "have" to get on the bucket and she can get a full workout. spins and walk thru's we tend to catch just to shorten that time for her....would hate to work spins into a net.

 

[FrozenRope]

Yes a big mouth bow net will work. have one, but dont use for pitching.

For me and our outdoor "lane" on side of house, I went with a Zone In target catcher. In order to save balls from going into/over wood fence behind the Zone In, I went with Bow Net Backstop. Yes, if a changeup hits that bottom 2" pipe it can pop up and over the back or side fence, hence the backstop. Those two things and a turf pitching mat and we have our own pitching lane. The Zone In I first saw at Cal Berkeley....they must have 6 or so lined up so all pitchers could work without a catcher in sight.....that was all i needed to see. Cal did not have the velcro zone locator on any of them and we rarely use too (novelty wore off, just hold self accountable to location). the biggest thing this allows is the ability for her to go throw whenever she wants, 43', with instant feedback on location. Also means mom and/or dad dont "have" to get on the bucket and she can get a full workout. spins and walk thru's we tend to catch just to shorten that time for her....would hate to work spins into a net.

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I have a Zone In as well. It has it's value. It stays in the basement where we workout all winter long. She rarely uses it in the spring/summer.

The Good: Lets her work on her own. It allows me to be near her when we're working on something so I can get a good view and really pay attention without worrying about a ball coming at me. You can actually have some "Fun" with it. I put the quadrant screen on it so only the 4 corners are open. When one of the other pitchers on the team are over, they play "HORSE".

The Bad: It has to be placed about a foot or so in front of the plate to be realistic when using it with certain pitches. Based on where you have that, if a change up or a drop go in the hole you're targeting, even the very bottom, it was "Hung" in my opinion.

 

[Rampage]

I use a net for new kids learning to whip, but move to playing catch as soon as they get it. If something breaks down, we go back to the net.

In our neck of the woods, it tends to be wet and dark for a few months, so setting up a small space in a garage or basement to throw or hit into is better than nothing. I'm scoping out the PowerNet with optional I-Screen. Stay away from pitch-back products (although the larger ones are fun to play with--just not really helpful for new kids learning.) Like quincy mentioned, a stout tart suspended with bungies, a blanket or even a large mattress will work.

I have found carpet to work best. The sound is much more quiet than that of a tarp. And the ball dies right after impact.

 

[WARRIORMIKE]

My professional opinion

Yes- This

<a href="http://s1234.photobucket.com/user/mikesphotos77/media/PSZI-2T.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1234.photobucket.com/albums/ff404/mikesphotos77/PSZI-2T.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo PSZI-2T.jpg"/></a>

 

[josh]

I'm in the bownet (powernet) corner also.

Early in the process, we up our bownet in the living room so DD could practice during rain and winter. She only missed it once... barely missed smashing an antique clock on top of an antique book case. We didn't move the net, but DD moved a little closer to it! Still use it occasionally for some drills, but not too often. We use it more for hitting off a tee in the garage once in a while.

If you have space, a little more green to spend (but not much), and a little time, consider setting up a 10 by 10 net like a backstop out in your yard. Not portable, but saves you chasing pitches as often, she can pitch into that also. Then pretty soon you'll want to add more netting for a batting cage. Then you'll need some lights to keep at it after dark, and eventually you'll want to cover the whole mess to keep the rain off, and finally closing it in and adding heat. I haven't tried all this yet, but I want to. Let us know how it goes.

And then you end up with a roll of artifical turf laying in the yard waiting for free weekend to install. .. i know how it happens

 

[NVfishing]

We pitch in the side yard. Not a lot of space. Most of the pitches that go over the fence are pitches that are short and I don't field properly. My next investment is catchers gear!

 

[mothgirl]

When I first started catching with dd I used the net behind me, I was horrible catching. I don't need the net anymore. When she doesn't have a catcher she likes the tarp cuz of the noise it makes, but I like having a net that she can hit to.

 

[FrozenRope]

LOL....ALL parents like catching....until they start throwing drops and curves theta like to make their way to the dirr...

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G920A using Tapatalk

 

[ndame88]

We are blessed with enough space in our basement to have an area to pitch and do limited hitting with partial netting on the sides only, the backstop was the concrete wall until the wind decided to make out trampoline a kite. I took the trampoline mat and strung it up to the ceiling and zip tied it to the side nets. Works great, stops the balls dead.