Totally agree. You will get tons of use and tons of value out of a good tee. Much more so than a lot of the other quirky devices that are available out there, in my opinion.
Softball Christmas ideas
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Totally agree. You will get tons of use and tons of value out of a good tee. Much more so than a lot of the other quirky devices that are available out there, in my opinion.
Great idea for a thread!! I am in the same boat with my 7 y/o DD. I was considering one of these items:
The bow net : Amazon.com: Bow Net Baseball/Softball Big Mouth Portable Net: Sports & Outdoors
Or maybe this pitching machine : Amazon.com: Louisville Slugger UPM 45 Blue Flame Pitching Machine: Sports & Outdoors
Does anybody have an opinion on these items?
Also...what should someone look for in a "high quality" batting tee? I have a tee which she uses, but I have no clue whether its high quality or not.
DD would love to take some pitching lessons (I played baseball, but would be no help teaching windmill pitching)...does anyone have any pitching instructor recommendations in the Long Island, NY area.
Thanks...Happy Thanksgiving!!
The bow net : Amazon.com: Bow Net Baseball/Softball Big Mouth Portable Net: Sports & Outdoors
Or maybe this pitching machine : Amazon.com: Louisville Slugger UPM 45 Blue Flame Pitching Machine: Sports & Outdoors
Does anybody have an opinion on these items?
Also...what should someone look for in a "high quality" batting tee? I have a tee which she uses, but I have no clue whether its high quality or not.
DD would love to take some pitching lessons (I played baseball, but would be no help teaching windmill pitching)...does anyone have any pitching instructor recommendations in the Long Island, NY area.
Thanks...Happy Thanksgiving!!
Excellent ideas everyone! I am so glad I checked with you all first 
I have ordered the Hillhouse videos and signed her up for a clinic that he will be presenting next year also got some stocking suffer ideas! Looking for a good Tee now and the book that was recommended. Love it . As for the pitching, we may do lessons next year but right now it is more about the cost than not being able to find a good quality instructor. I did order the "soft hands" training aide to help her as well. Thanks again!
I have ordered the Hillhouse videos and signed her up for a clinic that he will be presenting next year also got some stocking suffer ideas! Looking for a good Tee now and the book that was recommended. Love it . As for the pitching, we may do lessons next year but right now it is more about the cost than not being able to find a good quality instructor. I did order the "soft hands" training aide to help her as well. Thanks again!
For those looking for a good tee, here's the one I use -- the Tanner tee. I actually got it after a recommendation from someone else here. They are very durable, and the base is square instead of like a plate so there's less confusion about where to stand.
Don't know whether it's coincidence or not, but after I started using them one of the facilities I work out of bought a few. They really stand up to the abuse.
Don't know whether it's coincidence or not, but after I started using them one of the facilities I work out of bought a few. They really stand up to the abuse.
The (Ultimate Soft Toss Hitting Machine) would make a good Christmas gift. Young kids have a blast hitting off this machine and can use it by themselves. Operates without electricity or batteries.
Scarecrow
Former Coach
My DDs use the Jugs 5-point hitting tee. The only problem we've had in 4+ years is the tube is starting to split. Which brings me to a question for Ken (sorry to threadjack)...
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A square based Tee. Thats a great feature. Some of the best ideas are the simplest. The plate based tees are very confusing for kids who are learning how to bat.
The McGregor Tee is awesome (this one - Amazon.com: Macgregor Batting Tee: Sports & Outdoors). Thing is rock solid and it handles softballs very well (which many tees I have seen do not). I do have a Wilson Atec Tee Brush Adapter on top of it which I find a great way to do tee work without worrying about the tee getting broken.
The Bownet is the absolute gold standard in practice nets. We use it for everything at practice. My 10U team can even put it up and take it down by themselves and it is easy to carry. The bigmouth version with the 'sock' net is the one to get over the straight net version. Not only does it make all the other ones on the market look sad, you can even by a replacement net if it ever breaks. Also handles wind much better than others. Can't recommend it enough.
If you have a younger daughter who can still wear YS or YM, then the Mizuno Fast Pitch t-shirt for $3 (Mizuno Youth Girls Finch Pink T-Shirts) w/ Jenny Fitch silhouette on the back is an absolute steal. I think girls in our organization bought out all the bigger sizes (I think my DD has 4 or 5 of these). Seriously how can you go wrong for $3 if the size works.
Also for small feet - the Mizuno G2 cleats (http://www.softballsavings.com/customer/category/product.jsp/SUBCATEGORY_ID/27716) for $4.48. These do run 1/2 a size small and I notice they now only go up to size 3 1/2 so it really is for the younger player as no one with a foot size over 3 should buy these. If you have a 7 yr old though, again you can't go wrong.
For the coach/team - The Bench Coach Dugout organizer (Dugout Organizer, Sports Organizer, helmet rack, bat rack | The BenchCoach). We have the R18 model and I haven't tripped over a bat/glove/bag/water bottle since we did. Nor has anyone said 'where is my XXXXX???'. Lots of very jealous looks from other teams and I should be on commission with the number I think I have sold. Individual room for everyone's bats, helmets, catching gear, water, plus accessories. Even a place for the line up. Also a great carry case and it isn't even heavy.
The Bownet is the absolute gold standard in practice nets. We use it for everything at practice. My 10U team can even put it up and take it down by themselves and it is easy to carry. The bigmouth version with the 'sock' net is the one to get over the straight net version. Not only does it make all the other ones on the market look sad, you can even by a replacement net if it ever breaks. Also handles wind much better than others. Can't recommend it enough.
If you have a younger daughter who can still wear YS or YM, then the Mizuno Fast Pitch t-shirt for $3 (Mizuno Youth Girls Finch Pink T-Shirts) w/ Jenny Fitch silhouette on the back is an absolute steal. I think girls in our organization bought out all the bigger sizes (I think my DD has 4 or 5 of these). Seriously how can you go wrong for $3 if the size works.
Also for small feet - the Mizuno G2 cleats (http://www.softballsavings.com/customer/category/product.jsp/SUBCATEGORY_ID/27716) for $4.48. These do run 1/2 a size small and I notice they now only go up to size 3 1/2 so it really is for the younger player as no one with a foot size over 3 should buy these. If you have a 7 yr old though, again you can't go wrong.
For the coach/team - The Bench Coach Dugout organizer (Dugout Organizer, Sports Organizer, helmet rack, bat rack | The BenchCoach). We have the R18 model and I haven't tripped over a bat/glove/bag/water bottle since we did. Nor has anyone said 'where is my XXXXX???'. Lots of very jealous looks from other teams and I should be on commission with the number I think I have sold. Individual room for everyone's bats, helmets, catching gear, water, plus accessories. Even a place for the line up. Also a great carry case and it isn't even heavy.
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- Aug 19, 2011
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I think a batting tee and net are two absolute essentials. Also essential, in my opinion, is a bucket of balls. If you have a bucket of balls you can learn to pitch to her. You can run fielding drills, practice long tee hitting, etc. Softball Sales practice balls are pretty good.
Have 1 of these an am a big fan. It is only good for pitching, will not work for fly balls.
