Simo
Former High School Coach
The best hittng years we ever had was when we had the luxury of my daughter (who was pitching in college at the time) throw batting practice every day. There is no substitute in my opinion. As Ken Krause mentioned in a previous post, not everyone has this oppotunity. Machines are good for bunting, but awful for timing. I confess that I used them for batting practice like most, but tried to mix up the speeds and simulate game conditions as best as one could. In the end, if a coach or hitting instructor is not watching the practice closely a lot of hitters will be repeating bad habits and the drill becomes a waste of time.
PS: Machines are great for working with outfielders. Probably their best use.
PS: Machines are great for working with outfielders. Probably their best use.