10 feet? Wow. I bet I am never closer than 30 feet.
Front Toss Portable Screen
- Thread starter RichK
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Amy in AZ, since I have a baseball background, I can't place the ball accurately from 30 ft. I can place the ball much better when I am closer. Girls that are new to the experience of having the screen so close initially find it uncomfortable. But after a few pitches they start concentrating on the ball and that discomfort fades away.
The problem I see with getting back further is the speed of the ball and the path of the ball as it crossed the plate. If the ball is not thrown reasonably hard it crosses the plate on too much of a downward angle. This doesn't replicate what they will see in the game. This is especially true when the coach is tall and batting practice is for younger kids. If not done well, the kids will have the sensation of hitting a ball that is falling from the sky. This problem is much worse for the boys where the dads throw overhanded.
If I get close I can at least toss so the apex of the flight of the ball is at the strike point just in front of the plate. And that even gets flattened out with quicker tosses.
The problem I see with getting back further is the speed of the ball and the path of the ball as it crossed the plate. If the ball is not thrown reasonably hard it crosses the plate on too much of a downward angle. This doesn't replicate what they will see in the game. This is especially true when the coach is tall and batting practice is for younger kids. If not done well, the kids will have the sensation of hitting a ball that is falling from the sky. This problem is much worse for the boys where the dads throw overhanded.
If I get close I can at least toss so the apex of the flight of the ball is at the strike point just in front of the plate. And that even gets flattened out with quicker tosses.
- Apr 1, 2010
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DD's old team had one of those blue L'ville Slugger screens. It packed away fairly small and worked ok to protect the tosser. However, they were a 10U team. I don't know how well it would stand up to teenagers.
- Oct 19, 2009
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I usually set the screen up about 30 to 35 feet and windmill I sometimes use baseballs and my daughters practice bat to hit the baseballs with. The closest I get is 15 feet in an indoor facility because of limited room.
The places we go to has screens many of them home made. if money is an issue pvc pipe and fishing net you should be able to make one rather cheap.
We don't have them, but I've seen teams using the TCB balls and they seem to work great, no net, feed back to the hitter and can be used in a small space.
The places we go to has screens many of them home made. if money is an issue pvc pipe and fishing net you should be able to make one rather cheap.
We don't have them, but I've seen teams using the TCB balls and they seem to work great, no net, feed back to the hitter and can be used in a small space.
I use the Bownet for almost everything. Sets up in 2 minutes, comes down just as fast and is great for almost everything. I have had 10U teams put it up and down which is also great. Also comes in an excellent carry case.
It is pretty light (one person can pick it up and move it when needed), but it is also really stable even in winds that are very strong. Buy the Big Mouth sock version versus the straight netting. Another reason to like it is that you can buy replacement nets (though I haven't needed to yet).
When I front toss I stand a little back from it just in case but I have never been close to being in any danger of being hit.
Also you can hit into it from both sides which is awesome. We have two of them and we can run 4 hitting stations in a really, really small area and coach from the middle area.
Once you have a Bownet I am not sure why you would even consider any of the other products on the market.
It is pretty light (one person can pick it up and move it when needed), but it is also really stable even in winds that are very strong. Buy the Big Mouth sock version versus the straight netting. Another reason to like it is that you can buy replacement nets (though I haven't needed to yet).
When I front toss I stand a little back from it just in case but I have never been close to being in any danger of being hit.
Also you can hit into it from both sides which is awesome. We have two of them and we can run 4 hitting stations in a really, really small area and coach from the middle area.
Once you have a Bownet I am not sure why you would even consider any of the other products on the market.
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