Is hitting off a pitching machine necessary?

[JayW]

The older players I see who can't hit off a machine consistently have a very small contact zone, and the machine is pitching outside of that zone. I remember a couple of DD's team mates who had reasonable consistency and great power if the ball was at or near the knees, but they'd routinely whiff on any pitch nearer the waist. Yeah, they had their moments and mashed the ball if they got the right pitch, but they really weren't very good hitters. Unfortunately, they were also impervious to self-assessment or any sort of feedback.

many players drop their hands and can’t handle high heat

 

[Strike2]

many players drop their hands and can’t handle high heat

Some can't even handle middle heat.

 

[ang2bmd]

My dd hates it. She always struggles with it when teammates feed it. Last year as a freshman she made some funky changes to her swing which helped her hit off the machine but really messed her up at the plate against live pitching. We are going to do a lot of front toss on our own so she doesn’t do that again


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[Rolling Hard]

Once and for all, the person feeding the machine MUST mimic the windmill (with IR ha ha ) . It is pretty easy to do. If another teammate is feeding the machine she should be instructed in how to do it. This is the only way to get hitters to see velo unless you have a former college pitcher throwing 63 mph to throw BP and God bless you if you do.

 

[Hillhouse]

I grew up with my dads BP and got really spoiled. He threw great BP. My college coach loved the machine. Once I started approaching it with the mindset that it was a challenge and I was going to “figure it out” I had much more success off it. I don’t think it necessarily translated to games due to the different timing, but hitting it well in practice helped keep me in the lineup for games.

IMO, there is no substitute for good BP, full windmill, from distance, with velocity. Bonus points if the coach can spin it a little. @Hillhouse has mentioned throwing BP like this to girls/teams. That is invaluable.

I throw BP here in Omaha to an NAIA school, Bellevue University. It helps me to keep in shape, gauge my back pain (and tolerance to it) and decide if I am going to pitch in the league. lol.

As always, all the college age (and below) players that I throw BP to say the same thing: they struggle to see the ball very well. Not because I'm trying to blitz them at 80mph. But because I keep my hand concealed with the ball through the wind up. They almost all say they struggle seeing the ball.

 

[radness]

I throw BP here in Omaha to an NAIA school, Bellevue University. It helps me to keep in shape, gauge my back pain (and tolerance to it) and decide if I am going to pitch in the league. lol.

Nice! Like your own tryout!

 

[Hillhouse]

Nice! Like your own tryout!

I have 4 years of eligibility left, I'm seeking a scholarship. If trans athletes can swim against girls today, surely a 50 yr old man who identifies as an 18 yr old female should be allowed to play softball, no?

 

[clemenslee1]

100% agree as a general rule to hitting. I usually tell our hitters “front foot in the air when the balls in the air”. However, in my experience with machines there is almost always a delay in the ball being fed through the machine. It’s not consistent. The ball hangs up sometimes and goes In quick others. You end up with your foot in the air forever on one and late on the next.

Hmm. I never seem to have that problem. I stick a ball in the shoot, part way and hold it with my finger, do a arm circle and it comes out pretty much without delay.

Also in my experience to help the players with timing off the machine, If you're going to do an arm circle with the machine, you can't just do a lazy slow arm circle. It's odd seeing a ball come flying out at 55-60 from a arm circle that is slow. A pitchers arm circle is not slow and neither should the one running machine be either. IMO

 

[riseball]

How many high level college teams do NOT use one?

I often hear players say they can't hit off a machine. I tell them they are correct, they can't hit.

 

[Towny9]

How many high level college teams do NOT use one?

I often hear players say they can't hit off a machine. I tell them they are correct, they can't hit.

I would imagine most teams use them. A few pro baseball teams I know use them. It’s hard to simulate the velocity and breaking pitches without one.