TCB Balls just arrived :)

[tomzpc]

Just got a dozen to use with my daughter and our U12 rec team and will try them out tomorrow for the first time. What has everyone found to be the ideal distance from the batter when doing front toss when using the TCB's?

 

[SBFAMILY]

Read lhowser post. We do not front toss the weighted balls, just the whiffles. Hard to front toss due to the weight. If you do be careful, because they still can hurt if they hit you and if they make solid contact they do go further than you think.

 

[Amy in AZ.]

I only toss them from the front. I am at 25 feet, probably. I wear a mask and glove.

 

[rdbass]

I to front toss to our 12u girls with a glove(to ugly to worry about getting hit in the face).Not sure of the distance but as they got better with extension and swinging through I moved further back.I became like a target for the girls to hit.I think they like hitting me always saying sorry after. I said don't be sorry you really got into that one.

 

[softballphreak]

Just got a dozen to use with my daughter and our U12 rec team and will try them out tomorrow for the first time. What has everyone found to be the ideal distance from the batter when doing front toss when using the TCB's?

You'll be good around 20'. Wear a glove for the liners right back at you. Watch out that they don't get in the habit of pushing the ball.

 

[PEPPERS]

I ordered the 12-12 on the TCB balls and the hole balls and they came Monday afternoon, with BB practice it was not until last evening that we went to the local tennis court to try them (after dark) and my daughter loved them both. The TCB balls performed just as advertised and the hole balls will keep me from picking up a bunch of half of broken waffle balls after hitting. I think both are a great tool IMO, I purchased them from the distributer here in Georgia and he worked to make sure I got what I need in a timely manner, seemed like a real good guy and he has a daughter that plays SB.

Cold weather is coming does anyone know about using them in cold weather?

Has anyone tried the golf balls and what is your opinion of them?

Edit to add: Should have gotten them long time ago!!!!!

 

[tomzpc]

Tried ours twice so far. DD 11 has struggled to hit them with any distance at all. She's small but a good contact hitter. Her problem IMO has always been not hitting through the ball and extending so I'm interested to see if these help. First time she hit two dozen and the farthest one went maybe 10 feet on the ground. Second time she hit a few then went further than that one. Both times I did first dozen side soft toss and the second dozen from the front at about 15'.

 

[softballphreak]

Tried ours twice so far. DD 11 has struggled to hit them with any distance at all. She's small but a good contact hitter. Her problem IMO has always been not hitting through the ball and extending so I'm interested to see if these help. First time she hit two dozen and the farthest one went maybe 10 feet on the ground. Second time she hit a few then went further than that one. Both times I did first dozen side soft toss and the second dozen from the front at about 15'.

Don't be concerned with hitting them far. The focus should be on high speed impact. Hitting them too far could even mean they're pushing; not good.

We haven't had any issues at all with hitting too much or too many. Of course, 50 years from now it might show up.

 

[RichK]

Don't be concerned with hitting them far. The focus should be on high speed impact. Hitting them too far could even mean they're pushing; not good.

Bingo. Said before and say again: I don't feel like these are "results-oriented" balls, ie, you shouldn't focus on the *result* of the swing so much but focus on getting good swings done in a contained area, as in warmups or a drill hitting station.

Bad swings can make these balls go far too. And you can miss center by a 1/16 inch on a TCB ball and send it spinning while getting under a regular ball 1/16 inch with a great swing could be a home run!

 

[PEPPERS]

Remember that we just got the balls and worked with them one time and my daughter is 17 YO, 601 and about 180. I think hitting them exclusively maybe it could result in problems in some circumstances with younger or smaller kids. Using them in conjunction with lighter balls and regular balls could only be beneficial to any hitter, as I see it. I try and challenger my daughter as much as possible, small balls, baseball with wood thin barrel bats (-10) and anything I can think of that is safe and beneficial to her.

She advised that she could not tell much difference between hitting a regular ball VS the TCB ball, I think this maybe the result of the good strong swing she has developed with her hard work.

As RichK advised a good benefit is being able to get swings in a confined area.