If you play baseball or have little ones that play the great game, batting practice is essential. This can be costly if you pay to go to the batting cages. It can also be hard to find time to go to a place where you can use these facilities. Adding DIY batting cages to your backyard can give you space to practice at home. It can also be good for pitching practice, too. Here are some ideas that you may want to consider for building your own baseball practice cages:
1. Making Your Own Batting Cage Setup
If you want to have practice baseball in your backyard, you may want to build the complete setup yourself. To do this, you will want some chain link fencing material and the space to put the cage. You will want to start with the sides of the fence and then add the netting to the top. For the top, you can use netting or just add cross sections and another run of chain link fencing for the roof of the cage. Nets may be good if you want to keep the cost down and have more height in your batting cages. Netting will also absorb the impact of the ball and prevent bounce-back for heavier hitters like teenagers and adults.
2. Building A Simple Pitching Machine For Practice
To hit the ball, you may want to consider an aid like a pitching machine. These machines can throw balls at your automatically, but they can also be costly. DIY machines can easily be made using a small electric motor and a two wheels. They should rotate in a reverse motion that shoots the ball out when turned on. You can make the machine with variable speeds, as well as mount the wheels to be adjusted for different-sized balls.
3. Installing Batting Tees And Other Batting Aids For Practice
Batting tees and other batting aids of this sort can help to practice good form when hitting the ball. If you want, you can use PVC to make varies types of batting aids and practice hitting. You will just want to make a stand with a post and add a flexible piece of pipe to hold the ball. To give the aids more flexibility, add a spring to the bottom of your contraptions.
4. Adding A Pitching Bullpen To The Design Of Your Batting Cages
Another idea that you may want to consider for your batting cages is a bullpen for pitching practice. This can include a temporary mound that you can make out of layers of plywood and artificial turf. You may also want to consider adding a net that has marks for the average strike zone. You can also add other pitching aids like dummy batters made of plywood and of various sizes.
These are some ideas that you may want to consider to build, which can be used for a lot more than just practicing your swing. If you are ready to build a batting cage for your backyard, contact a chain link fencing contractor to get professional help with your project.
