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Myrado3
11 Posts |
 Posted - 03/14/2010 : 10:44:02
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| Whats better for teaching to hit curve balls a live arm or a machine that can throw curve balls? I think a live arm would be better in teaching the kids to pick up on the ball, but the machine is more accurate. Plus if you do not have anyone who can really throw curves it would be better. So why do you think guys? |
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baseballpapa
1520 Posts |
Posted - 03/14/2010 : 20:24:24
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| The technology in the game of baseball has passed Papa by. I just took my grandson's to a new batting cage in Rome, Georgia. There was a 12' screen with a pitcher on the mound at one of the cage and my grandson's were in the batter's box at the other end. The screen pitcher throws a nasty curve ball that we couldn't hit at the beginning but before they were through they were drilling the curve ball into the back of the cage. Papa has got to get one of them things. |
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Myrado3
11 Posts |
Posted - 03/15/2010 : 04:46:22
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| Papa, I took my son to the same one. It ia amazing what they have done to the pitching machine. I think the life like screen will help the kids with picking up on the ball. |
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fourseam
162 Posts |
Posted - 03/15/2010 : 09:17:37
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| What is the name of this place? I would love to go and see this first hand. |
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Scott0923
49 Posts |
Posted - 03/16/2010 : 10:36:44
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| Was it by a football stadium (Barron Stadium)? If it's that one its called The Cage...ran by Rome parks and rec. I didn't know they had that. That's awesome. |
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bballman
1432 Posts |
Posted - 03/16/2010 : 11:24:48
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| They have one of these at Sports-A-Rama in Roswell as well. |
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Whitlow
211 Posts |
Posted - 03/16/2010 : 13:50:10
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Is there a machine like this in the Atlanta/Gwinnett county area?
I know Hardball Warehouse had a machine that would throw curves, but I think they are no longer around. |
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Spartan4
913 Posts |
Posted - 03/16/2010 : 13:59:06
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| I am a big fan of letting the best pitchers on the team pitch to the rest of the kids on the team.....I realize this could cause some overuse of the arm, but if coaches were extremely careful in limiting weekday pitch counts doing so could be extremely beneficial to both the batter and the hitter. |
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PumknHead
81 Posts |
Posted - 03/16/2010 : 23:06:13
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| Come on Papa! What's the name? |
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Scott0923
49 Posts |
Posted - 03/17/2010 : 08:11:32
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| I think you may be the only one who believes in that...with pitch counts being crucial to not overextending kids arms I think I'd rather have a coach throw to the kids. It's practicing letting the curve get deep and/or taking it the other way. |
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Alter-Ego
802 Posts |
Posted - 03/17/2010 : 09:50:30
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S-A-R in Roswell used to have one running.
That is the only type of curveball machine I care to use. If you are using one of the other types, it does not teach the kids to pick the ball up out of the pitchers hand. The kids that do rely on picking the ball up out of the pitchers hand will struggle with the other machines. I don't want to teach them to start guessing and reacting. That is why I prefer live arm to machine. |
Edited by - Alter-Ego on 03/17/2010 21:14:37 |
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Rick Cosper
450 Posts |
Posted - 03/18/2010 : 09:16:17
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Pitching machines are great tools if you don’t just throw a kid in there and let him get frustrated.
Everyone worries so much about hitting mechanics, which is a very important part of the game but no one ever worries about Training The Eyes.
Back in the day, at the 1st of the season I would put my kids in a cage and crank our hitting machine up as high as it would go, about 100mph. I told the kids to just stand at the plate and watch the ball without swinging. After 10 - 20 pitches I would allow them to try and make contact.
I would only give them 5 pitches because I didn’t want them to stay in the cage and get frustrated.
Talk about funny, watching 13 year olds trying to hit a 100mph fast ball. The other kids would laugh and all the kids had a fun time, not realizing they were training their eyes to better see the ball. Of course after this session we would slow the machine down to the normal speed for our age group and the kids hit the ball much better than they normally would have.
At 1st not a player on the team could touch the 100mph fastball but after a three or four practices they started making a little contact. After several weeks they could all hit the 100mph fastball.
We also set the machine up to throw curve balls and would use the same approach, stand at the plate and just watch. After several weeks the kids really started improving and by mid season they could hit any thing thrown at them, well not anything. Put a 40mph fast ball off the plate and they would spin in their tracks trying to hit the ball.
So my suggestion for what its worth, is when you use that 1st token, have your son not swing and just watch the ball. Make sure he follows the ball all the way to the backstop. He may not understand the reason he can’t just go in the cage and swing away but training his eyes is a very important part of not only hitting it will also improve his fielding. |
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gabandit
25 Posts |
Posted - 03/18/2010 : 17:30:16
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Rick,
Bingo! Nail on the head... When I had a successful 13 yr-old team I spent a fair amount of time during warm ups throwing with each player individually. I would throw curves and change-ups so they could see the release and the movement of the ball. By doing this while playing catch you force them to track the ball with their eyes.
The other item you mention with the pitching machine I do with a little twist. I turn it up to 100 mph but with tennis balls. I let my son bunt them. We do this every week. It definitely trains his eye and the game slows down dramatically...
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Live Arm vs Pitching Machine
