Baseball is a sport that’s mainly known as a US favourite, however, its popularity in Australia isn’t to be underestimated either. We have American gold miners to thank for it because it was they who brought the sport to the country during the gold rush back in the 1850s. Ever since it’s grown on most Aussies, so much so that we got our own Australian Baseball League.
Many children who dream of becoming pros in baseball dream of making their own contributions to the professional league. Same as with any sport, it’s not impossible to make these dreams come true but it does require dedication, persistence, and training. Lots and lots of training! To be able to do this, your child requires a great start with the appropriate apparel and safety equipment.
But, you can go a step further and enable them the same kind of practice at home as they’d get in a club, all with the help of practical baseball training equipment created to assist with hitting, pitching and fielding. To make the shopping experience easier for you, I’ve separated the gear pieces into different categories.
Baseball Hitting Aids
When beginners start with baseball, they require practice with the hitting so the aids are useful for developing better swing. Some are designed to be of help with the swing mechanics in particular, whereas others can be of assistance with other baseball training areas too, so keep this in mind when purchasing. What’s essential for all of the gear is that it can and will significantly boost performance.
Grip and Swing Training Aids
Both the grip and swing training aids are designed to be attached to the bats, kind of like elastic bands, and help train and guide the proper hand position. When the swing is proper, there’s a smooth slide, whereas when it’s improper there’s a sort of pull. This is perfect because it immediately lets you know when you’re doing it right.
Training Baseballs and Bats
Much like the previous training equipment, the training baseballs and bats are crucial in the process and development of skills, more so because they are of immense help with hand-eye coordination. Both of them are available in a range of materials, designs, and sizes, so they are created for a variety of games. The heavier balls and bats are suitable for an increase in power and strength, as opposed to the lighter which are better for indoor practice.
Baseball nets/cages
If your child is serious about practice, then he or she will want to practice more – spending hours of fun and training. In this case, a net or a cage would be essential in the baseball training equipment arsenal because it’s helpful with keeping the balls in one place so you don’t have to go around and waste precious time chasing them.
The great thing about such aids is they’re portable, lightweight, and can be brought and added anywhere thanks to their easy setup. They’re still durable enough to withstand wear and tear, as they include components made from steel, fibreglass and heavy-duty nylon.
Swing Analysis Tools
When trying to learn where a player requires improvement, a swing analyser can be of great assistance in providing the needed insight. It keeps track of important info, specifically measurements such as bat and hand speed, as well as video footage and 3D models of the swings.
Baseball Pitching Aids
Mastering the pitching mechanics early on can certainly help your child move forward in the world of baseball. Take it from elite pitchers and enable some serious practice at home with the following aids:
Pitching Balls
These balls are ideal for mastering pitching skills since they can be marked with a variety of colour-coded dots. These are added features because they indicate proper grip, and can be useful for practising a variety of tactical pitches.
Weight Training Balls
Not less popular than the previous counterpart, these balls usually weigh from 4 up to 15 ounces. The lighter variant serves for arm speed, and the heavier is meant to provide help with arm strength. Still, due to their weight, they’re best left for the pitchers who have already mastered their pitcher mechanics.
Strike Zone
There’s no need to have a catcher and expose someone to injury risks when you’ve got one of these bits of training equipment for baseball with pockets that represent strike zones which come in handy with identifying successful strikes. The adjustable designs allow you to change the strike to different heights according to the batter, and perfect throwing accuracy. Some are ideal because they come with their own carry bags too so they’re easy to store and transport.
Baseball Fielding Aids
The sport doesn’t only revolve around pitching and batting since fielding and catching are part of it too, so it doesn’t hurt to do some practice in these areas either. For this, your child will need baseball training equipment like:
Reaction Balls
Hand-eye coordination, agility, as well as reaction time are all important when working on fielding skills so you can’t do without some practice with reaction balls. Keeping an eye on bad bounces, or rather unpredictable ones helps with mastering the focus on the ball.
Flat/Foam gloves
This type of gloves is designed to be flat for a reason – it’s essential in the development of muscle memory and improvement of fielding mechanics both of which are crucial in being a great fielder. Look for models that are sturdy, designed from durable materials like leather, and are one size so they can fit your child as he or she grows.
It’s a long-term investment that can also keep the other glove used for games in top condition! Still, if you’re looking for a glove that could fit both hands for more flexibility when practising, then it’s best to get the foam alternative.
Wrist Correction
The wrist is the area that also needs care and attention because it can easily get injured with groundballs and high-intensity games. For that reason, it’s advisable to purchase this kind of accessory that can keep the wrist straight, preventing it from curling.
Baseball Strength Aids
Strength and agility are important in baseball as much as any other sport, so in addition to training pitching, batting, and fielding, it’s best to also work on building these two with the right baseball training aids in the example of:
Resistance Bands
Both the batting and swing can benefit from training resistance with these bands because they help with developing these specific muscles. Moreover, they too can help with strengthening the whole body, besides assisting with relieving sore muscles.
Sports Cones
To improve footwork efficiency, agility, and speed, be sure to include cones in the essential equipment also. Then you can consider your child well prepared for training!
