How To Buy a Batting Cage For Your School’s Gymnasium

Purchasing indoor batting cages can be a particularly good decision for schools.  Sometimes an indoor location is purely a necessity, when there isn’t enough room outdoors – even seasonally — to accommodate batting cages.  But choosing an indoor batting cage also helps alleviate problems created when “unfriendly” weather encroaches on baseball and softball seasons.

Indoor batting cages enhance ball programs because players get more practice, no matter what the weather.  Warm hands grip better, so it’s easier for players to maintain proper batting technique.  And you can maintain your sports schedule without sacrificing practice time.

Installing batting cages in a gymnasium requires special considerations, but you can choose a system that will provide years of service without devastating your school’s limited budget.

A gym serves numerous purposes for the school, so a retractable system can be especially beneficial because it’s entirely out of the way when not in use.

Key indoor batting cage characteristics:

• Convenience.  Your system should be simple to set up and put away, quickly leaving the gymnasium free for the next activity.  A retractable system is right at hand and can be easily raised or lowered, manually or electrically.
• Durability.  Heavy-duty frames and netting will ensure years of tough use, even from students who aren’t always as careful as they could be.  Choose the heaviest netting you can afford, because netting is the batting cage component that’s going to take the greatest hit, so to speak, over time.
• Options.  Look for choices in colors, netting weights, etc.

Other important considerations:

• Standard lengths (55’ for softball, 70’ for baseball) cost less than custom.
  Related Coverage

  • How to Buy Portable Batting Cages
  If you have a child that plays on a team that travels in order to play tournaments then having access to a portable cage is ideal for game preparation. This article outlines a couple of tips if you are looking to purchase a portable batting cage.
  • Batting Cages - Tips For Buying
  Buying a batting cage for your team or your child can be an overwhelming proposition. This article provides a quick overview of the things you should consider when building a usable batting cage.
  • Why Use Portable Batting Cages
  It is not a mystery that the use of a batting cage can improve a hitter's swing. However, maybe you have a desire to have access to a batting cage while on the road at a tournament then using portable batting cages might be what you are looking for.
  • Outdoor Batting Cages: 5 Things to Consider
  It’s no secret that baseball and softball teams that get the most practice are often the most successful. Selecting the right outdoor batting cages can go a long way toward giving your teams an on-the-diamond advantage. Cost is always important, especially for schools. But simply choosing the lowest cost batting cages isn’t necessarily the best decision. There are several characteristics
   Short cages place the pitching machine too close, possibly even dangerously so.
• When retracted to the ceiling, batting cages still have a depth of about three feet, so if your overall ceiling height is less than 20 feet that may not leave enough clearance for games such as volleyball.
• Indoor batting cages don’t have to withstand wearing weather conditions, but you will need to think about the heat and humidity levels in your gym.
• Buy from a company with an excellent reputation for quality and service.
• Remember, a quality warranty reflects a quality product.

Getting professional advice will help answer size, configuration and potential expansion questions.  Combining that with an understanding of your unique needs will help you find the best fit for your school’s gym, ball programs and budget.