2010 Junior Baseball Gear Guide: Warm-Up/Game Improvement
Use these products before and during the game to stay sharp.
1. Company: Baseballance
Product: Baseballance
Price: $275
Skill level: Intermediate to Advanced
Ages: 11+
Why it's hot: Self-contained, cross-curricular training aid. Focuses on muscle memory and the concept of learning through feel. If the hitter gets too far out on the front foot, the board highlights it so hitter can recognize the error. Can also be used as a pitching tool. Used by professional and college programs.
Where to buy: www.baseballance.com
2. Company: Cages Plus
Product: Personal Batting Cages
Price: From $485
Skill level: All
Ages: All
Why it's hot: Tired of traveling miles for batting practice? Try stepping into your own batting cage in your back yard. Affordable, portable, and come with an L-screen. Works great indoors too. One-year money back guarantee so there's no risk.
Where to buy: www.cagesplus.com
3. Company: M Sports
Product: RBI ProSwing
Price: $30
Skill level: All
Ages: 8+
Why it's hot: Designed to increase players bat speed for more power and bat control for better contact. It demonstrates to players a better inside swing path to the ball and reinforces their muscle memory.
Where to buy: www.rbiproswing.com
4. Company: Markwort 
Product: Cannon Ball
Price: $18
Skill level: All
Why it's hot: Rubber construction.Throw against a solid wall, such as concrete or brick. Perfect for rehabilitation, toning, therapy, muscle memory, strengthening and warm-up. Smaller than official size softballs allowing men, women and youth to warm up with the same ball. 11" circ. Weighs one pound.
Where to buy: www.amazon.com
5. Company: Markwort
Product: Learning Curve™
Price: $15
Skill level: 13+
Why it's hot: Easy to use training aid for pitchers and batters. Durable rubber construction. Teaches proper finger placement and hand motion to throw a curve ball.
Where to buy: www.eastbay.com
6. Company: Markwort 
Product: Power Punch
Price: $39
Skill level: All
Why it's hot: Reinforces proper fielding and throwing mechanics. Helps to strengthen and position the lead arm of a batter while hitting a baseball. Helps eliminate "Bar Arm" and quickens your swing. Aids fielding skills by preventing laziness and keeps you down low to the ground. Trains catchers to keep arms in close to the body. Helps pitchers keep throwing arm at a 90 degree angle.
Where to buy: www.amazon.com
7. Company: Mattingly Sports
Product: "Hit Man" Pitching Machine
Price: $400
Ages: All
Why it's hot: The "Hit Man" Pitching Machine features an automatic (24) ball feeder and has the unique ability to throw multiple type pitches (fastballs, curves, sliders) at varying speeds between 40-80 mph. It also can be adjusted for ground ball and fly ball practice.
Where to buy: www.mattinglybaseball.com
8. Company: Muhltech
Product: Advanced Skills Tee
Price: $100
Skill level: T-Ball to Intermediate
Why it's hot: Encourages the hitter to take the bat and hands directly to the ball out front. The unique forward arm design eliminates dipping and uppercut type swings, while the flexible outside barrier keeps the hands in tight eliminating casting.
Where to buy: www.muhltech.com
9. Company: Muhltech
Product: Tru-Toss
Price: $180
Skill level: Beg-Interm
Age: Ages 9+
Why it's hot: Mechanical soft toss machine that tosses from the ground up. The batter releases the ball which rolls down and bounces off the rebounder up into the hitting zone. Practice anytime, anywhere without the need of a partner.
Where to buy: www.muhltech.com
10. Company: Nedco
Product: BatAction Hitting Machine
Price:
Skill Level: Intermediate to Advanced
Why it's hot: Innovative design suspends ball horizontally, allowing ball to react to swing realistically. Features adjustable speeds and its portability make it easy to pop in the trunk and take to the field.
Where to buy: www.bataction.com
11. Company: SwingAway Sports Products, Inc.
Product: The SwingAway
Price: $200
Ages: All
Why it's hot: The new "SwingAway" is the next generation of hitting systems, featuring a Bottom Boom and a new Revolutionary Hitting Mat. The bottom boom feature will perfectly align the Patented Pulley system of the Machine making it all but impossible for the pulleys to become misaligned and therefore increasing the life of the Bungee System.
Where to buy: www.swingaway.com
