A simple easy way of approaching a batting cage when you don't have friends or family to help you
On the surface, hitting alone seems like a daunting task. Since we were young, we have always hit with our teammates and coaches. We had many dads willing to jump into the cage and feed the machine.
At some point, though, you're not going to have someone to help you train. How do we train without a partner?
This is a beginner's guide to hitting in a cage by yourself. Think about this as a jump starter to get the wheels turning. There are no traditional rules in this situation, BUT the north star is being creative.
Tip #1 - Show-Up and Be Present
Seems like common sense, but this can be the hardest part. Grabbing the motivation to grab the car keys and drive to a place where it's you and the nets is daunting. Creating the drive to do this will probably be your most challenging task.
Tip #2 - Warm-up
You made it! You're in the facility, but now, you don't have Mr. Coach telling you what to do next. The world is your oyster, but you need to find a routine.
Before grabbing the bucket, the bat, and smacking away, you need to warm your body up. Here's a quick warm-up routine before you start blasting baseballs:
Exercise | Distance | Reps |
Jog 50% Effort | Length of cage | 2 |
High Knees | Length of cage | 2 |
Butt Kicks | Length of cage | 2 |
Knee Hug and Lift | Length of cage | 1 |
Tin Soldier | Length of cage | 1 |
Quad Pull and Reach | Length of cage | 1 |
Scoops | Length of cage | 1 |
Lunge | Length of cage | 1 |
Reverse Lunge with reach | Length of cage | 1 |
Back pedal | Length of cage | 1 |
Jog 70% Effort | Length of cage | 1 |
Jog 85% Effort | Length of cage | 1 |
There are a lot of different variations of a vigorous warm-up. Without any confusion about the various exercises, I kept it simple. If you don't know an exercise, please YouTube it!
Tip #3 - Time to hit
The hitting tee is your best friend.
I have presented a graph on how to set your tee when you work on your locations. We want to have a strong understanding of all areas of the plate. This is where you're going to find your strengths and your weaknesses. I will warn you; the temptation is to only swing at middle pitches.
You will start just at or below the waistline. Then you will move into the top of the zone (at the numbers) and bottom of the zone (at the knees).
Placement | Reps |
Middle | 5 |
Inside | 5 |
Outside | 5 |
Middle- At The Numbers | 5 |
Inside- At The Numbers | 5 |
Outside- At The Numbers | 5 |
Middle- At The Knees | 5 |
Inside- At The Knees | 5 |
Outside- At The Knees | 5 |
Closing Statement
I kept this simple and short. Don't worry about the time here. A good piece of advice from one of my coaches was, "Don't think it needs to be an hour. Get your work in and get out."
Use this same advice if it takes you 30 minutes; great! If it takes an hour because you like to think and feel through each swing...that's okay too.
The fact you're getting in the cage consistently is what matters. To get good at this game, you need to get practice continually.
Spiker Helms
Spiker played at Missouri State University and professionally for three season. He has also taught private lessons for 10 years.