Practice Batting Year-Round!
What, Why and How to use Smushballs
Improve form, focus, and power.
Throw balls fast or slow
Target weakness’ in batting
All safely and efficiently!
Here are a few reasons to try these new practice balls.
• Avoid Damage: When people hit hard balls into fences, damage is done to both the fence and to balls. Fences become dented, balls get scuffed. With the Smush balls, you can hit them into fences over and over without damage. For advanced batters, they can try to hit the balls so they stick in the fence or if they hit it hard enough, the balls can actually go through a fence. This helps the batters concentrate on hitting with more power at the contact point of their swing.
• Weather: Rain, cold or snow will not hinder a person who wants to improve their hitting. These balls are safe for indoor gyms. A batter can stand at the baseline on one side of the gym and then with a person throwing from the free throw line, the batter tries to drive the balls to the far wall. Have the players have games on hitting spots in the gym. If there are no fields available for practice, Smush balls can be used on asphalt, tennis courts or most any other surface. You do not have to worry about damaging areas or the balls.
• Savings: The price of leather baseballs continues to go up each year. Even on Ebay,a dozen used balls are over two dollars a piece. You do not even know the condition of these balls. If it rains, baseballs can be ruined if they are used in wet conditions. Instead of cancelling practice or ruining balls, have the batters hit the Smush balls. Coaches can use the Smush balls year after year which also will be a savings.
• Injuries: Some coaches use whiffle balls as a way to help players get more repetitions with their swings. Not only do whiffle balls break often, They can also potentially hurt if hit in the head. Smush balls just bounce off, no marks, no bruises. People throwing do not wear out their arms throwing Smush balls.
Some Practice Drills with Smush Balls
• Placing drill – player throws from his knees five yards away from the batter over a plate. Do not have the players lob the ball, but rather throw it softly waist high. Have batters learn to place the ball by hitting throws that are inside and outside.
• Speed drill – Player stands 5 to ten yards from the batter and throws overhand and gradually throws harder and harder. Mix up throws with variations including throwing sidearm, changeups and fastballs.
• Soft toss – use any fence and have the player kneel and toss a ball whereas the batter can then hit into the fence.Younger players can also hit off of a tee into a fence. The faster and harder the swing, the more power the Smush ball will have and it can stick in the fence or go through. No damage is done to anything. A variation is to have a point system..ie 1 point for hitting the ball, two points for sticking it in the fence and 5 points to hit the ball through the fence.
• Best of the best – here you have all the boys compete and the coach throws one at a time over the strike zone and try to get the batter to miss. The object is for the batter to see how many in a row they can hit. Once they swing and miss, a new batter begins. Indoor placement – In a gym, have the batter stand underneath one of the baskets. The person throwing throws from the free throw line.Have targets for the batter to aim at. Points can be used to see who does the best. One point for hitting, two points to hit it past the oppositefree throw line. Five points to hit the opposite wall and five points in hitting specific targets.(chairs, backboard etc)
• Eye Focus – Mark balls with a round spot the size of a quarter. Give some balls a red spot, some a black spot, some a green. As the ball is thrown to the batter, have him call out the color as he swings and hits.
• FOR CATCHERS You can also use these balls for blocking drills for catchers, indoor or outdoor.
• FOR PITCHERS Work on proper release positions or loosen arms and shoulders without tiring the arm.
• BEFORE GAMES Have six piles of 40 balls and have six players throw them to six hitters. Pick them all up and switch the hitters and throwers. Within 15 minutes, all 12 players would have had 40 good swings apiece.
ALL PRICES INCLUDE FREE SHIPPING IN THE USA (Hawaii and Alaska not included)
For more information contact us at baseball@smushballs.com or
call us at 801-465-8132 or 801-361-0696
