How to Install a Safe and Successful Batting Cage in your Indoor Sports Facility
The placement of batting cages in indoor sports facilities is an often overlooked detail that can completely change the design of the area. The length, width and physical placement of the batting cages can create specific areas in the facility or leave walkways for spectators and athletes. If the design and placement of batting cages are not done correctly it can lead to major problems with safety protocol and your physical netting and building. Making sure there is enough room for your batting cages is paramount to a successful indoor baseball and softball facility. The biggest issue many face when it comes to spacing with batting cages is putting the outside of the cages too close to the walls. We suggest at least two feet of clearance from the edge of any batting cage to the closest wall. Our design and installation experts recommend this distance to allow for the netting in your cage to blouse out and not hit the walls. If this distance is not met, your netting and walls could face damage from the balls being hit in your batting cage. The balls can create wear on the netting that will greatly decrease the life of your batting cage and could create tears that would allow balls to be hit out of the facility. The balls could also hit the walls and cause damage. A bigger issue of a batting cage being close to a wall is safety. The lack of separation will allow balls to ricochet off the walls, and could create a hazard for coaches or players who are in the cage. It also does not leave enough of a walkway for athletes, coaches or spectators to walk past the cages without risk of being hit by a batted ball. "This seems to be a problem everywhere we go," On Deck Sports Facility Project Manager Joe McDonough said when asked about netting being set up too close to walls. "Potential facility owners often overlook the needed safety cushion needed. If balls hit a metal wall, they will dent it and will leave holes in drywall and the landlord will be taking their security deposit when they leave. The impact of a ball crushing the netting against a hard surface will also drastically affect the life of the netting." Our team of facility experts can work with facility owners to modify batting cages to best fit the facility. We can work to take some space out of certain batting cages and create a thinner pitching lane that will allow for full training capabilities while meeting our suggestions for spacing. We could also work to change the direction of your batting cages to ensure the distance suggestion is met. Our team of facility experts will work with you to make sure your batting cages have the proper spacing and that your new facility operates smoothly and safely.
Contact one of our experts today by clicking here, or calling 800-365-6171.
Fay Fay wrote:
Thank you for saying that there should be enough room for your batting cage. My children are wanting to learn how to bat, so we are trying to figure out how to help them. This article was very informative and helpful, I will need to come back to it.
On 1/16/2024 5:50 am
On Deck Sports replied:
Hi Fay, so glad you found this helpful! If you need any further assistance please do not hesitate to call us at 800-365-6171 or email us at info@ondecksports.com, we are happy to help in any way possible!
On 1/16/2024 5:50 am