You might already be a good batter, or maybe you’re starting out.
Either way, you need the right practice and training. That’s where swing trainers come in.
Why do you need a swing trainer?
From helping you improve your batting technique to being versatile so you can practice anywhere, swing trainers are a valuable piece of equipment if you want to be a better hitter, partly because they remove the need for a pitcher.
The important thing is to know which baseball hitting stick you should choose, based on its pros and cons, as well as how it can help you.
We’ve rounded up the five best baseball swing trainers out there to help you up your game.
Table of Contents
Want More Hits? You Need A Baseball Swing Trainer
You know that practice makes perfect, and when it comes to baseball you need to take the time to perfect your swing.
This isn’t always easy to do on your own or when your coach is not around, which is why a baseball swing trainer can really help you to practice what you’ve learned and improve your skills.
Once you’ve learned the correct baseball form and techniques, and you’re getting some decent hits, you have to continue investing time in honing your skills so that you can increase how often you make contact with the ball.
The more contact you make when batting, the greater chance you’ll have of throwing out hits with greater speed.
Swing trainers can help this process in various ways.
Baseball Swing Trainer Device Benefits
What baseball swing trainers tend to have in common is improving your bat speed, but that’s the least of it.
Many baseball swing trainers make use of technology to offer you guidance – think of it like having your baseball coach with you all the time – so that you keep improving your technique.
For example, some baseball hitting aids use bat innovations like sensors to make you more aware of how you’re hitting so that you can tweak your performance.
There are clearly exciting baseball swing trainer innovations available. But which ones are really worth your time and money?
Here’s a rundown of 5 best baseball swing trainers, and why they’re worth buying.
#1 SKLZ Hit-A-Way Portable Baseball Training-Station Swing Trainer With Stand
This is the best overall baseball hitting stick out there, and what makes it so valuable is that it is great for both amateurs and pros.
Whether you’re a right- or left-handed batter, this baseball swing trainer will increase your confidence because it comes with an adjustable pitch height so you can become comfortable with hitting the ball at different heights and from different angles.
Basically, how it works is that the ball is attached to a pole with a string that has a twist-back design so you can hit the ball again and again around the pole.
Benefits
- The equipment can be set up within minutes.
- You can attach it to a pole or tree with two hook-and-loop straps
- It gives you up to 500 swings every hour, enabling you to strengthen your batting ability
- With so many swings, you can learn how to hit the ball correctly and then practice again and again without having to break your momentum to retrieve the ball
Drawbacks
- If you happen to miss a hit when swinging, you will have to unwind the ball from the pole and try again, which can feel frustrating even though it helps you to learn to correct your swing
Extra Features
- The SKLZ baseball swing trainer is durable and solid when set up, making it safe for use by kids and adults. The sturdy pole has padded feet that remain in place and offer stability so you don’t have to stop batting practice to adjust it. It weighs 35lbs, but has an easy fold-up design which makes it easy to take anywhere.
Buying Advice
- The recommended age for this swing trainer is seven and up. It’s great for family fun or if you want to improve your hitting with a batting practice tool in a controlled environment. It comes with a decent price tag, as you can purchase it for approximately 120$ on Amazon
#2 Batter-Ox Baseball Swing Trainer
Out of the five best baseball swing trainers in this article, the Batter-Ox comes in at number two, mainly because of its versatility.
This portable and lightweight product weighs only 3lbs, making it easy to carry around.
It also uses accelerated reaction response technology.
This means that it simulates real-world pitches, making it a useful batting practice tool for perfecting and boosting your swing.
Benefits
- Ball-bearing swivels on the cord give you the chance to achieve a greater range of motion when hitting the ball.
- It has an ergonomic grip that makes hitting more comfortable and precise, which is especially beneficial if you’re learning how to hold and control a bat.
Drawbacks
- Taking into account the way it’s built – it has a wrist strap and lanyard attached– it seems like the Batter-Ox work best if someone holds the swing trainer so that the batter can make the most of it. However, it does come with a fence hook.
Extra Features
- The Batter-Ox Baseball Swing Trainer comes with a heavy-duty bag for easy carrying. You can also change the ball you use from baseball to softball, which makes it versatile as a baseball swing trainer device.
- There are some nice extra features. This baseball hitting stick is durable, with the added bonus of having a UV-resistant coating so you can use it outside without worrying about damaging it.
Buying Advice
- The Batter-Ox swing trainer is a bit more expensive than the SKLZ baseball swing trainer, coming in at around $130 on Amazon. What makes it worth that price tag is that it’s perfect for all ages and all skill sets.
#3 Blast Baseball Swing Trainer
This is an alternative baseball swing trainer device that makes use of sensors, so it’s a powerful gadget in a small 3.5lb package!
It’s perfect if you love gadgets and never go to baseball practice without your phone.
How the Blast Baseball Swing Trainer works is that it comes with a sensor that can be attached to any baseball bat – no special equipment is required – so it can analyze your swing as soon as you start using it.
Benefits
- This swing trainer doesn’t require any special setting up. Once you attach the sensor to your bat, you’re ready to go!
- It makes use of the Blast Baseball app that captures your swing with the use of videos and then provides you with feedback on how you can improve, such as by providing data on your batting speed.
Drawbacks
- You need a smartphone to make use of the app. It works on Android and iPhone phones.
- You have to pay for a subscription to gain all the features, which can be frustrating.
Extra Features
- The sensor fits into a plastic sleeve so that it’s protected from damage, while also being waterproof
- When charging the sensor, you just have to place it on the supplied charging pad and connect it to a power source via USB. It only takes an hour to charge.
Buying Advice
- The Blast Baseball swing trainer costs around $100 on Amazon, but you have to factor in the extra subscription charges are required for you to gain more detailed feedback on your swing. That costs approximately $60 per year.
#4 Rope Bat - The Ultimate Hitting System with Smushballs
An important element of teaching kids how to improve their swing is to teach them to use their entire body when hitting a ball.
That’s where the Rope Bat comes into our baseball swing trainer reviews.
This hitting system is regarded as a complete one because it provides you with a rope bat and 12 smushballs.
Benefits
- The Rope Bat is exactly that: a bat that contains rope. By using it, it forces you to improve your swing because you’ll immediately know if you’re not hitting the ball perfectly.
- By concentrating on swinging your whole body, the Rope Bat can help you increase the power of your swing.
- The smushballs are great because they’re soft and won’t damage walls or windows, making them perfect for indoor and outdoor use.
Drawbacks
- You can’t use regular baseballs with the Rope Bat – you can only use the provided smushballs.
Extra Features
- This is more than just a special bat – it comes with a tote bag as well as a 25-page hitting guide.
Buying Advice
- The Rope Bat swing training system might seem a little too expensive for a beginner, coming in at $90 on Amazon. However, it’s definitely worth purchasing if you’re a beginner or you want to help your kids swing better.
#5 Momentus Speed Hitter Baseball Little League Youth 34" Baseball Trainer
The most notable thing about the Momentus Speed Hitter is that it makes use of sliding ball technology.
What this does is help you to learn to keep your hands inside the ball, which is an important thing that batters need to master when they first start playing baseball.
Keeping your hands inside the ball means that you keep your elbows close to your body, which is important for having better balance and control.
Benefits
- The Momentus Speed Hitter comes with an O-ring that you can fit above your grip on the bat. This enables you to swing harder and faster, which also teaches you to increase your bat speed.
- You can easily correct your swing by seeing where the ball touches the bat. If it hits the bat and you feel a vibration, that will remind you of what to avoid doing in future. In this case, the Momentus baseball hitting stick can help you find the “sweet spot” when batting.
Drawbacks
- A bit pricey, costing $60 on Amazon.
Extra Features
- By changing how you use this swing trainer, you can reap more benefits. For example, by sliding the O-ring to the top of the steel shaft, you can practice your fast swings. If you slide the O-ring back down and let it move freely, you can make the most of holding the energy in the swing and then releasing the bat later in the swing.
- You can make sure you’re doing the right thing by paying attention to the O-ring so you can correct mistakes, such as if you’re taking a big swing with the bat that’s causing the O-ring to move down the shaft behind you
Buying Advice
- The Momentus Speed Hitter is 34 inches in length and weighs almost 1lb. It’s great for giving you immediate feedback on your swing and can be used as a warm-up tool before baseball practice or games.
Which Baseball Swing Trainer Is Right For You?
Now that you have all the facts on the 5 best baseball swing trainers, let’s look at which one is right for you, depending on what you can gain the most from each one.
How To Improve Your Baseball Swing?
To make sure you improve your swing, you have to make sure you’re doing some important things.
These include:
- Holding the bat correctly. The bat’s knob should go through the hitting zone first, then your hands should follow, as baseball director Alex Fabian tells New York Family. This ensures you have a more direct path to the ball and prevents you from swinging around the ball.
- Strengthening your body. Don’t forget about the importance of heading to the gym to strengthen your body. This is crucial to producing a powerful swing. You want to do lower-body exercises such as lunges and squats that build up your legs, while also strengthening your core to improve your balance. Exercises like yoga are extremely beneficial to improve your core muscles while generating greater flexibility. Having much better flexibility means that you’ll have much faster reaction times when you’re at the plate!
- Standing correctly before you hit the ball. Stand with all your weight on your back foot and lean back slightly. When you make contact with the ball, move your weight to a neutral footing. This adds more power to your swing.
What Are The Physics Of Baseball Swing?
A baseball swing has two stages. The first one is when the batter stands with his feet shoulder-width apart and holding the bat up and over his shoulder.
He sees the ball coming and he shifts his weight onto his back foot.
He also steps forward with his other foot.
The second stage is when the batter has planted his front foot onto the ground so he can move his body to make the swing.
When he keeps his elbows bent, the bat gains a bit of speed but it stays close to his body, only moving in a small-radius arc, as How Stuff Works explains.
Then, his arms straighten out and the bat is now in a horizontal position. The radius of that arc traces the bat speed, and both increase.
As the bat and ball make contact, the barrel moves at around 70 to 80 mph and has the power to generate over 6,000 watts of power, as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration reports.
How Can Baseball Swing Trainer Help You With Better Batting Average?
Baseball swing trainers do this in various ways, one of the most important being that they help you to boost your confidence.
By letting you practice wherever you are, they give you a practical solution to perfecting your swing.
This has the effect of giving you greater confidence so that you can step up to the plate with conviction.
Some products also improve your batting average by offering you feedback on your swing.
This can involve the use of apps, such as with the Blast Baseball Swing Trainer, or by giving you the chance to hit hundreds of times within an hour, such as with the SKLZ Hit-A-Way Portable Baseball Training-Station.
The latter is a particularly valuable feature of swing trainers because the more you practice with feedback, the better you’ll be and you’ll increase your batting average.
What Is Considered A Good Batting Average? (Amateurs)
A batting average can be defined as the number of hits divided by the number of at-bats or attempts at hit, as AZCentral reports.
An average batting average of .250 (meaning that you get a hit 25 percent of the time) is thought to be commonplace, so a bit more than that would be considered good.
However, it’s important to bear in mind that a good average can be quite subjective because it depends on the player’s specific abilities.
For example, if you’re a great hitter and your batting creates lots of runs for your team during a baseball game, an average of less than .250 would be fine.
Generally, though, the closer to .300 your batting average, the better you hit.
Can You Use Baseball Swing Trainer For A Softball?
You generally can use a baseball swing trainer for softball.
Even though softball and baseball might be a bit different, they both require a powerful swing and you can therefore benefit from swing trainers if you play either of them.
However, some baseball swing aids, such as the Rope Bat, require that you use the balls provided in the set.
Others, such as the Batter-Ox Baseball Swing Trainer, are more versatile for use with softballs and baseballs.
Related Questions
Commonly asked questions:
What’s the “sweet spot” when batting?
This is the area on the bat that is seen as the best spot for the ball to strike.
It reduces vibration and stinging of the hands, while increasing energy in the swing so that the ball can travel further.
Keeping an eye out for the sweet spot when you make contact with the ball can help you to improve your swing. If your hands hurt, then you know you have missed the sweet spot.
How can I add power to my swing?
The most important thing is to control your swing.
Instead of increasing speed and power with your arms, generate power through your wrists and hips.
You want the energy to move through your body.
Avoid tightening your muscles as this slows down your swing. Remember, relaxed muscles are fast muscles!
Conclusion
Increasing your batting average and becoming a better batter means improving your swing.
While practice goes a long way to helping you make more contact with the ball, the use of tools such as baseball swing aids make practicing more fun while also helping you get feedback on your form and technique.
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