Warm Up:

Pitch a solid rubber baseball from a real close distance and catch the ball rebounded from the Designated-Partner® as line drive. Gradually increase the pitching distance. Sometimes, air bubbles from the mid-layer of the Designated-Partner® must come out before you could see the highest rebound. Later increase the standing angle and catch pop ups. Use Designated-Partner® in place of a catcher.

Instructions:

1. Adjust the standing angle to generate the type of rebound you desire, greater angle generates relatively higher rebound.
2. Device may be set so that a rebounding ball will go towards first base or third base, to practice fielding a bunt, double play or difficult diving catches.
3. Type of ball affects rebound, e.g. rebounds with a baseball with cork core, a T-ball with rubber core and one of solid or hollow rubber, are progressively greater.

Made in USA

Designed to alleviate many disadvantages in Pitchback or Net type backstop.....

Batting Practice:

Use 1 in place of a Catcher. One can use live pitcher or a pitching machine. Missed ball will return to pitcher if high rebounding solid rubber baseball is used.

It is advisable to use 2-5 baseballs if true baseballs with cork cores are used. Balls missed by the batter drop close to the batter who can return the ball to the pitcher.

Difficult Catching Practice by Two Players:

Use high rebounding solid rubber baseball. At an angle, one player hits the Designated-Partner® and second player tries to catch (also by dive) the ball at the other end where the ball rebounded.

Pitching Practice Using a Single Ball:

It is advisable to use a high rebound solid rubber baseball so that a rebounding ball returns close to the pitcher for pitching again.

Pitching Practice using Multiple Balls:

Multiple balls are required where official baseballs are used which rebound less in order to reduce the time spent in collecting the balls. After emptying the bucket, collect the balls from the general vicinity of Designated-Partner® for pitching again.

Ball Rebound Data:

Data presented give some guide to purchaser regarding our latest model. Note that data may not be exact as rebound distance is dependent on height of individual pitcher, type of pitch – fast, slider, sinker etc.

Three kinds of balls were used to generate data:

Distance ball thrown from = 50 ft
Pitching speed = approximately 60 mph
Average distance of first bounce on grass and total distance traveled are recorded at two different standing angles of Designated-Partner®.

Above data indicates that a real hard baseball is good for practicing the fielding a bunt, a T-ball is good for practicing to charge balls in front of the pitcher and an all rubber solid baseball is good for either pitching and stopping a rebounding ball or catching a pop-up. Also plain exercise is more fun with a solid rubber baseball where rebound is the highest.

Batting practice with a pitcher is preferred with a solid rubber baseball because a missed ball quickly returns to the pitcher. In our experiment, none of the returning ball hit the batter. Batting practice with a pitching machine that throws multiple balls is preferred using hard baseball.