Family Fun – Who’s At Bat?

In the Summer, our family loves to be outside and do different activities together.  We enjoy bike riding, playing tennis, playing in the pool, going for a walk, golfing, whatever we can find to enjoy the long Summer nights together.

Although my son does not play baseball, he’s always been interested in the sport.  This year, we bought baseball gloves for the family at Walmart so we could have even more fun throwing the ball around to each other.  But while at Walmart, I saw an automatic ball pitching machine to practice batting that I was sure our whole family would enjoy.

SKLZ Lightning Bolt Pitching Machine

It’s called the SKLZ Lightning Bolt, and either via an electrical outlet or through battery power, it will serve up balls to you to practice batting with.  SKLZ Lightning Bolt is great for both baseball and softball, but interestingly enough, the semi-soft balls are only as big as a golf ball!

After assembling the SKLZ Lightning Bolt, which took no time at all, we loaded the 12 SKLZ balls that came with the kit.  The tube is long enough to fit many more balls.  You can buy more at Walmart, like I did.  I got 12 more balls for $9.99.  Believe me, you’ll need more because these little balls can get lost in bushes and brush pretty quickly!

We don’t have a big backyard, so we play in our street.  The SKLZ Lightning Bolt can be adjusted to your preferred height.  Unlike other batting systems I’ve seen, SKLZ Lightning Bolt sends balls out in a varied manner, rather than the same pitch every time.  Just like you’d expect if a person was pitching to you.

It is so much fun to hit the ball, each of us can’t wait for our turn to bat.  We typically have 2 people in outfield to catch the balls, who then throw it to the person by the machine.  S/he will then put the balls back into the machine while the 4th family member is batting.

One of our neighbor girls now joins us when her mom lets her.  At 4 years old, she is learning how to bat and use a mitt…and she’s loving it, just like we are.

Features:

• Lightweight – easy to carry around
• Portable – insert 6 C batteries to operate anywhere…without cords
• Adjustable – adjust angle to adjust for different pitching locations
• Pitches automatically every 5 seconds for repetition training
• Pitches balls at 30 mph
• Can hold up to 26 balls at one time
• Includes 12 SKLZ Bolt Balls

Pros:

• It is so much fun, we would practice every night if our schedule allowed for it!
• The balls aren’t pitched the same, each one varies, so you learn more by making batting adjustments as necessary
• The smallness of the balls helps you to become more precise
• It’s portable – with batteries, we could take it to the park to use it
• The balls are hard, but soft enough that if you get hit, it doesn’t hurt too much
• It can pitch out pretty far, we stand out about 8 feet away

Cons:

• If there are a lot of bushes around, the balls can get lost pretty quickly
• Sometimes the pitches come out too low to bat at
• The batteries don’t last long, using an electrical cord works best

The SKLZ Lightning Bolt can be found at Walmart for $47.99 online or at your local Walmart store.

Here’s a quick video we made to show you some of the fun…

 A Mom’s Perspective

The SKLZ Lightning Bolt is great for both amateurs and kids who play baseball on a team.  It’s not always easy to hit every ball that comes out, much of it due to the smallness of the ball.  You are forced to be more precise in your batting.  The micro balls help with visual processing, concentration, and hand-eye coordination to make skilled batters.

If our son does decide to join a baseball team, we can feel confident that he is better prepared to hit and throw a ball…and with some skill.  In the meantime, we are having a great time as a family at “baseball practice” and even getting in some laughs and exercise at the same time!