SKLZ Hit-A-Way Batting Swing Trainer for Baseball and Softball

This works awesome to simply attach outside on the patio for 8yo to practice swings. It winds right back up and is great for a simple outside workout baseball activity when the season has ended. Great solid quality and not to heavy

Bought this for the grandkids. A very good teaching item. Loads of fun and learning how to hit.

The ball and the cord are solid. The cap on the end that is suppose to hold the ball in place broke during the first usage. My son capped the end of the ball with the end of his bat as the ball tailed away and it cracked the plastic, revealing the metal below. We took the piece off and it works fine without the piece. Overall, I really like the product and it allows for solid reps. The end piece is just really poorly designed and placed.

Should work

I have two grandsons, 10 and 13, that love the game. The younger of the two is a natural no matter where he's placed on the field or where he bats in the line-up. His big brother is a good fielder, but he's never been a good hitter. I decided to help him get his swing and stance going for a more rewarding time at the plate.The SKLZ Hit-A-Way Batting Swing Trainer for Baseball and Softball is a great way to teach those skills and makes repetition easy.I was a bit ambitious when I ordered this and mistakenly ordered the softball version, but that actually proved to be a benefit because the ball is bigger, easier to contact and the bright yellow is easier for the eye to track.After explaining the basics of proper batting stance, stride and 'eye on the ball', it was game on. I watched closely for his stance and contact, stopping to show him how to improve both. He probably hit the ball for a couple of hundred repetitions until it started coming to him. It's easy to see if the swing is getting on top of the ball, under the ball or making good contact. So we did it over and over and over and then did it some more. Each day he practices at home before heading to practice or a game and I can tell he has improved and he has more confidence at the plate.The first time he batted in a game after using the SKLZ Hit-A-Way Batting Swing Trainer for Baseball and Softball he clocked the first pitch, sending over the head of center field and managing a stand up triple. Almost at contact his coach looked over at me and asked "where did that swing come from"? He then hit a line drive right past 2nd base for a single and another line drive that got between 3rd and shortstop for another single, driving in two RBI's.This is a great training aid and you can really work out the problems with stance, stride and swing, getting the 'point of contact' sewn up tight, giving batters the confidence needed to be productive on offense.Baseball and softball are tough sports to master. Hitting a round ball, thrown by someone who is trying to fool the batter, moving a various speeds, with a round bat can be a bit of a challenge to master. This is the perfect remedy for that. You can do this for 10 minutes, or an hour. You get immediate feedback and you can spot problems and correct them, building muscle memory and getting the results you want.Today, both kids walk to the plate with confidence.

My son has the Skilz hit away pole that came with a similar ball and cable bolted to the pole. It was not clear if this would work as a replacement ball and it's not the best solution if you want to use the poles mounting system instead of the velcro.It will work but it requires disassembly and a box end wrench to reach inside the top of the pole to remove the mounting points. Once mounted you have to cut the velcro off else it gets in the way.The velcro and straps are well made and would be fine to mount to most poles. The cable unfortunately has already gotten severe wear from its first use or was damaged and hidden inside the ball when we got it and it was noticed. The covering on the cable is already split exposing the cable inside.My son reports the swing back is slower than the old ball and cable. It might just need to be broken in and the unused straps fully removed.The ball and cable literally take a beating so I expense these to need replacement on occasion but there was no part number I could find for the exact replacement when you have the portable pole and stand.Pictures show the cables side by side on closed pole and the top of the pole and it's internal nuts securing the top bracket (pole cap needs to be removed) and the bracket at the middle of the pole.