Total Control SportsBuilder Atomic Ball

For my son's youth baseball team, recreational league, ages 13 - 15, which I manage, we have been using six of these size 120 balls, along with a dozen of the smaller size 74 Total Control balls in practices and in pre-game warm-ups. We use a bounce net positioned over the plate (or over an imaginary plate if used off the diamond) with the coach standing opposite the batter and giving a light toss of the ball downward onto the bounce net and then stepping back out of the way. The player then hits the ball as it comes down from the top of its bounce. We find this method far superior to hitting off a tee, since the player must time his swing to hit the ball as it descends, similar to an incoming pitch. Also, the size 120 balls are too heavy to be supported on a tee in any event.When hitting off the bounce net, the size 120 balls usually can be hit only about ten feet maximum, requiring a full body swing from the player, not just an arm swing. For each player we give swings at six of the large balls and we then use the dozen size 74 balls, urging the players to use the same powerful swing. The smaller balls can go about sixty feet in the air when hit solidly, though only a few feet if not hit perfectly, giving instant feedback on poor contact, usually because of poorly timed swings. Not much space is required for use in practice and in pre-game warm-ups, and even for use during games for batters who are "in the hole" for batting, that is, one spot behind the on-deck hitter. I also use both sizes of these balls with my thirteen-year-old son in our backyard practices, giving him three rounds of the same routine, for fifty-four swings in a practice, with him trying to hit the small balls to roll as far as our fence, about seventy feet away. Three rounds with these balls are enough for a strenuous workout for him, but require only about twenty minutes. During bad weather my son and I also use the balls in our basement, with him hitting against a tarp suspended from the ceiling, though that method lacks the feedback benefit of seeing how far the ball will travel.Our team's hitting seems to have improved significantly since we started using these balls in practices and for pre-game and in-game warm-ups. We are an all-boys team, but the same practice approach should also work for girls playing baseball or softball, since the swing mechanics should be similar.For a bounce net I use one that came with the Skilz QuickSwing, though I had to reinforce that net with several other regular bungee cords, since it is not designed for these heavy Total Control balls. Skilz does not sell the bounce net separately. Using a small child's trampoline might be another type of bounce net which could work.

Love these training balls and can see the effect that they've had on my young hitters! Make sure you check the sizes and get the size(s) that are appropriate for the age and strength of your hitters. These balls are sized between a soft ball and a bowling ball and are appropriate for side toss and stronger hitters only. But because they are so heavy, they really force your hitters to muscle them through the zone. And the shape and design of the ball gives instant feedback to the hitter on how squarely they made contact. With the younger guys (ages 12-13), I mix these in for soft toss with the baseball size balls (the 74's) and we focus really just on powering through the zone and making solid contact. With my older boys (15-16) I mix them in similarly with the added focus of hitting the ball at the top of the toss--not on the way up or way down but right at the top of the toss--to increase timing and bat speed. I can't say that I've done an empirical study to say that the use of these balls has caused the improvement in my hitters, but since a majority of our non-cage batting practice is with these balls, I would say they are a definite contributor.Like I said, your best bet is a combination of these and the baseball type 74's for soft toss, but you can also use the 74's for front toss so it gives you some flexibility in drills that you run. To round out the circuit, I also love the "wiffle" balls these guys offer.

Really expensive, but helps develop your hitter to swing through the ball with ferocity. If he/she doesn't swing through it, it just goes about 3 feet. have him swing through it and maybe it'll go 5-6 if he's a power hitter. It's safe to touch. Hard to put on a Tanner Tee with the flexible tee head, but you have to balance it just right. Oh and it's expensive for a ball of sand.

These are larger than a softball in size and heavier than I expected. Would not recommend for players younger than 14 as it would probably create bad habits more than build strength and enforce hitting through the ball. 17 yr old daughter has used for several months with great results.

This really helped my team learn to fire their hips for better velocity on their hits. We went from slapping at the ball to driving it.

A little tooooo big I thought they would be smaller

Awesome strength balls!!! After using the t.c.b every kid on the team is hitting with power and finishing their swings!!!

good stuff