Can you use real baseballs with this machine?
235556
The machine is well designed for the intended "lite" ball; I do not believe this machine is designed for "hard" baseball use; I would invest in a machine specifically designed to throw a hard baseball.
246725
It uses soft balls and it is good for getting timing down... You can adjust the "apparent speed" by adjusting the distance between the machine and the batter. It really helped my son (and his teammates) consistently getting the bat on the ball, but the light weight of the ball prevents the development of a powerful swing. We found the utility maxes out at 12-13 years old and a "real ball" machine is needed.
1242122
Yes, you could, but you'd need to use some sand bags or something else heavy to anchor the legs. It will jump around a lot. One of the suspended ball devices, like the SoloHitter, could be used indoors without tying it down, if the ceiling is high enough down there. I like the Solo Hitter a lot, but I think they are a little more expensive than the Hurricane. It is more realistic, you feel the ball "travel" off the bat a little bit, and there are quite a variety of drills you can do with them.
488751
No, it came with plastic coins so that is all you need but you can use real ones if you want.
997584
I certainly would not. They are not meant for that use. Composite bats are made for slugging and distance, but can also break. I also think that use would void the warranty. It is not a "practice" bat.
888296
There are different kinds of ball machines. The ones that launch a ball with spinning wheels, like used by baseball coaches, will not work very well with these low compression balls. A machine that uses air compression would work better, or a machine that "throws" the ball like a catapult would work. Hope that helps!
275145
YES - just tennis balls. Another person ask if it picks up baseballs and that answer is NO.
2138349
No. It works great with the soft lite balls, though. Perfect for young little leaguers (indoors or out)!
651189
Yes you can hit baseballs. It's all I use it for. And you can hit them as far or a close as you eant depending on players ability level.
164028
No...the machine is not strong enough to push out a baseball. Only use the type of balls it comes with.
1350910
You don't need a special bat, but I would be recommend it. However, I do not recommend the machine. The concept is great, but the quality on the machine I purchased was extremely poor. Try a JUGS machine (Small-Ball® Pitching Machine). Lots more money, but I bet it's worth it. I don't own that machine though.
938794
You can. It's a smaller strike zone area. The pitcher will really have to concentrate on hitting his spots or you will be chasing lots of balls down.
819274
You should never use real balls with a Jugs wheel machine, this or a more advanced model for the following reasons:1. The leather balls will get torn up very quickly.2. Real balls will wear out the rubber contact pad on the machine, which will require replacing the entire metal plate (the pad is NOT sold individually and is bonded to the metal part)3. Real balls are not perfectly round and will result in unpredictable wild pitches, which is dangerous at even medium speeds.
1279497
I don't think so , my umpire last week(ASA) wont let me use it. Now im looking to trade for the SPSYMA model.
850110
Yes it can, but I wouldn't recommend it. You can get white "dimple" practice balls with red laces painted on them for realism if that's what you are concerned about. If you were to use a raised-lace ball (real ball), you would want to make sure it went in the exact same way every time due to the height adjustment of the striker plate. You wouldn't want the laces causing accuracy issues. Also, it would chew them up over time, and the consistency would not be there. I'd also be concerned that real baseballs might damage the wheel over time.
1896626
Hi. No a tennis ball will not fit. This machine is specifically designed for small (ping pong size) balls. It is excellent with helping hand/eye coordination. If you can master hitting with this machine it will greatly improve with hitting a regular baseball.
80181
I found that only soft, regular sized baseballs work. Little league sized ones do not work.