SKLZ Hit-A-Way Portable Baseball Training-Station Swing Trainer with Stand

I've been through baseball with four sons, it's the best swing trainer for the money. Obviously, it does not simulate a pitched ball. However it can: be adjusted to different elevation pitches, help teach the batter to time their swing, to maintain eye contact with the ball, to hit a moving ball, to adjust the bat's swing path to the ball location, and it provides the feel of striking a real ball in the sweet part of the bat (and ball), it provides instant (satisfying) feedback whether the ball was struck well (or not), and it can be used alone. A little on the lightweight side of being stout, but it is intended to be portable. A hard-hitting teen could bring it down if not securely placed. UPDATE- I gave the original trainer I purchased to my son in law and purchased the new improved version. No longer a lightweight, It is now heavy duty and doesn't require attachment to the ground to use. Just set it up and swing away. While heavy, it came with a carry bag and folds up. Still by far in my opinion, the best device for the money. I recommend purchasing a home plate to place on the ground so that the ball strike can be visually connected with the plate location.

This trainer is very well built, and feels lighter than it's weight would suggest. I've had people from 6 years old to 65 years old try this trainer and all were able to get the hang of hitting the ball within 3 swings. After that, they're addicted. The path of the ball doesn't seem natural at first, but you quickly realize that it's not always consistent, similar to real pitching. Also you get instant feedback on your swing...if you hit too high or low, the ball and cables won't wind around the pole and therefore won't uncoil with much speed. One you're able to adjust your swing to hit the ball square each time, the ball will windup and unwind so you can swing until you're tired without resetting the ball.Both of my kids are now the top hitters on their teams since getting this machine. They were able to minimize the bad habits we all tend to acquire with hitting a ball.This trainer is built to withstand a whole ball club using it, but with the simplicity to use in your backyard. The setup is very easy (no tools required), but collapsing the tripod takes some practice. The tripod collapses upward and the pole separates in the middle and stores on a peg on the base. An integrated strap wraps around the all of the pieces and can be pulled, thanks to the on-board caster wheels. This product is very well thought out and is worth the price.

Purchased this after trying the Louisville Slugger Swing Rep hitting station first. Our choice was narrowed down to that or this SKLZ Hit-A Way. I should have bought this one first. We used the Louisville Slugger Swing Rep hitting station for 3 days and had issues with the "rebound" of the ball after hitting. It worked great the first evening but seemed as though the elastic was worn out and ball wouldn't reset properly. Decided to send it back and basically exchange it for the SKLZ Hit-A Way. This works way better. Forces batter to concentrate on hitting a moving ball. Pitch height adjustments stay set and don't fluctuate unless you change them. Much more sturdier as well. Of course its heavy because of the extra sturdy factor, but that's to be expected. Still easy to move around however. Super simple set-up right out of the box as well. Didn't take 45 minutes to build, total bonus! Give it a shot, you wont be disappointed!FOLLOW-UP:Quick follow-up. Utilized SKLZ customer service with a question regarding the ball. Explained we had this unit for just over 2 weeks. The baseball became out of round somewhat but I mentioned this thing was basically being hammered by half the little league team. I was just trying to order a new ball and cable but they not only covered it as a warranty claim being only 2 weeks into use, the sent 2 replacements!! How can you not love that??? 2 thumbs up all the way!

This trainer worked great for my two little leaguers. It helped not only with their hand - eye coordination and making sure they kept their eye on the ball when swinging, it also helped them start to understand how to swing through the ball and follow through to hit the ball with more authority. It only took a couple of days of practice with the trainer and their swing improved greatly and they were making more contact and hitting the ball harder than they had been. There may be other methods that would have worked as well without the trainer, but if you don't have a lot of time to spend at the field doing drills, you can set this up in the back yard and within minutes the kids will be swinging away and working on fundamentals.My only issue with the trainer I received had to do with the condition when I received it. It comes in two parts, and you slide the top of the pole onto the bottom piece to put it together. Seems pretty simple, but in my case the top half of the pole was bent at the bottom, where it was supposed to slide onto the bottom part of the pole. I had to get out a rubber mallet and an iron rod to bend and reshape the bottom part of the upper pole until I could get it rounded again, so I could fit it together with the bottom half. Once I had that done and together, no other issues, it works great. The base folds up for storage, so I don't envision ever taking it apart again.