Tanner Rubber Practice Balls are composed of a durable thermoplastic, molded into a ball just about the size of regulation balls. Unlike weighted training baseballs, rubber practice training balls have a hollow center and holes designed in the “shell,” air passes through the ball during flight degrading the distance it can travel.
Soft baseball training balls are often referred to as limited distance baseballs and can be used with a metal or wooden bat, at full swing, in an indoor/outdoor practice environment, and provide training value to hitters doing pregame pepper or BP by shortening the time it takes to shag baseballs that would otherwise be scattered all over the baseball diamond.
Teams and players of any age can practice a slightly adapted version of batting practice that still allows for full swings even when batting practice with a leather cork-center ball is not possible.
What are Soft training baseballs used for?
Tanner Soft Rubber Training Baseballs are best used when practicing front toss, flips, or tee work (into a net or on the field). They are also a smart option for coaches to use when teaching baseball to new players in tee ball.
Great for Tee Ball Skill Building
Even though a regulation tee-ball is also by definition a soft rubber baseball, tee balls can still be intimidating to a young tee baller learning how to catch, throw and hit. Remember, tee balls do have a dense composition even though they are softer than a baseball, and if/when a little one is hit with an errant throw, a glove-hand miss or some other accident occurs at practice, there could be an injury that we can avoid by practicing with a soft rubber baseball product before moving to a heavier ball. Since the Tanner Soft Rubber Training baseballs are lightweight coaches can focus on teaching throwing, catching, and hitting skills and fundamentals before using a regulation size ball.
ADDITIONAL USES FOR TEE BALL
I'm currently at that stage of teaching my four year old how to catch and throw, while at the same time (sort of) teaching his two-year-old brother the same. There are other options in the marketplace if you are looking for a product that is softer than a tee-ball but still can be thrown and caught like a foam ball.
Soft rubber baseballs maintain their shape and perform well in dirt and moisture making them an excellent alternative to tee ball safety balls for outdoor play as well as indoors. Their durability is long-lasting, they are safe, and as limited distance baseballs they are convenient too.
Other Industry Names
To learn more, soft rubber practice baseballs can be found under searches for Airflow Training Baseball, Limited Distance Baseball, Indoor/Outdoor baseball training balls, and soft rubber training baseballs.
Helpful Resources
- Your Child and Tee-ball: What You Should Know
- Your First Tee Ball Set: The Essential Guide
- The Baseball-Softball Kinetic Chain Basics
OUR MISSION IS TO SUPPORT YOUR BASEBALL JOURNEY
The staff at Tanner Tees is always here to answer any questions you might have. Give us a call (800-230-6219) or visit our Facebook and Instagram pages to connect with other members of our community!