FUNGOMAN JOURNAL

There's a long going conversation about the benefits of live arm vs. pitching machine batting practice. In a nutshell, here's how the debate sounds: The problem with pitching machine batting practice: the machine looks different than a pitcher, lacking the rhythm and timing you see with a live arm. The benefits of using a pitching machine are its consistency of pitches and unlimited energy. The problem with live arm batting practice: inconsistency of pitches and limited energy of pitcher(s). The benefit of having a live arm batting practice is that the hitter can practice rhythm and timing, unlike a standard pitching machine.

"It doesn't look the same as a ball coming off a bat." "I'm an old-school coach; that machine doesn't follow the traditions of baseball." "That thing is out to take my job." These are things we hear from well-meaning, baseball-loving coaches quite frequently. Today, we'd like to address some of these statements and debunk a few of the misconceptions about FungoMan, what we are about, and why we believe FungoMan is a tool for the coach, not his replacement. A carpenter doesn't use a circular saw for detail carpentry work when he needs a chisel. Similarly, FungoMan can not and should not replace the fungo. The fungo bat and Fungoman can coexist and compliment one another on the coach's tool belt for the work to be done to better the players. We've asked one of our customers at Old Dominion University Baseball (D1), to share how and why they use their machines the way they do.