Designating a Space

• There are endless options as to where you can build your batting cage, whether it be indoor, outdoor, permanent or portable. Deciding where the best space is and clearing that space can be half the battle. Indoor batting cages may be more suitable to your needs if you live in an ever-changing climate, for example, and a portable batting cage may be more practical if you have limited space. Also, make sure you've decided what kind of equipment you'll be using within the batting cage, such as a ball machine, as this will determine what kind of netting and materials will be used, as well as how big the cage will need to be.
  
  

Preparation

• Before you begin building, understand and familiarize yourself with the structure of a batting cage and its main components. A batting cage is basically made up of netting and a frame. If you're building your cage indoors, you're better off using nylon material for the netting and plastic tubing. Outdoor cages need to be built with more durable materials such as aluminum tubing and weather resistant coating. Decide on what kind of flooring you'll want to install before building, such as packed dirt, concrete, or polypropylene.
  
  If you'd rather have a more tutorial, step-by-step guide as you go along, many dealers and sport shops have kits that sell all the needed components. There are numerous choices, especially for portable ones, so have no fear if you're on a budget, or even intimidated by its potential complexities. A couple recommended companies are Jugs Sports and Batting Cages Inc., whose links are listed in Resources.
  
  

Building

• When building an outdoor batting cage, first make sure you've built and secured your flooring. A dirt-packed base is an easy choice as far as installation goes, but concrete is also a good for the outdoors. Now you're ready to install the aluminum poles and insert them into the flooring. These poles will act as your frame. Install as many poles as you like, depending on how big you'd like the cage's range to be. Next, attach the netting around the frame. You may or may not need cables if you're using a kit as your guide, but if you're building from scratch, style cables or connectors will need to be installed to suspend the net. They can be found at your local hardware store. For an indoor batting cage, a similar structure can also work, though they tend to be more portable and less complicated. Indoor cages can be as simple as setting up a netted screen and a mat. Portable kit models vary.