{"product_id":"valle-small-training-balls","title":"Valle Small 8 Inch Leather Training Balls","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eValle Small Training Balls are 8 inch leather baseballs sold by the dozen, and the point of them is the mismatch: they are undersized but still weigh the same as a regulation baseball. That combination is what makes them a training tool rather than a novelty. A smaller target punishes a lazy glove hand, and the full weight means the ball still behaves like a baseball off the bat and out of the hand.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eWhy Undersized and Full Weight Matters\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMost small training balls are also light, and light balls teach bad habits. They float, they do not carry, and a fielder learns a catch that will not hold up against a real baseball. Valle went the other way. The ball is smaller so it has to be caught in the middle of the pocket, and it is full weight so the hands, the glove and the transfer all work exactly as hard as they do in a game.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe effect on a fielder is immediate. Balls caught off centre squirt out. Lazy backhands do not close. A transfer that was passable with a regulation baseball becomes visibly slow, because the smaller ball has to be found in the pocket before it can be thrown. Players stay fundamentally sound because the ball does not let them do anything else.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eBuilt to Pair With Undersized Training Gloves\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThese are designed to be used with training gloves, and that pairing is where they earn their place. An undersized glove already removes the safety net of a deep pocket; adding an undersized ball removes the rest. The two together turn ordinary catch into a precision drill, which is the whole idea behind the \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/training-gloves\"\u003eValle training glove range\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThey are leather, not synthetic, so they hold up to being fielded off concrete, hit off a fungo and thrown into a rebounder. A dozen is the right buying unit because drills run in volume and balls get away from you.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eWho These Baseball Training Balls Are For\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eInfielders are the core audience, from about age twelve through professional. Middle infielders working double play footwork, third basemen on short hop reads, and catchers doing receiving work all benefit from a target that punishes imprecision. Coaches running station work buy them by the dozen because a station that stalls while someone chases a ball is a station that is not training anyone.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThey also work well for solo training. Thrown against a wall or a rebounder, a small ball comes back fast and demands a real catch, which is far more useful than lobbing a regulation baseball at a garage door.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eHow to Train With Small Training Balls\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eStart with plain catch at short distance, using a training glove, and do nothing but catch and transfer for a few minutes. The first session is usually humbling and that is the point. Move to short hops off a wall or a partner, where the small ball forces the hands to work out in front rather than under the body.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFrom there, run the drills you already run. Flip drills between two players, backhand and forehand reps, quick-hands transfers against a clock, and rebounder work for reaction. Coaches often finish a round by switching back to regulation baseballs and a game glove; the regulation ball looks enormous and slow, which is exactly the transfer effect you want.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDo not use them off a pitching machine at game speed. They are a hand and glove tool, not a batting practice ball, and a machine set for a regulation baseball will not feed an 8 inch ball reliably.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003ePairing Them With the Rest of a Practice\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSmall balls are most useful when the rest of the setup is honest too. Fed into the \u003ca href=\"\/products\/valle-pitchback-rebounder\"\u003eValle Pitchback Rebounder\u003c\/a\u003e, they come back fast enough to make reaction work real, and Valle deliberately built that net with tighter squares so an 8 inch ball rebounds instead of passing straight through. Hit off a \u003ca href=\"\/products\/valle-eagle-fungo-bat\"\u003eValle Eagle Fungo Bat\u003c\/a\u003e they produce short, awkward hops that a fungoed regulation baseball will not.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe combination most programmes end up with is a training glove, a dozen small balls and a rebounder in a corner of the field, running as an unsupervised station while the coach works elsewhere. It is a cheap station and it trains the two things fielders actually lose games on, the catch and the transfer.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eCaring for Leather Training Balls\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTreat them like any leather baseball. Keep them out of standing water and let them dry at room temperature if they get wet, rather than near a heater. Store them in a bucket or a bag rather than loose in a car, and expect the leather to scuff and darken with use, which does not affect how they play. A dozen used properly lasts a long time because they never take a bat at full speed.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eValle Small 8 Inch Leather Training Balls Specifications\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eType: undersized leather training baseballs\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSize: 8 inch\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWeight: same as a regulation baseball\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCover: leather\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSold as: dozen pack\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eIntended use: glove work, transfers, short hops, rebounder and station drills\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePairs with: undersized training gloves and the Valle rebounder\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eWhat Is Included\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOne dozen 8 inch leather training balls. No bucket or bag is included.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eFrequently Asked Questions\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003eAre these lighter than a normal baseball?\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNo, and that is the important part. They are smaller but the same weight as a regulation baseball, so the hands and the transfer work exactly as they do with a real ball.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003eCan I hit these with a bat?\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThey are built for glove and hand work rather than batting practice. Hitting them off a tee occasionally will not destroy them, but a machine or live batting practice will, and there are cheaper balls for that.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003eDo I need a training glove to use them?\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNo, but that is where they do the most good. In a normal game glove they are still a useful precision drill; in an undersized trainer the effect is much stronger.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003eWhat age should a player be?\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAround twelve and up. Younger players usually get more out of a regulation baseball and simple volume; the small ball is for a player who already catches well and wants to catch better.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003eAre they good for catchers?\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYes. Receiving work with a smaller ball sharpens the glove hand quickly, and it pairs naturally with the \u003ca href=\"\/products\/valle-eagle-t25-catchers-training-mitt\"\u003eEagle T25 catchers training mitt\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Valle","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51670970302779,"sku":"V01-STRAINBALLS","price":89.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0957\/4658\/8987\/files\/valle-small-training-balls-front.jpg?v=1788982364","url":"https:\/\/www.hittingstore.com\/products\/valle-small-training-balls","provider":"HittingStore","version":"1.0","type":"link"}