If you’re looking for a way to give your favorite sports enthusiasts an edge to the game or games they play, a number of companies have come up with some cool gear that just might bring their game to the next level.
The baseball player who likes to pitch can crank it up with Rawlings’ speed-sensing baseball, known as the Radar Ball. The official supplier of balls to the major leagues has created a regulation size and weight ball with a microchip processor inside that registers up to 105 m.p.h. — and it’s said to be as accurate as the radar guns used by pitching coaches. After the ball is caught or hits the ground, a digital LCD recessed slightly in the surface shows how fast the ball was thrown. The microchip runs on an ordinary watch battery, and the ball itself has a full-grain leather cover.
You can get a youth model that’s preset for 46 feet, or an adult model calibrated for 60 feet, 6 inches, the same distance that Major League Baseball pitchers must throw. The price is less than $40, and you’ll find it at Sports Authority, MC Sports and Sportmart stores or through the High Street Emporium Catalogue at 800-362-5500; ask for item No. 64521G.
Want a handy tool that will help you gauge the length of your golf swing? Laser Guided Distance Finders by Bushnell tell you what the distance is to any target. For example, Bushnell’s Yardage Pro Compact 600 allows golfers to pan an area, such as the bank of a water hazard, and determine the distances to obstacles and safe areas. With that information, golfers can adjust their club selection and device a strategy to avoid traps and hazards. Prices range from $245 to $450, depending on the model, at Chicago Tennis & Golf, 1880 W. Fullerton Ave.
Golfers also can practice their swing during the winter months with the Electronic Swing Groover by Dennco Good Sports. An upside-down, L-shaped beam rests in a base that is placed on the floor. From the beam, a golf ball hangs on a heavy cord that’s attached to a ball bearing inside the beam. This allows the ball to swing in any direction it’s hit.
A small computer pad attaches to the base to measure distance and direction. Simply slide a switch on the computer pad for woods or irons and swing away. The computer display even deducts distance for balls it determines were hooked or sliced. The cost is $70 at Sports Authority.
Practice Partner is designed like the old pitch-back nets used years ago — but is much better. Netting stretched across a metal frame rests on two supporting bars. The Partner works not only as a partner with you, but also allows a second person to throw or kick a ball against the opposite side.
Use it for pitching practice, kick a soccer ball or whack a tennis ball into it, or even let it rebound a basketball as you practice free throws.
A Pro Jr. Practice Partner, 58 by 39 inches, sells for about $60 at Sports Authority stores. The larger adult version, called the Baseball Practice Partner even though it works for a variety of sports, is about $75, also at Sports Authority.
Soccer enthusiasts can work on their kicking and passing game with a SoccerPal made by Vidpro International. A small handgrip about 3 inches long has a 5-foot stretch cord attached to it. At the end of the cord is a webbed nylon sack in which to place your soccer ball. Grab hold of the handgrip, and the ball remains tethered to you as you work through any of the 50 drills offered in a booklet that comes with the Soccer Pal. It’s a nice stocking stuffer for about $8 at Sports Authority and MC Sports.
