Despite it's small stature and size, we found the ATEC hitting streak pitching machine very useful in our practice. The machine's foam balls were easy to use and while didn't really give the same feel as hitting a baseball, they did make it necessary for a hitter to hit the ball with proper mechanics in order to make the ball go anywhere.

We began practice by using the machine to help with catching fly balls. Players were able to start at different places on the field and have to catch line drives on the run. It would have been nearly impossible to hit line drives with the bat as consistently as the Hitting Streak was able to toss them.

Next we set the machine up for batting practice. The machine can throw around 65 mph so it's very useful when teaching younger players. I did notice however that as you sped up the speed of the pitches the ball tended to rise a bit more than a normal pitch would and this caused some difficulty for hitters.

Besides the ease of the machine to set up, another valuable feature for youth coaches is the ability of the machine to throw curveballs. Once again the consistence of the pitches during batting practice would have been impossible, no it is impossible to duplicate with a live pitcher.

The machine required a 110V power source, but a battery powered model is available if a source is not near the practice field.

Overall the machine's cost and variety of uses makes it a very valuable training tool for youth baseball coaches. We here at E-Train Sports highly recommend it for your team.