The ideal length of a batting cage will equal or exceed the distance measured from the pitchers mound to home plate. The best results for practice hitting can be obtained by using the same pitching distance in practice as used in the game. Frequently shorter distances are used for batting practice; shorter pitching distances work well also. A shorter pitching distance will force a faster reaction time from the practice hitter. When using a decreased distance during batting practice the pitched ball appears to travel at higher speed due to the decreased reaction time.

The pitching distances shown below can be used as a guide to help determine an ideal pitching distance along with an appropriate batting cage size. Pitching distances shown below are measured from the front of the pitchers plate to the rear of the home plate.

Baseball

Softball