Finding a good place to throw PlyoCare balls is critical to a productive training session. There are many ways to get your work in, but we'll take you through some options for where to throw PlyoCare balls.
Naturally Existing PlyoCare Walls
The easiest way to get work in is to just find a smooth concrete wall or net. The good news is that these exist in abundance in and around baseball fields.
Some good options include:
Some bad options that will almost surely puncture balls over time include:
Building Driveline's PlyoCare Wall
Driveline's own PlyoCare wall has evolved. It is currently about 12 feet high and 40 feet long. How did we erect the Great Wall of Driveline?
The basic design is an outer wooden frame, supported internally by vertical studs with a plywood face with horse-stall mats bolted on.
Specifically, the wall is built with 12x12 square pieces that are screwed them together to create the larger structure. We used 2x10x12 as the vertical boards within wall for reinforcement. For sounds deadening (we have neighbors), we used regular wall insulation and covered the back of the wall with sound board. The face of the wall is 1 1/8" plywood and 3/4" horse stall mats. Additionally, you will need a lot of 3" screws and washers.
Will also need to anchor the wall to the ground for safety, we used a concrete drill and lag bolts to secure the wall to the ground with multiple angled 2x6 pieces coming out of the back to secure it.
PlyoCare Walls in the Wild
We aren't necessarily the experts at building these. There are plenty of great examples of PlyoCare walls away from the Driveline facility. Some are fancy. Some are...not as fancy.
But they get the job done.
College PlyoCare Walls
Photo: Travis Hergert, NIACC
Photo: Anderson University
LaSalle University, Photo: Michael McCarry
University of Washington, photo courtesy Josh Fitch
Wake Forest, photo beautification Prisma
North Carolina State
Vanderbilt
Individual PlyoCare Walls
Image: Drew Storen
Image: Taylor Lehman
Image: Angus Adams
Image: Blake Bowers
Image: Logan Zavada