If you spend a lot of time coaching or playing baseball, you’re preparing for that ultimate moment—the one when after the anthem ends and the umpire yells, “Play ball!” It’s the culmination of hours of work, and you want everything to go right, including the field conditions.
Portable game mounds can help get you there, both before and during the game. They can be used in conjunction with practice mounts for skill development, and they can take your team’s performance to another level when that first pitch is thrown.
In this blog, we’ll focus specifically on game mounds—what they are, what they’re made of, what size you need and the advantages they offer. You’ll see that they’re a great investment, especially if you buy from Victory Mounds and tap into our expertise when you start shopping.
What are Game Pitching Mounds?
When it comes to game mounds, their name describes what they’re designed for and what they do. They’re typically used for games and tournaments, so they’re built to the exacting specifications of whatever league you’re playing in.
A typical game mound is also designed for outdoor use. The basics of the design includes a tough, durable turf coating, along with a UV-resistant layer because of the amount of time they’re going to spend in the sun.
Sizing Up Portable Game Pitching Mounds
Many casual fans don’t even realize that portable game pitching mounds exist, and they certainly aren’t aware that there are different sizes.
Sizing is definitely important, though, as different leagues dictate different sizes. The biggest variable is the height, which is measured relative to the distance to home plate and the surrounding base paths.
Little League Sizing for Portable Game Pitching Mounds
There are three basic sizes for game pitching mounds—6, 8 and 10 inches. Game mounds with a height of 6inches are typically used by Little Leaguers, i.e., players who are 11 and under.
The idea behind these mounds is to provide some kind of basic slope to get pitchers used to the concept of throwing off a heightened mound.
Portable Game Mounds for Youth League
Youth league players usually graduate to 8-inch mounds. The player age for these mounds is 12-14, which is when their bodies are ready to learn the skills necessary to locate pitches and compete at a higher level.
They also allow pitchers to start doing more realistic work off the rubber, e.g., practice pitching moves, choosing different points on the rubber for their delivery, and so on.
High School, College and Upper Level Promounds
Once youth league players graduate to the upper levels, they also move up to 10-inch mounds. These mounds are used by Major League Baseball and the minor leagues as well as high schools and colleges, so it’s the final adjustment pitchers have to master as they make their way up the skills ladder.
Mastering Skills with Portable Game Pitching Mounds
It’s important to go over the process of learning skills with each game mound.
- Smaller slope for Little Leaguers: The slope of these mounds is smaller for a reason. Players under 12 typically don’t have the coordination or the skill set to handle the downward motion and extra arm strain that comes with throwing off a mound, so the idea is just to master the basic concept.
- Intermediate skills for youth league: In youth league baseball, players are bigger and stronger, so they typically want to start experimenting with different pitches, try pickoff moves, and so on. Eight-inch portable game mounds are designed to help them do this safely as they get ready to move up the competition ladder.
- Advanced skill development: Portable game mounds with a height of 10 inches allow teens to start to develop adult skill sets. These include the ability to replicate their delivery, locate, and experiment with different pitches.
Portable Game Pitching Mound Benefits
One of the most common questions about portable game mounds is simple and basic: Why do you need one?
Start with the practical considerations. At the lower levels, many fields are in rough shape, and there usually aren’t groundskeepers available to manicure them and make sure the mound is in top shape.
That means coaches and players are often forced to do DIY work when it comes to mound maintenance. It’s a tedious task that can eat up valuable practice and game time, but a portable game mound eliminates saves time by eliminating that task.
These mounds can also be invaluable in inclement weather. Let’s say there’s a downpour just before game time—maybe the field isn’t flooded, but the mound may be a mess, and a lot of games get postponed in this situation because of safety concerns.
Enter the portable game mound. They’re easy to carry on to the field and set up, and they can allow you to get games played in conditions that would otherwise be considered unplayable.
They’re also easier to maintain. The mounds on most fields have to be raked and groomed after every game, and in some cases they even have to be reconstructed entirely, then inspected and re-measured.
Portable game mounds require little or no maintenance, so they’re good for another game as soon as the last out is recorded.
There is some wear and tear over time in the landing area in front of the pitching rubber, but most manufacturers offer repair kits that make it easy to replace turf that’s been marked or torn up with new turf.
Game Pitching Mounds and Portable Indoor Pitching Mounds from Victory Mounds
While game mounds can be a tremendous asset to your program, you can get even more out of them if you combine them with indoor pitching mounds from Victory Mounds.
You can do even more skill training, and we’ve been making quality baseball equipment for years, which means you can tap into our expertise as well.
So call us. We’ll answer your questions, as a few of our own about your program and needs, then recommend a product. You’ll be happy with what you get, so go to VictoryMounds.com to learn more about our products, then call us at 800 835 9460. If you’d prefer to email, you can contact is at info@victorymounds.com.