I have now used the Louisville Slugger Black Flame Pitching Machine for an entire year of baseball, two seasons. One for the fall league and one for spring for Little League Baseball – Rookie and Minor B Division; ages 6-8 years old.
In total, I’ve used the Louisville Slugger Black Flame Pitching Machine for at least 50 games, dozens of practices, and freely at home or at the park with kids many times.
In my opinion and review, Louisville Slugger Black Flame Pitching Machine is a must purchase.
Contents
Why you should purchase
What I like most about the Louisville Slugger Black Flame Pitching Machine is how simple it is to use and the pitching consistency.
Rather than coaches or kids pitching, the Louisville Slugger Black Flame Pitching Machine is extremely accurate, consistent, and has multiple speeds and lofts to give your kid the perfect pitch.
I highly recommend for any youth baseball player aged 5-8 who has played T-Ball already.
Speed and Accuracy
The Louisville Slugger Black Flame Pitching Machine has speeds ranging from 20mpg to 48mph for baseballs and 20mph to 44mph for softballs. I have only used it for baseball and can say that it’s very impressive and worth the money.
Louisville Slugger Black Flame Pitching Machine is perfect for youth baseball players just after T-ball when they are learning to hit live pitching. Being that it’s so accurate, your young baseball players can feel confident batting and actually being able to practice consistent swings rather than waiting for the perfect pitch.
Because of the Louisville Slugger Black Flame Pitching Machines accuracy, it’s also very helpful for kids who are afraid of being hit by a pitch because the chances of being hit are very low compared to a coach or kid pitching.
Settings
The Louisville Slugger Black Flame Pitching Machine has multiple ways to set it. It can be set at various speeds and lofts with pitches but can also be used to throw fly balls and ground balls.
This is perfect for coaches who want consistent height and speed of both flyballs and ground balls, because it’s so accurate.
When I used it as a pitching machine, it was nice to start the speed slow with slight loft right down the middle so the youth baseball players can ease into seeing live pitching while practicing their swing.
As the season goes on and depending on the hitter, I’ve increased the speed slightly and lowered the loft for a more straight pitch. It’s that easy.
Stability
It also has spikes connected to the bottom so you can really dig the machine into the ground so it stays put and stable.
The Louisville Slugger Black Flame Pitching Machine also has a micro adjustment where the ball rests against in case you have the right speed, height, and loft but the pitch is still just slightly off.
It has so many adjustments the tinker with and figure out what’s best for your situation.
It’s essentially a catapult type machine where the person operating only has to set the ball in the slot, put your foot down on the bottom pedal to hold the ball and arm in, the pull down the arm lever to launch the ball.
Black Flame vs Blue Flame Pitching Machine
There is a very similar Pitching Machine by the same brand, the Louisville Slugger Blue Flame Pitching Machine
. It is also very good for the same reasons and almost the exact same pitching machine. The only difference really is the Blue Flame’s max speed is 45mph whereas the Black Flame is 48mph and the cost of the Blue Flame is slightly less.
The Blue Flame is made for the slightly younger group of youth baseball players as it’s also made to handle softer baseballs as well. Think of the Blue Flame as the one you’d use directly after T-Ball because of slower speed and softer baseballs.
Then work up to the Black Flame. In my experience, I’ve only used the Black Flame and it’s been perfectly fine for ages 5-8 who just played T-Ball or no baseball at all.
Is it easy to operate?
Yes, that is the best part about this pitching machine, it’s so easy to use!
- Put the Baseball on the arm, up against the screw with a coil. Inside: Setup the ball the same every time, preferably a 4-seam fastball
- Use on hand and place on the handle ball on the pole that is vertical to you
- Place foot onto the power pedal at the bottom and step down
- Pull back the lever where you already placed your hand, then release it.
Additional tips:
- Raise your free hand up (the one not pulling the lever) and then down when you release the pitch. Or count to 3 before releasing the pitch and release on 3. This helps the hitter time the ball better.
- Make sure you use the spikes to keep the machine stable, and bring a hammer to hammer them down if necessary.
- Start all settings at 3 adjust the settings from there.
- Place the back of the pitching machine in line with the mound’s rubber. This is the most realistic distance from where a pitcher would release the ball.
Top 5 Likes
- Accuracy
- Consistency
- Various Speed and Height options
- Saves coaches arm and bat
- No electricity or batteries needed