Time to grab a baseball bat and get ready to play!
Strike Zone, a $2 million training facility offering unique sports experiences for young players and their families, is opening in
Bradenton on October 2. The business is a collaborative enterprise between Duane and Lisa Burns and baseball pro Ted Rose, who will serve as Strike Zone's head instructor.
The 16,500-foot-square building houses 9 batting cages with arm-style pitching machines; a "fun cage" containing several deflection point zones for catching practice; a parent lounge and observation deck with WiFi, flat screen TVs, golf simulators and beer and wine bar; an exercise room, video games, snack station and a pro shop.
The equipment will allow instructors to test serious young athletes and develop customized programs that will identify and address performance limitations in each player.
In addition,
Strike Zone will offer the only jump-shot trampoline basketball court in Southwest Florida.
Burns says the idea for Strike Zone grew from watching his own son train for baseball.
"Through the years I have seen kids who are serious about getting in their practice / training time, only to be rushed out the door by the family members who brought them to practice," he says. "The parents usually have other kids with them who get bored quickly or the parents themselves are counting the minutes until it is time to leave. I wanted to offer a facility that had an activity for everyone in the family, that's why we offer golf simulators, video games, trampoline basketball, fitness center, pro shop and parent lounge. When non-training family members are not in a rush to leave, it takes a lot of the pressure off the child that is serious about training and in most cases will give them extra practice time."
Writer:
Missy Kavanaugh
Source: Duane Burns, Strike Zone
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