The intent for the Pitchers’ Plank® is to be an off-season, indoor, training device that can be quasi-permanently set up or transported to an available local practice space with ease. In either case, proper care in handling and storage, as well as maintenance of the components, will ensure longer life and years of problem-free usage.
MAINTENANCE
1) After unpacking, use a house-hold cleaner/de-greaser to wipe down rubber planks. There may be a light film/oil that is still on the rubber planks. This is a release agent that enables the planks to be removed easily from the molds. Failure to remove this film may result in the planks sliding in an undesirable manner on certain surfaces while in use.
2) After initial removal of oily film, keep rubber planks clean with warm soapy water in order to prolong life and reduce wear & tear, allowing the user many years of efficient training of the windmill pitch.
3) Do not use spikes/cleats with the Pitchers’ Plank®. Use only flat-soled rubber gym shoes/cross-trainer shoes for training on this device for the movements of fastpitch softballs’ windmill pitch.
4) Store planks in a flat, stacked position to ensure they maintain their original shape.
5 ) Do not store any Pitchers’ Plank® components next to intense heat sources, such as baseboard heaters. Always store components in a suitable equipment carry bag, preferably, in a cool dry place.
6) A “gripper” pad (see #3 below) may be used if the surface is too rough. For example, some blacktop driveways may be coarse enough to promote accelerated flaking and degradation of the crumb rubber nubs. An inexpensive thin mesh mat may very well prolong the life of the nubs from excessive erosion.
7) Never leave Pitchers’ Plank® components exposed to prolonged periods in the sun or extreme weather conditions.
SAFETY
1) The preferred surfaces for use are flat, smooth and level. Preferred materials are blacktop, lightly textured concrete floors, indoor/outdoor carpeted concrete surfaces and turfed indoor or outdoor facilities. Outdoor use, on a local clay softball field is generally acceptable. However, care must be taken to thoroughly clean/wash the Pitchers’ Plank® components after outdoor TRAINING of the fastpitch softball windmill pitch.
2) Due to the nature of materials’ properties, the planks may slide forward (“surf”) a small amount given certain conditions. Forward momentum is the variable. Users that exceed 150 pounds could possibly see the planks slide forward a nominal 1″ after a few pitches. Given the consistency of the rubber planks, “surfing” may occur if used directly on hardwood gymnasium floors with heavy “poly” sealers, as well as the new “rubberized” gym floors. Highly polished floor tile and concrete floors, coupled with heavy waxes/sealers, as found in typical school hallways, could be problematic, also.
3) Some users may only have the ‘SMOOTH’ types of surfaces/facilities available for their use. If so, we recommend experimenting with an ultra-thin, poly, carpet underlay “gripper” mesh material, to prevent any skidding/sliding of the rubber planks. These are conveniently available at Home Depot, Lowe’s, etc.
4) Never use the Pitchers’ Plank® with standing water, juice , perspiration, or other liquids on the surface. Always keep clean and dry to eliminate slipping hazards.
5) The Pitchers’ Plank® is never to be used in the pitchers’ circle on a regulation field. However, use in the foul ball areas in front of benches or dugouts is acceptable.