Atec Casey PRO 3G User manual

Athletic Training Equipment Co.
BASEBALL & SOFTBALL PITCHING MACHINE
TRAINING AND OPERATION MANUAL
Official Training Equipment
of Major League Baseball®

1
General Use . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Operating Instructions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Jim Lefebvre’s Training Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Warranty & Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Read this manual completely before using your CASEY PRO 3G®
pitching machine.
WARNING
Never put any part of your body or any object on or near the throwing wheels.
Doing so could cause severe injury!
CAUTION
Children must use the Casey Pro 3G®with adult supervision ONLY.
• Alwaysuseagrounded110Voltelectricoutlet(220VforInternational).
Upto100feet,thesizecordtouseisa#16/3.From100to200feet,usea
#14/3cord.Over200feet,useatleasta#12/3extensioncordorconsulta
local electrician
• WhenusingtheCaseyPro3Gforpitching,useaProtectiveScreentoshield
theoperatorandmachine.Avarietyofqualityscreensareavailable
fromATEC.
• NeverstepinfrontoforallowotherstostepinfrontoftheCaseyPro3G
while the throwing wheels are turning.
• Battersshouldalwaysuseaprotectivehelmetwithfaceguard.
• NeverusetheCaseyPro3Gnearwaterorwithdamporwetballs.
• AlwaysturntheCaseyPro3Goffwhennotinuse.
• AlwaysTEST-PITCHyourmachinebeforeahitterstepsintothebatter’sbox
to assure proper alignment and the safe delivery of a pitch.
• Thismachineisnotintendedforcommercialuse.Commercialusewithout
thepriorwrittenconsentofATECwillvoidyourproductwarranty.
The Casey Pro 3G features the new micro adjustment features. Operation
requiresdiligentcareanduse:
• Alwaystestpitchthemachinewithoutabattertoassuretheproperstrike
 zonehasbeenachieved.
• Aftereachadjustmentretestpitchwithoutbattertoensurelocation.
• Whenusingthemicroadjustmentknob,operatorshoulduseextreme
 caution,asasmallturnoftheknobwillmovepitchlocation
• Makesurealladjustmentsaretightandsecurepriortopitching.
TABLE OF
CONTENTS
GENERAL
USE
SAVE THESE INSTRUCTIONS
CASEY PRO 3G PITCHING MACHINE
MajorLeagueBaseball®trademarksandcopyrightsareusedwiththepermissionofMajorLeagueBaseballProperties,Inc.
Copyright2007AthleticTrainingEquipmentCompany,Inc.
655SpiceIslandDrive,Sparks,Nevada89431,USA

2
TRAINING/OPERATION MANUAL
INTRODUCTION
CASEY PRO 3G
“ThirdGenerationoftheCaseyMachinethatRevolutionizedHigh
Performance Training”
ThehighlyinnovativeandrevolutionaryCaseyPro3GistheultimateBaseball
andSoftballtrainingequipmenteverproduced.Thisnewestversionofthe
highly successful Casey®series of machines introduces the highly functional
anddesirable“micro-adjustment”systemthatallowsforinstantpitchchanges
forcreatinggamelikehittingsituationsandpitchspecictraining.Thisistruly
agroundbreakingdesignwhosepatentpendingdesignallowsacoachtoquickly
andpreciselymovetheaselectedpitchupordown,orleftandrightinstantly.
The adjustment can be made in 1 to 2 seconds never causing a delay between
pitches and cannot be detected by the batter.
The“micro-adjustments”areidealforlocatinganyparticularpitchtoadesired
locationthatmaybeahittersweaknessallowingthemtorepeatedlyseethat
pitchandworkatsuccessfullyhittingitwithconsistency.Fordefensivedrillsthe
“micro-adjustments”allowtheballtobemovedfromsidetosideandforshort
anddeepeldingdrillscreatingatrulyversatiletrainingprogram.
The Casey Pro 3G includes all the great features found on the Casey line of
machinesincludingthefollowing:
• Micro-AdjustmentFeature:Adjustpitchesinspecicincrementsfor
pin-pointcontrol;AdjustLeft/Rightupto18inchesandUp/DownHeight
upto36inches.
• CenterofGravityDesignallowsforfull360°rangeheadrotationand120°
vertical pivot.
• Throwsavarietyofpitchessuchassliders,curves,screwballs,drops,risers,
knuckleballsandfastballs.
• CenteringLinesforproperalignment.
• DualConcaveWheeldesignformaximumballcontrol
• Variablespeedcontrolupto100mphforbaseballand90mphforsoftball.
• Builtintransportwheelsandquickreleaselegsforquicksetupand
easy storage.
• PrecisionAluminumcastwheelswithhavesteelandstainlesssteelwelded
constructionwithdurablepowercoatnish.
• LimitedLifetimeWarranty
• PatentPending
FOR MORE INFORMATION AND DETAILS ON THIS AND OTHER FINE ATEC
TRAINING PRODUCTS CALL OUR CUSTOMER SERVICE DEPARTMENT AT:
1-800-998-2832
Accessories
AT1020 EasyTransportMachine
and Tripod Caddy AT1060 MachineCover
AT8215 20BallBaseballFeeder AT8220 15BallSoftballFeeder
AT8847 300BallBaseballFeeder AT8848 200BallSoftballFeeder
AT2415 22BallBaseballSoftTossFeeder AT2404 16BallSoftballSoftTossFeeder
AT0441 WirelessFeederRemoteControl AT0380 TuffyDimpledBaseballs
AT0385 TuffySupersoftDimpledBaseballs AT0387 Tuffy Dimpled Softballs
AT03391 Tuffy Supersoft Dimpled Softballs

3
CASEY PRO 3G PITCHING MACHINE
ASSEMBLY & USE
YourCaseyPro3Gpitchingmachinecomespre-assembledas3
components,theThrowingHeadAssembly(1),theTripod(2)and
thelegs(3).
Remove the Tripod and the three legs from the carton. Depressing
theSpringClip(4),insertalegintotheTripod.BesuretheSpring
CliplocksintothealignmentholeontheTripod.Repeatthiswiththe
other two legs.
LoosentheLeft/RightAdjustmentLockHandle(5)andmountthe
ThrowingHeadontotheTripod.BesurethattheLockisbackedout
farenoughtoallowtheThrowingHeadtoseatitselfallthewaydown
onto the Tripod.
ELECTRICAL
TheCaseyPro3Gmachineisdesignedtooperateona110VAC
powersource(220VforInternational).Thespeedcontrolisprotected
fromoverloaddamagebyabuilt-inACsurgeprotectoranda10amp
circuitbreaker.
Voltagetendstodropoverdistanceandrunninganyequipment
onlowvoltagecanshortenmotorlife.Therefore,itisimportantto
alwaysusetheproperextensioncordwithyourmachine.
Upto100feet,thesizecordtouseisa#16/3.From100to200feet,
usea#14/3cord.Over200feet,useatleasta#12/3extensioncord
or consult a local electrician.
OPERATING
INSTRUCTIONS
 1.ThrowingHead
Assembly
2. Tripod
 3.Leg(3ea.)
4. Spring Clip
 5.Left/RightMacro
AdjustmentLock
 6.Up/DownMacro
AdjustmentLock
 7.PitchSelectionLock
8. Transport Wheels
 9.BallFeedChute
10.SpeedControls
11.Handle
12.ControlPanelHandle
13.Left/RightMicro
AdjustmentKnob
14.Up/DownMicro
AdjustmentKnob
Caution:
Never lay your machine
on its throwing wheel and
never store or transport
your machine where
temperatures may
exceed 120°F.
AlwaysuseaProtectiveScreen
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
1
FPO

4
TRAINING/OPERATION MANUAL
IfyouuseageneratorwithyourCaseyPro3Gusea1200Watt
continuousdutygeneratorwithabuilt-inAutomaticVoltage
Regulator(AVR),orboltininverter.
Alwaysbesurethegeneratorisuptofulloutputbeforeturningon
theCaseyPro3G.Also,alwaysturnyourCaseyPro3Goffbefore
shutting down the generator.
Never let the generator run out of fuel while the Casey Pro 3G is
in operation.
TheSpeedControlKnobs(10)areusedtoadjustthespeedofthe
throwing wheels independently.
ACCURACY
Manyfactorscaneffecttheaccuracyofapitch.Inadditiontothe
obviousonesofmoistureandwind,thesize,weight/balanceand
wear elements of individual balls can also affect the speed and
repeatability of a pitch.
The Casey Pro 3G pitching machine will throw both regulation balls
andATECpracticeballs,liketheTuffy®and SuperSoft®. Practice
balls are recommended for their durability and more consistent pitch
accuracy over time.
Coacheshavefoundthatseamed,leatherballswillcauseless
consistent pitch accuracy and greater wear of the throwing wheels.
TRANSPORT
ThedesignofyourCaseyPro3Gallowsforquickandeasytransport.
SimplyrotatetheThrowingHeadbacktothefullverticalpositionand
lockitinplace.Next,rotatetheheadleftorrightuntilasingleleg
extendstotherearofthemachineandlockitintoposition.Take
hold of the head and tip the machine forward onto the two
transport wheels.
Remove the two front legs by depressing the Spring Clips and
pulling. This leaves the remaining leg in the proper position to be
used as a convenient tow handle.
PITCHING MACHINE BALLS
Regulationsizepitchingmachineballsaredesignedtobeconsistent
and have better wear factors than any other type of ball when used
inpitchingmachines.ATEChasafulllineofpitchingmachineballs
tocovereveryneedforindoorandoutdooruse.Formoreinformation
pleasevisitusatwww.atecsports.comorcontactyourlocalATEC
dealer.YoucanalsocontactATECat1-800-959-2832.
REGULATION “LEATHER” BALLS
Regulation leather balls can be used in pitching machines however
they will not pitch as consistent as a pitching machine ball and they
have a shorter lifespan. In addition they tend to transfer material
tothewheel(s)orthrowingpads.Thismaterialtransfermaycause
abuilduptodeveloponthethrowingsurfaces.Materialbuildup,if
leftun-checkedcanaffectperformanceofthepitchingmachinebut
canbecontrolledbyremovingitwith#60sandpaperoremerycloth.
This should be done on an “as needed” basis at the time the material
buildup is detected.
A variety of Ball Feeders
are available for your
Casey Pro 3G
Pitching Machine.
OPERATING
INSTRUCTIONS

5
CASEY PRO 3G PITCHING MACHINE
DO NOT USE SYNTHETIC COVERED BALLS
(Eveniftheyareregulation)
Synthetic covered balls were not designed to be used in pitching
machines and may leave a massive amount of buildup on the throwing
surfacesofthemachine,effectingpitchingmachineperformance.
Whenusingregulationballs,useonlyleatherones.
BALL CONSISTENCY
Inordertoassureaccuracy,theballsbeingusedshouldbeofthe
sametype,wearandmanufacturer.Apitchingmachinewillonlybeas
consistentastheballsbeingused:
• Nevermixworn“old”ballswithnewballs
• Donotmixdifferentbrandsofballs
• Donotmixdifferenttypesofballs
• Whenusingaseamedball,feedtheballintothemachinewith
the seams in the same general position each time.
• Wetordampballstendtosliponthethrowingsurfaces.Towel
dry any balls that have moisture on them before using in a
pitching machine.
• Extremecoldcancauseballstobecomeharderthennormal.
 Thiscouldcausetheballstopitchslowerand/orinconsistently.
SPEED
TheCaseyPro3Gisbestusedatapitchdistanceof50to60feet.
Allmotorsrequireaminimumrecoverytimeafter‘loadingup.’The
optimumperiodbetweenpitchesfortheCaseyPro3Gis6seconds.
OPERATING
INSTRUCTIONS
CASEY PRO 3G SPEED SETTINGS
Baseball Softball
#1 Dial #2 Dial MPH #1 Dial #2 Dial MPH
2 4 35 2 4 30
35 40 3532
36 45 36 35
4648 4 6 40
47 55 47 45
5 7 60 5 7 50
5868 5 857
6872 6 862
6 9 78 6 9 68
7 9 80 7 9 70
7 10 85 7 10 72
810 90 810 75
9 10 94 9 10 80
10 10 100 10 10 85

6
TRAINING/OPERATION MANUAL
SET-UP FOR PITCHING
Nevermakeanyadjustmentstothespeedortrajectoryofthepitchwhilea
batter is at the plate or when anyone is in front of your pitching machine.
WARNING Never put any part of your body or any object on or near
the throwing wheels. Doing so could cause severe injury!
 CAUTION Children should always use the Casey Pro 3G with adult
supervision ONLY.
 CAUTION Always test-pitch your machine before a hitter steps into the
batter’s box to assure proper alignment and the safe delivery of a pitch.
PlaceyourCaseyPro3Gatthedesiredpitchdistance(ideally,50to60ft.)and
set up your Protective Screen.
PositiontheTripodsothatasinglelegistotherear(towardscentereld)and
align the front of the machine with home plate.
SelectthedesiredThrowingHeadpositionandmotorspeedsfromthe
‘Speed/PitchSettings’labellocatedonthetopmotor.Adjust,thensecurethe
throwing head accordingly.
ItisagoodideawhenrstusingyourCaseyPro3Gtotakeafewminutesand
experimentwiththevariedspeedsettingsandheadpositions.
Makesuretheareainfrontofyourmachineisclearandsafe.Whenitissafe
andyouareready,releaseaballintotheBallFeedChute(9).
SETTING PITCH TYPE AND SPEED
 •Usingthe‘Speed/PitchSettings’labellocatedontopmotor,setThrowing
  HeadpositionwithPitchSelectionLock(7)andselectmotorspeeds.
 •FirmlytightenPitchSelectionLock(7).
 •Makesureareainfrontofmachineisclearandsafe.
 • TestpitchwithoutbatterbyreleasingballintoBallFeedChute(9).
SETTING PITCH LOCATION
Left/Right Adjustment
 •ChecktomakesureMicroAdjustmentLinesarecenteredusingtheMicro
  AdjustmentKnob(13)
 •LoosenMacroAdjustmentHandle(5)andsetmachinetodesired
  pitchingzoneandthenrmlytightenMacroHandle(5)
 •Testpitchwithoutbatter
 •Tonetunepitchinglocationrightandleft,use
  MicroAdjustmentKnob(13)
 •TurnCLOCKWISEtomovepitchRIGHTandCOUNTERCLOCKWISEto
  movepitchLEFT.Donotovertightenthemicroadjustment
 •Aftereachadjustment,retestpitchwithoutbattertoensurelocation
Up/Down Adjustment
 •ChecktomakesureMicroAdjustmentLinesarecenteredusingMicro
  AdjustmentKnob(14)
 •LoosenMacroAdjustmentHandle(6)andsetmachinetodesired
  pitchingzoneandthenrmlytightenMacroHandle
 •Testpitchwithoutbatter
 •Tonetunepitchinglocationrightandleft,use
  MicroAdjustmentKnob(14)
 •TurnCLOCKWISEtomovepitchUPandCOUNTERCLOCKWISEto
move pitch DOWN. Do not overtighten the micro adjustment
 •Aftereachadjustment,retestpitchwithoutbattertoensurelocation
LeftHandCurve
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OPERATING
INSTRUCTIONS
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Micro Macro

7
CASEY PRO 3G PITCHING MACHINE
USING MICRO ADJUSTMENT FEATURE
Thedifferencebetweenstrike3andball4canbethedifferencebetween
winningandlosing.TheMicroAdjustmentFeatureallowstheuserto
accuratelymovetheballtotheexactlocationduringtraining.Workonthe
insideandoutsideofthestrikezonebyeasilyadjustingtheLeft/RightMicro
AdjustmentKnob.WorkthetopandbottomofthestrikezoneusingtheUp/
DownMicroAdjustmentKnob.Orusethemtogethertogoupandinside
ordownandout.TurningtheMicroAdjustmentKnobonequarterofaturn
movestheballapproximately2”.
 •MicroAdjustmentRange
  Left/Right–9”leftorrightofcenter
  Up/Down–18”upordownfromcenter
 NOTEIftheMicroAdjustmentKnobsarenotcenteredbeforeuse,
adjustment in each direction will vary.
You’re ready for batting practice!
Whenyoupreparetodeliverapitch,alwaysraiseyourarmandshowthe
balltothebatterbeforeeverypitch.Thiswillsignalhim,andothersthat
you are about to throw.
The batter is also able to see your arm fall as you deliver the ball to the
machine. This simulates live game action and will help the batter to develop
his timing.
The ease of adjustment and pitch repeatability with the Casey Pro 3G allows
acoachtoworkonthespecicweaknessesofahitter.Forinstance,ifa
playerhastroublewithpitcheshighinthestrikezoneacoachcanwork
thatzoneoverandover.Remember,redundancyiskeytolearninganything.
Toteachaplayertoplace-hit,tryusingcoloredballs.Choosefourcolors;
whiteforlefteld,blueforcenter,redforrightandyellowforbunt.
Withseveralofeachcolor,mixupyourdelivery.Thisforcesthehitterto
focusontheballandreactoninstinct.Whenheseesredaright-handed
hittermustwaitontheballand‘push’ittorighteld,whitehemust‘pull’
to left and so on.
Notonlydoesitteachbatcontrol,butitforcesthehittertostayback,
makedecisionsandreactafterthepitchisreleased.Whatagreatdrillfor
perfecting timing!
SET-UP FOR FIELDING DRILLS
Set-uptheCaseyPro3Gnearhomeplate.Theroutine you want to run will
determinethebestpositionontheeldforyourmachine.
Forinelddrillsthebestmachinesettingisadroppitchataspeed
appropriateforthelevelofplay.Flyballandlinedrivedrillswilluseahigh
speedsettinginthefast-ballposition.
LoosentheLeft/RightAdjustortoallowfreerotationoftheThrowingHead.
BackoffontheElevationAdjustmentLocktoallowfulldepressionand
elevationoftheThrowingHead.
Takeholdofthebuilt-inHandles(11)ontheupperframeandtheControl
Panel(12)toquicklyandeasilychangethepositionoftheThrowingHead.
Inthismanneryoucaneffectivelyrunfungo,linedrive,hotgrounder,
doubleplayandpop-updrillstoanypositionontheeld.
OPERATING
INSTRUCTIONS

8
TRAINING/OPERATION MANUAL
Closing the Loop
“Agoodathletictraining
programrequiresan
objective,properequipment
and a routine. The best
coaching tip I can give you
istobeorganizedand
beequipped.”
Jim Lefebvre
MajorLeaguePlayer,
Coach&Manager
“Congratulations in
choosing the Casey Pro
3G,theofcialPitching
MachineofMajor
LeagueBaseball®.”
Foramanwhohascoachedandmanagedsomeofthehighest
proleplayersinthegametoday–marqueenameslikeKenGriffey
Jr.,MarkGrace,JoseConseco,MattWilliamsandSammySosa–Jim
Lefebvregetsmostanimatedwhenhetalksaboutbaseballwhile
sittinginhisownbackyard.
“Thisiswhereitallstarts,”Lefebvresays.“Allgreatballplayers
startedinthebackyardwiththeirfather,ormaybeabrother
or neighbor.”
Itisthisbackyardvenueandtheneighborhoodparksthatwill
producethehighprolehittersandthedefensivestandoutsof
tomorrow.Anditisthosesamefathersandbrothers,momsand
neighborswhowillhelpthesewould-beMajorLeaguersrealize
their dreams.
“TheCaseyPro3Gisthemostexcitingpieceoftrainingequipmentto
comealonginyearsfordevelopingthereexskillsofaballplayer.”
The‘PRO’issoversatileinitsapplicationfordrillsthatitislike
havinganextracoachontheeld.
“Over time and using the many advance training technologies
available,therehasdevelopedasystematicmethodofteaching
thefundamentalprinciplesofhittingandelding.”However,those
fundamentalsremainthesametodayaswhenthe‘Babe’strodeto
the plate!”
This manual offers these fundamental principles in a way that allows
anyone,afather,amother,abrotherorneighbortocoachanathlete
tobecomeahighprolehitterandagreatdefensiveperformer.But,
insteadofdrymechanicsandcomplicatedtheories,youwilllearnthe
brilliance of simplicity!
Here’showeasyitis.
“Sustained,optimumperformanceisthegoalofanytraining
program.Andaplayer’spersonalgoalshouldbetocontinually
elevate his level of performance.”
There are four levels of performance and using hitting as an
example,hereishowtheywork.
Theinitiallevelisthemomentitself,whenyouradrenalinesurges,
igniting your Swing Thought. This is called the Broad Level
of performance.
Thenextlevel,theBroad Internal,occurswhenyoubeginprocessing
the mechanical or technical aspects of your swing. You actually
visualizewhatyouwilldototheball.
JIM LEFEBVRE’S
TRAINING
PROGRAM

9
CASEY PRO 3G PITCHING MACHINE
AsyoureachtheNarrow Internalstage,thatemotionthatcomeswith
visualizingtheperfectswing,contactwiththeballandtheroarofthe
crowdtakesoverandboostsyoutothefourthandnallevel.
Now you are Narrowinyourfocusandmusclememorytakesover.All
thatisleftisforyoutoreadtheball.Everythingelseisonautopilot!
Understandingthissimpletransitioncanhelpyou(dad,mom,siblingor
friend)tobeaseffectiveacoachasaPro.
“Agoodathletictrainingprogramrequiresanobjective,proper
equipment and a routine. The best coaching tip I can give you is to be
organizedandbeequipped”,saysLefebvre.
“Your objective as a coach should always be to bring out the best
performance of which a player is capable.”
Andjustasagoodmechanicwouldn’tdreamofstartingajobonyour
carwithouttherighttools,you’vetakentherststeptowardsgood
coachingwithyourpurchaseoftheCASEYPRO3G®fromtheAthletic
TrainingEquipmentCompany.
CLOSING THE LOOP
“MytrainingconceptiscalledClosing the Loop. This represents the
routine,ortrainingregimenpartoftheprogram.”
“The‘Loop’expressesthetrainingcycleitself.Itwilltaketheathlete
fullcirclethroughthephysical,technicalandmentalattributesofa
highproleperformer.
Thisredundancydevelopsmusclememory.Fundamentalswillbecome
purereex,unconsciousandwithoutthought.”
Preparation for Closing the Loopisbrokenintothreedistinctdisciplines.
AnathleteshouldalwaysWarm-up, Form-up and Time-up.
Timinggetsrenedineverypracticesession.However,unlessan
athletehastakenthetimetowarm-upandform-uprst,thatpractice
time is often unproductive.
Consideritthisway.Hittingstatisticsprovethatinaregularnine-inning
gametheaverageplayerwillget6minutesinthebatter’sbox,or90
secondsperat-bat.NINETYSECONDS!That’stheonlychancehegets
tomakeapositiveoffensiveimpactonthegame.
Tocreatesuccessoutofasingleplateappearancerequiresyearsof
practice.Withthemostactivemajorleagueplayergettingonly20-25
swingsperdayinthebattingcagehemustmakesurehegetsthevery
mostoutofthattime.Asyourson’sordaughter’scoach,that’syourjob!
JIM LEFEBVRE’S
TRAINING
PROGRAM