Things To Do in Westwood

JCM Baseball Academy fosters the game's future stars under the guidance of owner Justin McKay—an assistant coach at Fairleigh Dickinson University who, in 2012, played a major role in leading the team to its best record since 1994. McKay has recruited a staff of fellow Division I–level coaches and players that, together, run numerous programs and camps throughout the year. The JCM's junior- and high-school camps, for instance, focus on the skills and mechanics required to play each position on the field, and also emphasize the importance of remembering to enjoy the game. The camps unfold at FDU's Naimoli Family Baseball Complex, which features state-of-the-art turf to prevent injuries and rival players from planting poison ivy around second base.

The mirth-mages at The Sports Place blend mini golf, batting cages, basketball courts, inflatable playgrounds, and frozen treats into an eldritch brew of family-friendly fun. The GloPutt mini-golf course comes packed with motorized obstacles designed to light up the faces and giggleplexes of any child. Tiny Ted Williamses can test their mettle in one of 17 hardball and softball batting cages, while dribbling kings can preside over two full basketball courts. With no limit on the number of players, the entire family can partake in games of P.I.G., H.O.R.S.E., or B.L.U.E.-F.O.O.T.E.D. B.O.O.B.Y. Meanwhile, the inflatable playground, open Tuesday through Sunday, provides amateur acrobats with space to flip and tumble, dive down mega-slides, and scale slumbering dragons.

Home to the state's largest freestanding bouldering island, New Jersey Rock Gym houses 12,000 square feet of vertical terrain to climb as well as 41 top roping stations. Armed with either day passes or membership, guests scamper up the gym's synthetic summits, hoping to ask questions of the learned ceiling light sequestered at the top of the mountain. While gear is included with some membership options, guests can opt to bring their own materials or rent the individual shoes ($5), harnesses ($4), or chalk bags ($2) they need from the pro shop. New Jersey Rock Gym offers a collection of educational course work in the vertical arts, teaching belay technique to beginners or advanced skills to adults. Children can also take advantage of youth climbing programs, mini camps, and birthday parties before retiring to private refreshment chambers to absorb bottles of electrolyte-infused refreshment. The nearby pro shop outfits climbers with name-brand gear for purchase, while a WiFi lounge transmits terabytes of data into nearby electronic devices or unsecured cyborg brains.

Located inside the Poughkeepsie Galleria, Vendetta Paintball and Laser Combat challenges players to technologically advanced games of laser tag and paintball on a 22,000-square-foot indoor field. Designed to mimic live-action games of Call of Duty or Halo, Battlefield Live laser tag manufactures adrenaline with real-time hit feedback, realistic special effects, and equipment that can simulate 69 different weapons, ranging from AK-47s to banana-cream pies. The facility’s professional-grade indoor PSP paintball field lets gamers improve their hand-eye coordination while simultaneously turning rivals into walking tie-dyed targets.

Opened in 1998, Floyd Hall Arena welcomes skaters of all sizes to practice their axels and slap shots on two NHL-sized ice rinks. In addition to youth hockey and Learn to Skate programs with professional instructors, the rink hosts public skating sessions each week so that casual skaters can loop the rink as their leisure and more advanced skaters can test out prototypes of hand skates. Patrons can take a look at upcoming public skating times by checking the monthly event schedule, found here.

Uptown Sports Complex has received mentions in Sports Illustrated and from LIVESTRONG, and it was voted Best of NY by CBS for children's theater classes:

The player toes the baseline, bounces the tennis ball a few times per ritual, and then tosses it skyward for the first serve. The ball is hit a touch too firmly, and it sails past the service area for a fault. No matter, you get two faults in tennis. The second serve takes some oomph off the stroke while imparting spin, hoping to keep it safely in-bounds. Instead, the ball is lands wide of the sideline for fault number two.

It's common situations like these that certified tennis instructor Peter Ohanyan believes separate an average player from confident players whose skills are refined. Recognizing the need to combat mental obstacles and boost confidence, particularly with beginners, Peter applies all the knowledge learned from playing singles at the NCAA level, coaching a high school team, and earning degrees in psychology and physical education. He takes a positive, reinforcing approach to teaching the game, and employs a wide range of equipment—such as agility ladders, cones, and hurdles—to help his students sharpen technical skills.