4 Reasons to Buy a Ball Machine

Is buying a machine worth it? If trying to improve is important to you, you need one.

1) Tennis Lessons are Expensive

In one recent study, the average price of a tennis lesson conducted by the average pro, costs $75 an hour. That is per hour. Every hour.

If you play at a private club with a certified teaching professional feeding you balls and conducting drills the price can easily spiral to over $200 per hour. Of course, you can find clinics for less, but you hit fewer shots, get less practice and this might not improve your game the way you want it to.

Ball machines are a one-time investment that keep working hour after hour at no additional cost.

2) A Training Partner Can Only Hit So Many Shots

Let's say you have a tennis buddy willing to go out and hit with you so as to improve your game. Even the most understanding training partner is unlikely to be able to hit you ball after ball to drill you on fundamentals.

A ball machine can drill you endlessly on the shots that need improvement.

3) Ball Machines Develop Young Talent

Most parents with talented kids don't have the background or their own drills and can't create custom drills for their future Venus Williams or Roger Federer. But even if they have the knowledge, most parents are not likely to be able to physically conduct drill after drill no matter how dedicated they are.

Ball machines become an even better investment if you have multiple family members trying to improve their games. And once your friends find out you have a ball machine, you'll be amazed how popular you become if you are willing to loan out your machine (and why not?)

Beginners in particular, can get embarrassed as they ramp up the learning curve. While most coaches are encouraging and positive, some players prefer to practice in private so they can make as many mistakes as they want during drills without that uncomfortable feeling that comes from the normal process of improving their game.

Some parents have trouble coaching their kids and maintaining a healthy relationship at the same time. The best machine will take the emotion out of drills and kids will certainly appreciate that.

Ball machines can be programmed for everything from basic drills to the player's own drills best suited to their needs.

4) Coaches Can Use a Portable Tennis Ball Machine

Coaching means giving continuous feedback which is tough to do if you constantly have to feed players. If a coach is conducting team practice, portable tennis ball machines can conduct drills while the coach is working with a doubles team on strategy, for instance.

7 Features of the Best Tennis Ball Machines

The best ball machines like the Slinger Bag tennis machine have many features that make improving at tennis an affordable process. The tennis ball machine reviews are in, and people are raving about how easy they are to use.

1) Portable Ball Machine

If you want to make the best machine for individuals, it has to be easily transported from home to the court. These will fit in the trunk of your car and can be lifted easily.

2) Battery Operated

No need to haul extension cords and struggle to find functioning electrical power to plug into. These machines work wherever there is a tennis court worth playing on as the battery life will work for extended periods.

A more expensive machine will include features that allow you to use the machine's battery life to charge a cell phone. The battery should be easily removed. The battery recharge period should be short on more expensive machines.

3) Ball Capacity

A true player machine has a ball capacity of well over 100 balls so you can program drills to be highly effective at grooving strokes. The higher the ball capacity, the more customized drills you can do too.

A smaller ball capacity also means you will have more time picking up and less time to hit balls. A machine like this should enhance your skill level in tennis not in picking up the fuzzy, round, green things.

4) Other Storage

Quality machines are designed around the user. For instance, almost all players carry water to stay hydrated, a towel to absorb hard earned perspiration, and extra sweat bands to keep the grip dry. Something has to hold all this stuff.

Truly special machines will protect a phone and other valuables from hard hit shots. Room for an extra racquet is a real bonus.

5) Remote Control

The remote control will allow the player or coach to control the drills and the oscillation of the tennis ball shooter. To be sure, a remote is not included in every machine but it ought to be.

If you have to start the feeder while standing at the machine, it forces the player to either have to sprint to the hitting position or possibly dodge balls while on the way to that position. The remote control is a highly useful item in properly preparing for the start of a drill.

6) More Advanced Machines Control Panel can Adjust Feed Rate and Other Features

The feed rate is the frequency that shots come out of the machine. The ability to shoot balls with different frequency is important for drills where the player is on the move at high speed hitting a variety of shots.

Speed and Height

Most ball machines control the speed of the shots being fed to the player as well as the elevation. For instance, if a player is working on top spin, it is important to work on hitting spin on shots that are low and those that are high.

A well-designed control panel gives easy access to all these adjustments. Advanced players should have a tennis game that can hit a variety of spin shots and a great machine helps them develop those strokes.

During a real match the ability to adjust your own spin to deal with an opponent's spin will win points. And that is what this is all about.

Horizontal Oscillation Develops Player Speed

Players of all abilities need practice moving back and forth across the court hitting shots on the run. Programmed drills using horizontal oscillation work on a player's quickness, speed and conditioning.

Some machines, like those in the commercial segment, have a few features not found elsewhere. For instance, advanced features like vertical oscillation and random horizontal movement that you can adjust are possible in the highest end, most exotic machines.

7) Camera Mount

Filming a training session is a fast way to detect strengths and weaknesses. Enthusiastically embraced in some sports like golf, tennis has not embraced filming as quickly as others.

On a quality tennis ball machine like the Slinger Bag, you may find a mount to firmly hold a cell phone. This technology can then be used to film shots or to play music via wi-fi.

The ability to play this back privately or with a teaching pro can diagnose areas for improvement.

Does the Best Tennis Ball Machine have an Affordable Price?

Absolutely yes! When you stop to consider the amount of money it costs for lessons, a machine is a very cost-effective investment at a very affordable price.

Commercial machines can cost thousands of dollars so if you can find a quality machine like Slinger for under $1000, you really are getting a tremendous value.

Tennisracquets.com has everything you need to improve your game. Look to us for a huge selection of racquets, accessories, shoes and apparel.

If you have questions, please feel free to call us. We have an excellent team of friendly tennis experts here to help with questions big and small. Be sure to check out our outstanding Learning Center for helpful and informative articles.