When you already train with a tennis or pickleball coach at least once a week, but you want to practice more, improve your games, fitness and competition ranking, a ball machine could be the solution.
Your coach may have even suggested buying a ball machine so you can continue to practice certain shots and techniques on the days when you don't have coaching.
Your coach may say you need to improve your fitness and muscle memory, practice those back hand slices until you can do it in your sleep. A ball machine is made for that exact purpose - repetition is key!
Sometimes you just want to have a hit but it's hard to find a training partner that's of a similar level to you, that is also available at the same time as you.
A ball machine can help you will all of the above and more. Here are some of the benefits of using a ball machine:
- Practice whenever you want without the need for a coach or training partner
- Allows coaching from your end of the court whilst the ball machine feeds balls
- Improve fitness & footwork
- Full control of ball speed, direction, spin, height and feed rate
- Focus on form and technique with repetitive and consistent ball feed
Train more and to your schedule
With a ball machine you can practice the shots you've been working on with your coach without additional coaching sessions.
Scheduling a practice session with a hitting partner can be difficult, but with a ball machine you can practice when it suits you. You are free to train whenever you want, and practice the shots you want.
Coaching from your end of the court
Traditionally your coach will stand at the other end of the court and feed you balls to hit, but with a ball machine feeding you balls your coach will be able to stand beside you.
This close contact coaching makes it very easy for the coach to demonstrate a technique or footwork, or correct any errors.
Improve your fitness
Your fitness will increase with longer playing sessions. A large ball hopper capacity means a round with a tennis ball machine is going to last you a lot longer than the average rally.
A fully charged ball machine will serve about 1000 balls over a 2-3 hour session. The ball hopper holds about 120 tennis balls or 85 pickleballs, and at one ball every 2 seconds it will take you 4 minutes to return 120 balls. That's a lot longer than a typical rally for a typical player.
Full control of ball delivery
Hitting over 100 balls in 4 minutes is going to be a good work out for even the best players, but couple this with the ability to add horizontal and vertical oscillation, then increase the feed rate to a match play level and you’ll be feeling the burn!
The best ball machines allow the player to select the delivery speed, spin and height of every shot. They should also have adjustable feed rates to speed up or slow the time between balls to suit the players skill and fitness level.
Focus on form and technique
A ball machine will allow you to focus on your form and technique as you practice the same shot again and again. A hopper full of balls lets you repeat the same shot over allowing you to tweak your form and technique until you have perfected it.
A ball machine can either repeat the same shot consistently giving you the opportunity to focus on your form and technique, or for a match play scenario it can deliver shots randomly across the width of the court at random heights.
Spinshot ball machines - the perfect training partner
So if you are wanting to improve your fitness, play more tennis or pickleball without the limitations of finding a hitting partner, then a Spinshot ball machine is the perfect training partner for you.
