Do tennis pros use ball machines? Read on to find out.
Do tennis ball machines enhance trainee skills and confidence, since tennis ball machines are often viewed as only for beginners or intermediates?
Tennis pros don’t use ball machines because it makes trainees miss out or lack the exact playing styles.
Tennis pros view ball machines as a loss revenue. Likewise, the tennis teaching clubs see ball machines as a liability when it comes to maintenance.
In this article, you’ll learn everything about tennis ball machines as regards to tennis pros.
How Does Ball Machine Affect Teaching Tennis?
The tennis ball machine does affect tennis pros in different ways.
It makes trainees lack the styles or tactics of playing tennis. Most of the trainees that are trained with a ball machine find it difficult to face opponents in the court.
Do you know 60% of pro tennis in the US say that for you to properly train anyone for a sport like tennis, the person has to be trained the same manner that it is played on the court?
Yes! Tennis trainees are to be trained that way if you want them to have the right skills and confidence to face an opponent on the court.
Even though there are ball machines that can throw balls to different heights, speed, spin, frequency and direction, in the sequence and random, yet people who use ball machines to train lack the confidence and the calculative skill to play with opponents.
With a ball machine, it’s really difficult for trainees to get the ball at their preferred strike zone.
So practicing with a ball machine, especially when preparing for future competition, is difficult and time-consuming because you want to be acquainted with all the styles before time.
It can only make trainees to know the elementary part of the game but not details of what they’re supposed to know.
The tennis ball machine takes more time to train trainees than when training with a coach on the court.
The tennis pros don’t use ball machines most times because trainees aren’t able to focus and gain the required skills.
In addition, the tennis ball affects the trainee in several ways, which prevent most trainees from using it at the beginning of their learning process.
The tennis ball machine prevents trainees from getting the exact recognition skill.
The recognition skill is the ability to track the ball in flight by its basic properties (speed, spin, height, depth, and direction) to get the ball in their preferred strike zone for an accurate shot.
What a Ball Machine Can’t Do For Trainees?
Tennis ball machines lack several features to improve trainee practice.
That’s why training with a tennis ball machine is not for everybody. Those who are going for competitions, don’t usually focus on the use of a tennis ball machine during training.
Tennis ball machine most times, maintains the same amount of speed after setting. It will not in the process of training increase the speed on its own.
Tennis ball machine will not tell you what you’re doing wrong. Neither will it advice you on the area you should improve on. Especially, when you need to improve on the way you move your arm and wrist when playing.
The tennis ball machine lacks the proper training advice for trainees on the area of how they should enhance their forehand or backhand.
The tennis ball machine maintains a memory of shot or sequence of shot for any training, except there is another setting.
The tennis ball machine reacts with the same pattern of shots, which is not advisable for tennis trainees.
Different types of shot will prepare trainees to gain the exact confidence to withstand such shots in the feature.
Tennis ball machine will only help you to memorise the same degree of shot and the same patterns.
while good level of shots technique is a prerequisite for any drill with a tennis ball machine.
As tennis pros, don’t use a ball machine for beginners, hence it will make them lose out on some important aspect of the game.
The tennis ball machine is mostly good for advanced players who already mastered shot technique and the entire process of the game.
Tennis ball machine doesn’t help you to stimulate the training pressure neither will it help you to have different styles of moving your arm or wrist.
Does Tennis Ball Machines Have Default?
There are so many defaults with tennis ball machines that prevent tennis pros from using it to teach.
One of the default is to maintain one side for shot all through the game if no adjustment takes place.
The tennis ball machine takes the same height and speed once it be programe before the game begins.
Basically, there are two main areas where the Tennis Ball Machine can help a lot. Which are; Shot confidence and practicing the play sequence or pattern.
Therefore, no tennis teacher will be able to keep speed and height for a long time or put the ball at the same place.
The tennis ball machine doesn’t encourage the smash of an opponent during the process of training.
It’s make trainees get used to the same shot and pattern. There is no shot improvement from consistent use of tennis ball machines. However, it makes the game a dull one.
The tennis ball machine will only help you to time your body against any position and worry.
Tennis ball machines help players to practice shot sequences or play the same pattern, which will later form their pattern of playing.
These types of exercises are useful for improving your shot confidence, practicing your footwork, timing of shots, and reaction times for social play.
Is it Worth Buying a Tennis Ball Machine?
Tennis ball machine is worth buying, especially when you want to become a better tennis player.
Though, it might be expensive when you view it from the short-run. But considering the lifetime usage of the machine, you won’t regret the cost in the long run.
The easiest way your trainee can get used to shooting as a tennis trainee is via a tennis ball machine.
However, the tennis ball machine doesn’t remove supervising trainees, rather it helps you get the trainees used to shooting and smashes.
Through the repetitive shots and consistency while playing tennis, will help to improve your students skills.
Furthermore, your trainees don’t have to wait for you before they can start playing. Because the tennis machine will allow them to choose the type of shot to practice with.
Not only will a ball machine help your trainee arms to withstand shots, it also improves their accuracy but the overall is the skill that’s formed in them when they hit a shot.
Many tennis pros are scared away from buying tennis ball machines because of the price tag. But in the long-run, you will discover the advantage of having a ball machine.
The tennis ball machine will help to keep your trainee busy even when you’re busy with another trainee.
Tennis ball machine will help to push your student into limits and test their ability to shoot accurately.
Why Tennis Pros Should Buy a Tennis Ball Machine
Even though some tennis pros view ball machines as a revenue reduction, there are other reasons why you should buy it.
Some of these reasons are beneficial to tennis pros.
Let’s take a look at these reasons:
1). An Ever-present Training Partner For Trainee
As tennis pros, you need ball machines to help boost your trainee skill after you may have taught them.
Tennis ball machines will help them to add training modules other than their regular sessions.
Once you set the tennis ball machine for each session, then the training can go on without your supervision.
Buying a tennis ball machine will help reduce your overall work of training and impact their skill.
2). The Tennis Ball Machine Provides Leeway Training To Trainees
Tennis ball machine enables your trainee to practice the type of shot they want and at any frequency they want.
You can set or shape certain strokes that you want them to improve on;
- Forehand
- Backhand
- Overhead
- Volleys
Just set the angle and the trainees are good to go.
With the help of a ball machine, each trainee can focus on the details and the specifics of every shot they hit.
Furthermore, you have the freedom to control the angle and thus you don’t have to ask someone to hit the ball in a specific way over a long period of time.
Do Ball Machines Improve Consistent Shots?
Yes! it does improve consistent shots.
Training with a coach for a long period of time, can be a boring affair for a coach sometimes.
But with tennis ball machines, your trainees can get accurate shots consistently under less supervision.
The ball machine will not get tired but continuously feeding them with shots again and again.
As a coach or a pro instructor you can only hit consistently for some time.
Thus, tennis ball machines are great to not just place the ball in a certain direction but also to decide the amount of spin, speed, and frequency your trainee needs.
Flexible Control
Tennis ball machines help your trainee to control the direction, speed, spin, height, and frequency of the shot that the ball machine throws at them.
With a high-quality tennis ball machine, your trainee will be able to tweak settings so you can stimulate a true hitting session.
So, by adjusting the speed, your trainee can work on specifics hitting to drop shot using a backspin. This process will make them master the game styles quickly.
The tennis ball machine makes it easy, when you want to teach your student how to alternate between backhand and forehand shots.
The tennis ball machine has the capacity to oscillate from one angle to the other between low and high shots thus helping you practice a particular shot from all angles.
Form Focus
Working your form is an indispensable way of improving your overall tennis skills.
Tennis Ball Machines do a great job of improving your trainee reflexes and building muscle memory.
The frequency at which you expose your trainee to and the consistent practicing of strokes will determine how quickly they become good at hitting those strokes.
When it comes to form, sure, you can’t replace a coach as you’ll need feedback but you can use it to work upon the feedback by consistent practice.
But it will only help you to reduce the number of coaches or tennis pros at each training session.
Tennis ball machines are a great way to increase focus and enhance their learning skill without much effort from the coach or tennis ball machine.
How Much Does a Tennis Ball Machine Cost?
On average, the cost of a tennis ball machine is ranges from $500 – $5000. As coach or tennis pros, choose a ball machine that has most of the suitable features you need in a machine.
Take into consideration the features that will improve your trainee skill as fast as possible and go for those one.
Mainly, as a coach or tennis pro, price shouldn’t be the only determining factor you should use to judge the ball machine, but the features and how it can impact your students.
How Long Do Tennis Ball Machines Last?
Another important factor when determining the price of a tennis ball machine is how long will the tennis ball machine last?
Perhalf, there are various brands of tennis ball machines in the market. These tennis ball machines have different life spans.
Generally, tennis ball machines are expected to last for at least a minimum of 5 years.
There are brands that last more than 5 years but up to 10 to 15 years before any issues with the machine.
Tennis ball machines have low cost of maintenance. This helps to reduce the liability most tennis pros consider as a disadvantage of not buying a ball machine.
Tennis ball machine in the long-run will definitely pay for the cost of purchasing it and still make good returns on investment.
Conclusion
The use of tennis ball machines by tennis pros is a matter of choice.
Generally, there are tennis pros who use ball machines to teach their trainees, while there are those that don’t.
Tennis ball machines help to reduce workload for tennis pros. Especially, when there are many trainees at a particular session.
The liability cost of the ball machine will definitely be paid off in the long-run.
This is because of the constant usage of the machine.
