Ballhopper drills?

[ramseszerg]

I just got a ballhopper, holds 75 balls if that helps. What are some good drills that 2 people could do using this?

For example, I just made up a drill today, designating 4 areas of the court ABCD, and as the balls are fed, the feeder tells the player which letter to hit the ball to. Seemed to improve my control. But after this one flash of creativity I'm all out of ideas.

[Swissv2]

You can do a service game. Heres how it goes



WITHOUT a speed gun:

Step 1: Take two balls out of the hopper. Go to the Deuce side and serve normally.
If you get the serve in, but the serve is slow and easy to hit, give yourself zero points.
If you get the serve in, and the serve is fast and hard to hit, give yourself one point.
If you get the serve in, and the serve hits a corner, give yourself two points.
If you miss the serve, do a second serve.
All second serves count as only one point.
If you miss the second serve, subtract 2 points.
Step 2: Take two balls out of the hopper. Go to the Ad side and serve normally. Same rules apply as above.WITH a speed gun:

First, determine your maximum speed, then set your point structure. Say for example, your max serve speed is 110. Your point structure will be as follows
116-120: 4 points
110-115: 3 points
100-109: 2 points
90-100: 1 point
80-90: IN with no placement: 0 points
80-90: IN with placement: 1 point
70-80: 0 points.
Miss the serve, take second serve.
Miss second serve, subtract 2 points.
Do same drill as above, but use your speed gun.

Game: Both service games go to +20 or -10. You can play this game with a partner alternating serves.

[ramseszerg]

Thanks.. any groundstroke drill ideas? Other than feeding and telling the player where to hit? I could tell the player "topspin" or "flat" too.. anything else?

[Swissv2]

There are hundreds of drills, but I will give you just several.

Basic level:

Feed to forehand and backhand sides alternatively. Feed 1-2 feet from each corner. Hitter recovers to center each time. Person hitting does the following pattern

Forehand feed (DTL)
Backhand feed (DTL)
Forehand feed (CC)
Backhand feed (CC)
Forehand feed (Approach CC)
Backhand feed (Approach CC)
Forehand feed (Volley CC)
Backhand feed (Volley CC)
Repeat x 2
Overheads (4 feeds)Advanced level (Footwork Drill)
Feed between 3-4 feet from corners. Hitter recovers to center each time.

FH - DTL (2 feet clearance)
BH - DTL (2 feet clearance)
FH - CC (2 feet clearance)
BH - CC (2 feet clearance)
Feed until no more balls run out. Goal is to get 100% balls in at 2 feet clearance, DTL.
This exercise is tiring, and can get hard on the body (you will feel soreness the next day). Remember to take breaks.
Feed balls at a slower pace. The better the hitter gets, the faster the pace and the longer the hitting session.

[Bungalo Bill]

I just got a ballhopper, holds 75 balls if that helps. What are some good drills that 2 people could do using this?

For example, I just made up a drill today, designating 4 areas of the court ABCD, and as the balls are fed, the feeder tells the player which letter to hit the ball to. Seemed to improve my control. But after this one flash of creativity I'm all out of ideas.

Good one. You can also have the players hit volleys and tell you which kind of volley they should be hitting based on the ball they are recieving. They say "defensive" or "offensive".

[firstblud]

do you feed using your hand?

[ramseszerg]

I feed with my racquet.