Ball machine tennis balls
- Thread starter blkkirk
- Start date
NE1for10is?
Semi-Pro
I tried the Tretorn micro x pressureless balls and I didn't like them at all. They feel heaver when you hit them, so you have to adjust your strokes to compensate. I used to like to warm up with the ball machine and I got grooved to the pressureless balls, and then went into a match and was shocked by how different the real balls were and it took me a set to find my strokes again. Now I just get a bunch of regular balls, and ok so you might have to change them once or twice during the summer, but it's not that expensive.
Chas Tennis
G.O.A.T.
Just starting with SP Lite
I just got a SP Lite.
I took a bunch of balls and gave them a pressure test by hand. About 10% discarded as too soft, 60% soft (would not play with), 30% high pressure similar to new. Fuzz and diameter were not used to select, only the hand pressure test. I'm using only the 30% with highest pressure.
I am experimenting to learn to operate the SP Lite machine as reproducibly as possible. So far I find that some setting combinations are more reproducible than others. I want very low speed to grove better ball watching habits. With elevation angle, spin, court bounce point, as well as pace there are a lot of parameters. Also, I find that the pace setting control knob is very sensitive, 4.0 to 4.3 increases pace quite a bit. With one elevation setting under 4 might not clear the net and above 4.4 is too heavy. Only a few secessions so far.
I just got a SP Lite.
I took a bunch of balls and gave them a pressure test by hand. About 10% discarded as too soft, 60% soft (would not play with), 30% high pressure similar to new. Fuzz and diameter were not used to select, only the hand pressure test. I'm using only the 30% with highest pressure.
I am experimenting to learn to operate the SP Lite machine as reproducibly as possible. So far I find that some setting combinations are more reproducible than others. I want very low speed to grove better ball watching habits. With elevation angle, spin, court bounce point, as well as pace there are a lot of parameters. Also, I find that the pace setting control knob is very sensitive, 4.0 to 4.3 increases pace quite a bit. With one elevation setting under 4 might not clear the net and above 4.4 is too heavy. Only a few secessions so far.
Micro X are very good as well as Babolat Academy. Penn works OK but they are definitely heavier and a little bigger.
You can use pressurized balls, but you may (will) get less consistent feeding results after just a little while as they lose pressure. You will also end up replacing them pretty often in order to maintain that feel that you are going for and that is expensive.
In the extreme, they can start to jam in the machine because they will compress rather than firing.
I do not find that the difference is any more jarring that showing up for a match and the opposition bringing Penn Reds or Prince balls or something else I am not use to. You just expect it and roll with it.
MHO, though.
You can use pressurized balls, but you may (will) get less consistent feeding results after just a little while as they lose pressure. You will also end up replacing them pretty often in order to maintain that feel that you are going for and that is expensive.
In the extreme, they can start to jam in the machine because they will compress rather than firing.
I do not find that the difference is any more jarring that showing up for a match and the opposition bringing Penn Reds or Prince balls or something else I am not use to. You just expect it and roll with it.
MHO, though.
