Would a ball machine help improve your game?

[Brett]

I am debating whether to invest like $900 bucks in a ball machine. Basically my game is trash and I need to stop playing so many matches and get back to rallying.

Just wondering if a ball machine would help improve my game or if it would be a waste of money...

Thanks

[Limpinhitter]

IMO, a ball machine has some excellent benefits, but, it doesn't substitute for a drilling partner. However, rallying without purpose is not an effective way to practice.

Tennis is primarily a cross-court game. The most effective use of your time is hitting cross-court drills on both sides from the baseline, AND with one player at net. There are many variations to this drill. On clay, I like to make a line with my foot down the middle from the service line to the baseline and play points cross court. Whatever you do, the point of the drill is tp groove in your technique, footwork, shot preparation, set up, by keeping the ball in play FOR AS LONG AS POSSIBLE. It is not to go for winners. You can make exceptions on short balls where you make contact well in front of the baseline. Then, it's ok to go for a winner into the open court because that is the high percentage opportunity to do so. If you have any time and energy after that, then you can hit some dtl drills.

Having said that, remember that the 2 most important shots in tennis are the serve and the return. IMO, you should spend as much time on these two aspects of your game as you do on the rest of your game, combined. This is how matches are won.

[BobFL]

Absolutely not if the whole process is not guided by a competent person. "Game" is a VERY complex thing. It requires holistic approach and ball machine is very rudimentary.

[WildVolley]

I think how valuable a ball machine is depends on your situation. If you have difficulty finding a serious practice partner and still need a lot of fundamental work on stroke form and footwork, a ball machine can be a great investment. A ball machine can give you an endless amount of consistent feeds without needing to hassle another person.

Of course, to get value out of that sort of practice, you need to take it seriously and not ingrain bad habits. I think a motivated person can use a video camera and a good hitting model to greatly improve working by themselves.

[KenC]

Ball machines are good for learning stroke mechanics. Once they are learned you need to move on to real tennis play.

[ciocc]

From my personal experience (I have a ball machine), ball machines are good for GROOVING stroke mechanics once you have a sound foundation. To be effective in improving your game, you need to have a good teaching pro look at your technique. You do NOT want to be good at being bad, which is exactly a ball machine can make you into if you don't have a good form to begin with.

My 2 cents.

[maggmaster]

My opinion is that a ball machine is one of the few ways to create a purposeful practice environment for an adult on a budget. The best way is a coach working with you every day, not practical for an adult without unlimited funds. The next best would be a partner who was willing to meet every day at a certain time and drill, drill, drill, which is a tough thing to find. A ball machine can be set to work on a combination of shots, targets can be put out for accuracy and the difficulty can be increased accross three or four dimensions. These are all the things necessary for purposeful, driven practice and if you do them with an eye on improving something every session, you will get better.

[Rozroz]

i'm in the same boat on getting one.
I completely agree with magmaster on budget considerations,
And also on difficulty finding a consistsnt drill partner.
My only downsides are portability.

Btw- can someone advise me on the best budget option?
My choice now is SP lite (tweaking a cheap remote as told in another thread).
Also- What do i do about balls? What's my best budget option?

Thanks.

[dizzlmcwizzl]

I bought one ... and I now enjoy using it only about 4 times a year.

My experience was this. Once I got it ... I used it heavy for about 6 weeks. I was using it purposefully and had developed a practice routine to work on specific shots. This was during the late winter / early spring when I wanted to get ready for outdoor league play but the weather was not nice enough to get reliable hitting partners outside. Once the weather turns nice enough I never use it.

Now, that I can afford more indoor court time and / or have many people that will drill with me, it is more of a hassle than a benefit. If you lived close enough enough I would sell you mine real cheap.

[Brett]

Originally Posted by dizzlmcwizzl

I bought one ... and I now enjoy using it only about 4 times a year.

My experience was this. Once I got it ... I used it heavy for about 6 weeks. I was using it purposefully and had developed a practice routine to work on specific shots. This was during the late winter / early spring when I wanted to get ready for outdoor league play but the weather was not nice enough to get reliable hitting partners outside. Once the weather turns nice enough I never use it.

Now, that I can afford more indoor court time and / or have many people that will drill with me, it is more of a hassle than a benefit. If you lived close enough enough I would sell you mine real cheap.

Where do you live? Message me if you don't mind, thanks! I live just north of Nashville in Hendersonville, TN.

[qwanta]

Also, make sure you ask yourself the question: where will I use the ball machine? Is there a badly maintained, seldom used court somewhere nearby?

You can't really use a ball machine on a high traffic public court, so make sure you have somewhere in mind before shelling out for one. (or determine that you're willing to get up at 6am to hit the courts while they're empty)

[Rozroz]

Originally Posted by qwanta

Also, make sure you ask yourself the question: where will I use the ball machine? Is there a badly maintained, seldom used court somewhere nearby?

You can't really use a ball machine on a high traffic public court, so make sure you have somewhere in mind before shelling out for one. (or determine that you're willing to get up at 6am to hit the courts while they're empty)

i have a lot of vacant courts in my club, maybe not in the evening.
my personal problem is that i'll look like a dork as i am the only one that will come and put up a ball machine. there's absolutely ZERO usage of ball machines in Israel.

[tennis_balla]

Do the math...

$900 - Ball Machine
$100 - Balls

For $1000 you could have 25 private lessons with a coach @ $40/hr. Find a competent coach and that will change your game a hell of a lot more and sooner then lugging around a ball machine and having no input on how you're hitting the ball.

[ZeroSkid]

only if you know what you are doing, but it can never be as good as a hitting partner

[saltair]

Originally Posted by tennis_balla

For $1000 you could have 25 private lessons with a coach @ $40/hr. Find a competent coach and that will change your game a hell of a lot more and sooner then lugging around a ball machine and having no input on how you're hitting the ball.

Exactly. This alone will advance your game to the point you should have no problem finding good drilling partners.

Unless you know your strokes are already very sound, a ball machine may just reinforce some bad habits.

[Rozroz]

i already had around 1500$ worth of lessons with my coach..
still i KNOW what stuff is still not fixed even after all those lessons.
it's just takes a lot more time and practice i'm afraid.
i can't afford weekly lessons anymore, so investing in a machine could keep me calm to fine-tune all those adjustments... well, i hope!

[saltair]

Originally Posted by Rozroz

i already had around 1500$ worth of lessons with my coach..
still i KNOW what stuff is still not fixed even after all those lessons.
it's just takes a lot more time and practice i'm afraid.
i can't afford weekly lessons anymore, so investing in a machine could keep me calm to fine-tune all those adjustments... well, i hope!

I think you make a good point actually. A ball machine can certainly have its place in helping proper mechanics become ingrained.

My regular hitting partner will sometimes take a lesson working on something specific and follow that up with an hour on the ball machine to help drive the lesson home.

[sundaypunch]

Originally Posted by tennis_balla

Do the math...

$900 - Ball Machine
$100 - Balls

For $1000 you could have 25 private lessons with a coach @ $40/hr. Find a competent coach and that will change your game a hell of a lot more and sooner then lugging around a ball machine and having no input on how you're hitting the ball.

I would agree with this logic if you were limited to spending $1000. Many people can afford the lessons and also a ball machine to drill with and groove their strokes. Also, if you are a smart shopper and spend that $900 on a decent used ball machine you should be able to recoup most of your money should you decide to sell it.

I see a ball machine as an invaluable practice tool if you can afford one and think you will use it.

[gindyo]

Originally Posted by tennis_balla

Do the math...

$900 - Ball Machine
$100 - Balls

For $1000 you could have 25 private lessons with a coach @ $40/hr. Find a competent coach and that will change your game a hell of a lot more and sooner then lugging around a ball machine and having no input on how you're hitting the ball.

$40 an hour for a competent coach? This is a though one. Our local pro charges $70 and I would not call him exactly COMPETENT ( he is teaching stuff that was thought when he was growing up and he is in his 60s

Originally Posted by saltair

Exactly. This alone will advance your game to the point you should have no problem finding good drilling partners.
Unless you know your strokes are already very sound, a ball machine may just reinforce some bad habits.

I beg to differ. 25 hours of private lessons will probably fix a couple of glitches here and there but to really improve and get to the next level one needs to hit thousands of balls, because it is one thing to do something while the coach is there holding your hand and it is completely different when you are on the match court. I really didn't want to go into this but I will list some of the advantages my ball machine gives me, and you tell me if I am wrong.
1. The most important - I am never dependent on other people when it comes to scheduling my practice. ( with my schedule i only have an hour here and there and because of it, previous years I had missed countless opportunities to use my free time to go and practice)
2. You will never find a partner (unless you are paying him) that will agree to feed you balls the way you want for 1-2 hours
3. You can adjust the pace of the practice to your own liking (you can hit leisurely or you can really crank the intensity up) without having to depend on your opponent's level .
4. It is the best way to practice your aggressive attacking patterns. example- Hit 5-10 base line shots, wait for a ball in the middle that is comfortable for attack, hit an approach shot and then finish with a volley (no partner I know will let me do this for 2 hours, unless I am paying him)
5. The negative you guys are pointing out, that one can practice the wrong stuff without realising it, is easily resolved with a simple video camera.

[t135]

There are countless benefits to practicing with a ball machine. A good hitting partner with well planned drills are best though.

I regularly use a machine for fitness, repetition and footwork. It's hard to get people to hit when it's convenient for me. The ball machine fills in those gaps when humans aren't available. And they are ridiculously consistent hitting partners who never get tired.