Does DEAD tennis balls hard to control ?

[Nostradamus]

So the practice or Drills at my club have been dishing out DEAD tennis balls as of late. they keep saying they will get new practice balls but they don't.

Now the dead balls hurt my arm so I hate them but that is not all. I have found the Dead balls very very tough to control. It is so unpredictable. One shot ball flies out by a foot and next shot can end up in bottom of the net. Is this normal for dead balls??

 

[Canis Lupus]

I don't find them hard to control, just hard to get to because they don't bounce much. You can whack them hard and they will generously fall in, but short shots with old balls break my back in the reaching.

I don't know why pressureless balls aren't used more for coaching or even social tennis. Most social players can't tell the difference and they bounce more making for better rallies.

For coaching, training serious young players who are expected to play tournaments with old balls is setting them up for defeat, as they spray new balls unaccustomed to the extra bounce off the courts and their strings when they are expected to play their best.

 

[GBplayer]

I don't find them hard to control, just hard to get to because they don't bounce much. You can whack them hard and they will generously fall in, but short shots with old balls break my back in the reaching.

I don't know why pressureless balls aren't used more for coaching or even social tennis. Most social players can't tell the difference and they bounce more making for better rallies.

For coaching, training serious young players who are expected to play tournaments with old balls is setting them up for defeat, as they spray new balls unaccustomed to the extra bounce off the courts and their strings when they are expected to play their best.

Totally agree with you.

 

[oble]

So the practice or Drills at my club have been dishing out DEAD tennis balls as of late. they keep saying they will get new practice balls but they don't.

Now the dead balls hurt my arm so I hate them but that is not all. I have found the Dead balls very very tough to control. It is so unpredictable. One shot ball flies out by a foot and next shot can end up in bottom of the net. Is this normal for dead balls??

This is probably because each ball is dead to a different degree? Some of the dead balls probably have a little more bounce left in them than others.. Also different amount of fuzz left on the balls.

 

[jrs]

Dead balls should be easier to control. But as mentioned above you really have to move closer to the bounce as the ball won't bounce.
Also try hitting with more spin - so the livelier balls will stay in and the ones that are really dead will stay in but maybe not as deep. It is good to practice your strokes. (Simulated clay court bounces maybe?)

 

[Canis Lupus]

(Simulated clay court bounces maybe?)

Yes, that and some computer game should prepare you well for clay :shock:

 

[newpball]

So the practice or Drills at my club have been dishing out DEAD tennis balls as of late. they keep saying they will get new practice balls but they don't.

Now the dead balls hurt my arm so I hate them but that is not all. I have found the Dead balls very very tough to control. It is so unpredictable. One shot ball flies out by a foot and next shot can end up in bottom of the net. Is this normal for dead balls??

Easy, find a dead ball immediately dump it in the garbage can or save it for the dogs.

:grin:

 

[Nostradamus]

This is probably because each ball is dead to a different degree? Some of the dead balls probably have a little more bounce left in them than others.. Also different amount of fuzz left on the balls.

I think this man makes the most sense

 

[JW10S]

'Does DEAD tennis balls hard to control?' What? That makes no sense what-so-ever. I, and everyone else, always knew that Fedace/Nostradamus never spent a second in a Stanford classroom.

 

[GBplayer]

'Does DEAD tennis balls hard to control?' What? That makes no sense what-so-ever. I, and everyone else, always knew that Fedace/Nostradamus never spent a second in a Stanford classroom.

Not a word Smith.

 

[GBplayer]

Easy, find a dead ball immediately dump it in the garbage can or save it for the dogs.

:grin:

Good advice.

 

[magnut]

most rec players are better off playing with dead balls because they wont fly on you so much. easier to keep the rallys going. they stay on the strings a little longer.

 

[GBplayer]

most rec players are better off playing with dead balls because they wont fly on you so much. easier to keep the rallys going. they stay on the strings a little longer.

Then play a match with new balls and lose.

Okay for beginners who don't play matches though.

 

[Fifth Set]

I agree that the differences are primarily being caused by the balls being of varying degrees of deadness (is that a word?). Different brands are likely also a factor, as some brands last longer (Prince Tour Extra Duty) than others (Penn Championship).

A dead ball, by itself, shouldn't be any harder to control than a quick start ball. A quick start ball is basically a depressurized ball, just like a dead "adult" ball. And a quick start ball is used for better control. The "problem" is that we expect adult balls to have a strong bounce, so it must be quite frustrating.

BTW, what kind of club is charging you for sessions with dead balls?! Tell them to get their act together. A few sarcastic comments (e.g., "Coach, my dog wouldn't even play with these balls"), a donation of some gently used balls and/or a complaint to the tennis director might help the cause?

 

[magnut]

Then play a match with new balls and lose.

Okay for beginners who don't play matches though.

it takes me about five hits to get used to new balls. i dont play with dead balls anymore though since i found the tretorns.

if your at a low level new balls are not going to help you.

 

[The_Racketeer]

A collection of dead balls are never uniformly dead. I think that's where the inconsistency comes from. You can open a new sleeve of balls, play with them, and by week's end they're each different amounts of dead. It's especially true if the club has a large collection of balls that have been played with over a long period of time and by several people.

 

[GBplayer]

it takes me about five hits to get used to new balls. i dont play with dead balls anymore though since i found the tretorns.

if your at a low level new balls are not going to help you.

I do not adjust as quickly as that, luckily I discovered Tretorn Micro X as well.

 

[kingcheetah]

Like others have said, the main reason the dead balls would be tough to control vs fresh ones is that there's a larger variance in the pressure of the dead ones (some that are fine, others that are semi-dead, others that are VERY dead.)

Your coaches should easily be able to get the "Penn Coach" type balls that are perfectly fine for drills or practice, and much cheaper than regular tennis balls because of the slight cosmetic blemishes. They're still pressurized, which is a good thing because pressureless tennis balls are hard on your body.

 

[LakeSnake]

Just recently it has dawned on me that practicing with dead balls has been a problem when playing matches with newer balls. Today I drop-hit for about 30 minutes without any problems, then hit with my wife with newer balls and hit home runs for the first 10 minutes. Shots that would fall in with dead balls go way out. I am working on lowering my shot window.

 

[Fifth Set]

Just recently it has dawned on me that practicing with dead balls has been a problem when playing matches with newer balls. Today I drop-hit for about 30 minutes without any problems, then hit with my wife with newer balls and hit home runs for the first 10 minutes. Shots that would fall in with dead balls go way out. I am working on lowering my shot window.

The other problem I remembered last week is that even slightly used (not dead at all) balls don't have nearly as much bounce when they have been outside of the can for a week or two. I made the mistake of hitting some serves with some slightly used balls and felt it in my shoulder for the next three days.

 

[Muppet]

I've found that my service % goes way up with new balls. Since balls are firmer when they're new, do they make the string bed pocket better, offering more control?

 

[tennis_ocd]

I wish I could swing out and control fresh balls as well as old ones... it makes me think why can't I and should I be able to? It's remarkable how the slightly deadened ball "hop" off court provides the time needed to perfectly prep.