Ball Machines

Helpful tips!

1. Frequently Asked Questions.

2. Comparison Tables between the different models.

3. 6 Reasons why you should buy from Tennis Warehouse Australia?

4. Our 30 Day Satisfaction Policy.

Why you need a ball machine

Everyone knows that aside from coaching, the only way to get better is to practice. But who should you practice with? What if the person you practice against is not good enough to hit with you competitively? Would this help or make your game worse?

It is very common to see two brothers or sisters practice together as they grow up only to discover that the younger sibling becomes the better player because he or she always had someone at a higher standard to hit with. It is generally agreed that you need to hit with opponents at a better standard than yourself in order to improve at a rapid rate.

But how can you ask someone who is better than you to hit with you? They might do it once or twice as a favour, but they won't do it forever. This is because they too will want to hit with players that are of a higher standard than themselves. So as a compromise, most players end up hitting with opponents of the same standard.

One answer is to pay someone to hit with you like a coach or an advanced player, but this can be quite expensive. A very simple option is to get a ball machine.

With today's technologies, ball machines have come a long way from the old pneumatic machines of the 90’s. What used to be a vacuum cleaner blowing balls over the net has now been transformed into a sophisticated range of machines using counter rotating wheels. The introduction of the counter rotating wheels has seen new top speeds up to 150km/h with excellent topspin and slice capabilities.

Thousands of players around Australia now use ball machines to practice against and just love to do so. It’s easy to see why too. Ball machines offer far more hitting practice per hour than match play does. In an average match a player hits approximately 150 balls in an hour, whereas hitting with a ball machine you can achieve 650 strokes in an hour. That’s over 4 times more balls played in one hour.

Furthermore, a ball machine never quits on you or doesn’t show up for practice. It doesn’t take toilet breaks or mobile phone calls. It always plays at the standard you tell it to and it never lets you down.

For most players these machines will be too difficult to practice against when operating at their top capacities. But luckily they are very customisable allowing you to easily adjust the speed, level of spin, how often a ball is launched, elevation, etc, making it perfect for anyone to practice against.

This means that the machine can improve with the player. At Tennis Warehouse Australia, we always recommend a player to set the ball machine at a level slightly higher than his/her current standard so that their game will improve at a faster rate than if practicing with a partner at the same level.

Not only will a ball machine improve your game by repetitively grooving your strokes to perfection, it can also improve your personal fitness. Nearly all ball machines are capable of oscillation, which means they shoot balls randomly from side to side. This allows you to move your feet while practicing your ground strokes or volleys. Some ball machines are even capable of dropping in short balls so that you can step in and put them away or make a nice approach shot before coming to the net.

It should be noted that ball machines should not replace a coach. It could be harmful to your game to continually practice a bad technique. However, in conjunction with coaching, a ball machine is a very valuable tool. Anything taught in a lesson should be practiced, but who's going to feed the balls to you just like the coach did so that you can practice what you were taught? A ball machine can do this.

Furthermore, if a ball machine is used by the coach in a lesson it adds a whole new dynamic to the session. Coaches who embrace ball machines and add them into their coaching routine have an advantage over any coach who doesn't use one. It would pay to search for a coach that does use one.

The traditional model for coaching is to have the coach up one end of the court feeding balls while trying to give instructions to the student. However, with the use of a ball machine and a remote control, the coach can now stand up the same end as the student, feeding balls from the machine while closely analysing and correcting the technique of the player. This is a much smarter way of coaching and allows the coach to see your game from angles which were previously impossible from the old coaching model.

Advanced coaches often use commercial ball machines which are capable of programming drills and changing gears to give a comprehensive workout. Not only does this provide a great hitting session for the student, but it's also very economical for the coach who no longer needs to pay an assistant to feed the balls on the second court for group lessons.

As mentioned ball machines are great for grooving your shots until you finally get them right. To help increase the accuracy and consistency of ball machines, 'pressureless balls' are used. As the name suggests, there is no air pressure inside them (they use a different technology). Traditional pressurised balls go flat within a week or two while pressureless balls will bounce perfectly forever!

Traditional balls will have variations in pressure resulting in inconsistent depth and bounce, while pressureless balls are consistent and allow the machine to spit every shot out with pin point accuracy.

So why don't we use pressureless balls in every day tennis? The reason is because they still don't feel quite as nice as regular tennis balls. Some people describe the feel as a 'bit harder' than a normal tennis ball and they tend to move a bit quicker through the air.

Whilst they are not quite as nice to hit with, their value for money can't be beaten. On average 150 balls will last between 6 months - 2 years before the felt eventually wears off and the balls need to be replaced (this depends on the surface being played on, number of hits, number of balls in the hopper, etc). They are an extremely economical option for ball machine owners & as mentioned they improve the performance by adding consistency.

So if you don’t have a home tennis court, how can you use a ball machine? One of the greatest improvements in ball machines over the past 5 years is the level of portability. Ball Machines can now fit easily into the boot of a sedan car and quickly set up to allow you to wheel them onto court.

So if your son or daughter is now out hitting you, or you simply want to improve your own game or fitness, why not consider the benefits of a ball machine. Prices range from $1,595 - $4,695 for portable models. Tennis Warehouse Australia holds a wealth of information on the varying models and brands along with comparison tables and prices!

Whilst a ball machine is not for everyone, they certainly have a place in the market. Some people can’t seem to get enough of them. We’ve even had one dad who refused to tell other parents the secret of his daughters success as she overtook the competition until it was discovered she’d been practicing with a ball machine! He simply didn’t want her competition to have the same advantage!

Check out our display of ball machines!

If there is a particular make or model of tennis ball machine that you are interested in which we don't have on our web site, please email us here and we will let you know if we can help.