Are tennis ball machines worth it?

stock tennis ball machine on tennis court

When all your tennis partners appear to be “busy” or simply lax and don’t want to practice with you, tennis ball machines might be a player’s best friend. However, when one considers the price tag attached to this equipment, a logical question appears – are tennis ball machines worth it?

Tennis ball machines can significantly improve your practice sessions. Even if you have the best playing partner in the world, these machines provide many advantages that are difficult to match. However, they also have some drawbacks that must be taken into consideration.

3 reasons why you should buy a tennis ball machine

1) Consistent feeding balls – it’s very unlikely that you’ll find a hitting partner who is more reliable than a machine, sadly. But tennis ball machines were created with this purpose in mind. A person throwing your balls will not be as accurate or reliable as the machine, though. They can lose energy, mishit the ball, or just stop feeding you balls with as much intensity.

2) Allows you to practice against specific shots – You can practice against particular shots you want to get better at with the equipment. The majority of these devices may be configured to hit the ball with a specific spin and speed in addition to a specific position.

  • Do you want to work on your wide-running forehand? No problem!
  • Want to use your backhand to hit plenty of balls? That’s it!
  • Want to practice a forehand rally with deep topspin? No worry!
  • Want to get better at putting short, slow balls away? There are no obstacles!
  • Want to make sure you kneel and take those low, in-front, flat balls? Best luck!

This is a significant advantage of these devices. You can concentrate your energy on purposefully working on your areas of weakness or keep refreshing your skills in your areas of strength regularly, effectively, and without bothering your playing partner.

3) Don’t need anyone else – Need I say anything else? Simply put, you don’t need anyone else. These machines will always be there for you when you need them, unlike your other tennis partners. They never make excuses, they are never too tired, and they never are too busy.

They exist to improve your performance. If you take proper care of them, they will serve you well for many years and allow you to train deliberately and intently.

Conclusions

Yes, tennis ball machines are expensive, but they give freedom to train at your own pace and time. And, yes, you should think it through when answering the question – are tennis ball machines worth it? But the machine definitely will provide for focused practice and unique development opportunities that when paired with other traditional training methods will boost and enhance your tennis skills.