Someone will occasionally inquire about my purchase of a tennis machine. Much of what comes next will seem obvious, but if you're looking for a ball machine, you should actually ask yourself all of these questions and honestly reflect on your answers.
Use of a Ball Machine in Teaching
Ball machines aren't really that common, all things considered. That was due in part to the machine's quality and in part to the fact that there was just no demand. When clubs or academies buy the best equipment, they frequently want or expect instructors to use it in individual classes. Using a ball machine isn't a terrible idea at all if the device has an app or remote control that makes programming or changing things up really quick and straightforward. On the other hand, attempting to program the blasted thing is simple to spend a lot of time, and that never looks good.
The Advantages of a Ball Machine
Randomization and Humanization –
The best live ball simulation is achieved by tennis machines. Even if the slot the ball emerges from is static in height (not realistic), you get the idea. However, given how challenging it is to feed and how much more challenging it is to return the ball, you don't see many teachers feeding from the baseline at various heights during classes (footwork and tracking issue for most). In a class, you are usually focused on a single topic, thus it is preferable to place the ball (either from a feed or machine) in about the same place each time.
Conditioning –
You'll get an excellent workout with the ball machine. Both in terms of the item's transportation and the amount of time you will need to use it on the court. If you want to, you can play until you pass out or the battery dies when it's just you and the ball machine.
Keeps Things Simple –
You often receive a lot of feedback and reminders during a class. It usually goes too far, but that's simply how things are. If the sole advice we provided someone during a session was to end with your elbow up on your forehand, we as instructors would find that odd. Although it would be a worthwhile hour-long class, most individuals won't feel they received their money's worth, which is understandable. The beautiful thing about the ball machine is that you can write down the one item you want to concentrate on and truly commit to it before you leave the house. This is one instance where excluding the other person from the conversation is a smart idea.
Encourages Serve Practice –
This may sound strange because it doesn't actually use the ball machine, but we've discovered that it is true. Imagine you enter the court with the intention of doing a set of forehands and backhands. After doing that, you'll recall your teacher telling you OVER AND OVER that you should go outside and practice serving on your own. This is the ideal time to carry things out.
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