IIn the big list of things that I would never have considered without a block, the tennis ball thrower is probably among the top 10. Why have a shoulder bag when you could have a partner? Why play in your garden when you could go to a place of the right size, like a tennis court? All of these questions answered themselves when we weren’t allowed to go out or see anyone, but even with blocking the block, it still seems incredibly versatile.
You can play in a picky garden or on a balcony (get ready to lose some balls). I saw a video of someone in New York playing it indoors, although I think it’s only if you trust your accuracy or don’t care about any of your stuff. And even with the courts provisionally open again, I can still see his superiority over a human partner. It is much more consistent. You can set it to your skill level. And it has no feelings.
I remember the ball throwers of my youth and they were quite lame, inflating the balls asthmatically in a very predictable direction, becoming wilder with the older machine and with the technique. This is better and more ergonomic, even before starting to play: easy to maneuver, no disturbance to load, intuitive to configure. The general settings are beginner, intermediate and professional, which I haven’t elaborated too much on (I’m not even intermediate, and neither are children, although one, at least, claims to be the best tennis player in the postcode). But there is also an oscillator pad that basically shoots the balls in random directions. This is intended to improve agility, of course, but it is also a better workout than a normal tennis match; he is tireless, has no psychological tales and makes you run like an idiot to keep up. You can adjust the elevation bar to vary distance and speed, up to a maximum of 45 mph. You can lower the speed of the ball enough to incorporate mini-circuits between the balls – ideal for people who like to work incredibly hard and feel nauseous after a short time.
In the end, if you have a finicky garden, you can’t escape: very soon you want more space. It’s on wheels, so you can take it to a park, but it looks like a huge violation of the modern label. I recommend having an ex-spouse whose garden is gigantic. It’s actually better than a tennis court because when you’re not hanging on what’s inside and what’s outside, you can focus on your consistency, precision, reflexes – all the things you need before the rules mean something.
The Slinger Bag is an outlay, however, no questions (slingerbaguk.frameworksports.com); at the other end of the price spectrum is the boxer’s ball, a tennis ball attached to a strap with an elastic cord. It doesn’t do much for your tennis because you hit it rather than hit it with a racket. But it’s good for your accuracy, it presumably improves punching speed and is particularly compelling, both to look at and to do.
What I have learned
The higher the speed of the machine, the greater the topspin effect, which seems incredibly professional if you can master it.
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