Is your tennis game in need of improvement? or are you struggling to find a regular hitting partner?
I will be honest with you, I never used to think about tennis ball machines. I am of the old school where you played with an opponent and back in the day, tennis ball machines were big and clunky and had limited settings.
Well that has all changed. Ball machines these days are slick, easy to use, allow for variable settings, and most importantly can be easily transported around. Portable tennis ball machines may be the right solution if this is what you need. By limiting the number of balls you hit while working on technique, ball machines can help improve your skills.
The team here reviewed several of the best portable ball machines on the market to see if any really lived up to the test.
The Top 7 Best portable Tennis Ball Machines – Our Review
The best ball machine for your situation depends on a variety of factors, as mentioned earlier. Nevertheless, we’ve gathered some of our top picks based on specific factors for the Best portable Tennis Ball Machines.
Spinshot Player
Tennis ball machines like this are the best choice for beginners or advanced players who want a fully customizable experience. Tennis ball machines should have all the features you look for. This one does.
There are more than 120 balls in the machine, and it can feed balls at speeds ranging from 19 to 68 miles per hour (30 to 110 kmph). A drill that has spin and moves you from side to side of the court can be programmed. This ball machine feeds balls every 2 to 10 seconds, which is ideal if you want to practice fast-paced volleys.
There is a great feature about this ball machine, however, and that is the mobile app. Using your phone, you can download drills that focus on specific areas of your game that you need to improve. A drill can consist of up to 6 shots and can be customized with up to 12 preset drills.
Having a coach right there on the court is like having one right next to you! The accuracy of this machine can’t handle topspin at 60 mph. You can save money by using this machine instead of costly private lessons. It will pay for itself after just 25 sessions.
Lobster Sports Tennis Ball Machine
Best portable Tennis Ball Machines are perfect for those who want to improve their fitness for singles games, or just to hit a lot of balls. The ball machine can feed balls at different speeds, spins, and elevations so that you can maneuver around the court as you, please.
For high-level tennis players, this machine can hit balls at speeds of 80 miles per hour in addition to its large ball capacity. If you’re just getting started, you can go as slowly as 10 MPH. Elevation, oscillation, and frequency of the feed are all of the highest quality.
It feeds balls in vertical, horizontal, or both directions with random oscillations. Consequently, either side of the court can be used for working on deep groundstrokes and approach shots. By changing the settings, the ball machine can work on both backhands and forehands. Your workout will be great if you set the machine to random vertical and horizontal movements!
With this machine, drills cannot be customized. In order to work on one shot in repetition, you can turn off the random setting. You will also need to pay extra for the remote control.
Sports Tutor Tennis Cube Ball Machine
Beginners, juniors, and intermediate players will all benefit from using this tennis ball machine. The lessons are a great way to improve your tennis skills if you’re just getting started with the sport.
There is a beginner’s pace for feeding balls with the Tennis Cube. Balls can be fed in a variety of directions and heights with this lightweight, portable machine.
Tennis ball machines are great for coaches and parents looking to coach their children. For advanced players, we do not recommend it as it does not allow you to control the spin and can only feed up to 50 MPH.
Find the right tennis racquet to match your new ball machine with our guide to the best beginner tennis racquets.
Spinshot Plus
As with Lobster’s Elite 2 ball machine reviewed above, Spinshot’s ball machine is similar in design. If you want to improve your tennis game in any area, this is a great choice.
You can practice groundstrokes, volleys, and overheads using the oscillation modes and different paces. A mobile app is also available for controlling Spinshot.
There is a slight difference in the ball capacity and the pace of this ball machine compared to Lobster’s Elite 2 (if you purchase the remote). You can play this machine for hours without worrying about the battery because it’s more compact and has an AC option.
The Spinshot Player has customizable preset drills for only a fraction of the cost, so if you’re considering buying this machine, it’s a great choice.
Spinshot Pro
Upfront, this is our favorite portable Tennis Ball Machine. It is the perfect choice if you are looking for a tennis ball machine to get a physical workout without having to customize it like the advanced machines.
You can feed balls side by side on this machine, which gives you an excellent cardio workout.
The ball machine is an excellent choice for beginners, intermediates, or advanced players who want to practice more but do not require a customizable drill experience. Your shots will be able to be improved with their compact size, good battery life, and multiple speed and spin settings. Kids and junior tennis players can also benefit from these features.
As you work on backhands and forehands, the oscillation feeds balls sideways instead of randomly hitting short and deep balls. By changing the settings on the control panel, you can practice approach shots or lobs.
Lobster Sports Elite 1 Portable Ball Machine
A tennis ball machine like the Lobster Elite 1 is similar to the Spinshot Pro above. As a result of its random oscillation feature, which feeds balls from left to right, you can practice your forehands and backhands at the same time.
There are some advantages to this machine over the Spinshot Pro, as well as some drawbacks. In addition to having a larger ball capacity, Lobster Sports’ tennis ball machines can feed balls faster than the Spinshot Pro. There is no remote control included with this machine, and it is a bit bulkier than the Spinshot Pro.
Generally, players who don’t need all the drilling customization that some of the nicer machines have will enjoy this machine. As your skill level improves, you will have plenty of opportunities to hit balls.
Tennis Tutor ProLite Ball Machine
Tennis ball machines under $1000 are a great choice if you’re on a budget. The machine weighs only 29 pounds, making it very portable. The ball machine does not allow you to create drills, however, you can practice both your forehand and backhand with its horizontal oscillation feature.
A great workout can be achieved with this machine regardless of your skill level, as the feed rate can be adjusted down to 1.5 seconds. A manual elevation adjustment is also available for practicing groundstrokes, volleys, overheads, and lobs.
A feed speed of up to 60 mph is possible with this machine, which does not have topspin or backspin adjustment. In spite of this, most players below the USTA 5.0 level can play this game fast enough.
What are the Best Portable Tennis Ball Machines? Features to consider
Tennis ball machines should be selected based on a number of factors. Here are a few features to be aware of.
The portable ball machine you choose should have features that are beneficial to you based on your situation as a tennis club or individual. Is it going to be used a lot and will it need to be large? Is it going to be used by tennis players of varying abilities, so different ball speeds will be required? Do you need a machine with a battery, or are there outlets near the court? The following features will be discussed in more detail.
Capacity
It is important to look at the ball capacity before you purchase a tennis ball machine. It is common for tennis ball machines to hold 50 to 300 balls.
External vs. internal oscillation
Check out portable tennis ball machines with oscillation features if you want to simulate real play by shooting the ball in different directions. Tennis balls are thrown at random from side to side by horizontal oscillation, which is the most common type. The vertical oscillation in some machines allows you to practice close to the net or at the baseline. For advanced players who are drilling down on a specific routine, some tennis ball machines enable you to program oscillation.
Ball speed
When choosing a ball machine, it is important to take the ball speed into consideration. You may need a wide range of speeds to practice your style of tennis and accomplish your practice goals. Intermediate and advanced players need a faster ball speed to practice quick volleys and groundstrokes. Between 10 and 95 mph is the speed of most tennis machines.
Battery powered
Both AC and battery-powered tennis machines are available. Tennis players must always have a power source near the court, even with AC power, as it provides the power they need without needing to recharge. A battery-powered tennis ball machine might be your best option if you want something more portable.
Feed rate or interval
Feeding the balls at a fast pace is definitely something to consider. The speed you choose will depend on your skill level. The average speed is between 12 and 105 mph.
Spin
There is a connection between spin and propulsion. Topspin and backspin features are available on different tennis ball machines. Tennis players can improve their swings and swerves through these features.
Air pressure (pneumatic pressure) and spinning wheels (also called counter-rotating wheels) are two types of tennis ball machines. There are several types of tennis ball machines, but the spinning wheel is the most popular. Compressed air models can be inconsistent and noisy compared to air pressure models. Using the rotating wheel will cause tennis balls to wear out sooner.
The tennis ball is shot through a tube using air pressure from a pneumatic ball machine. Compressed air is less expensive than those with rotating wheels and isn’t as hard on tennis balls. There can be some noise, however.
Weight
Weight is an important factor in machine design. Moving it around will be necessary. The weight of the ball basket also depends on the number of balls that it holds. It is generally agreed by manufacturers that the majority of players do not use the entire capacity of their devices.
Price
A quality tennis ball machine and the balls that go with it will cost you between $600 and $2,500 with $1,700 being the median. As with most things in life you really do get what you pay for.
You may enjoy reading Best Tennis Shorts
So Why Get a Portable Ball Machine?
It is advantageous to have a portable tennis ball machine for several reasons:
- Ball machines provide a great workout that will condition you. Tennis balls are great for maintaining great physical condition during the off-season, especially if you hit them constantly.
- The hitting session is simple. You get much more feedback from an instructor than you do from a ball machine. The tennis ball machine allows you to focus on one thing beforehand and remove the human element from the process by noting what you want to improve.
- You can focus on one thing at a time to improve
- It always wants to play come rain or shine.
Final Thoughts
You can improve your tennis game quickly by using the Best portable Tennis Ball Machines. Neither of them misses deadlines, nor do they get tired.
We recommend the Spinshot Player Tennis Ball Machine as an all-in-one portable ball machine for tennis players. An app allows you to control the machine from your smartphone, so it’s all the latest technology you could want in a ball machine. A custom tennis workout can even be created for you.
Keen to buy a new racket? check out our quiz to help determine what racket best suits you
What’s The Best Tennis Racket For Me in 2024? Take Our Quiz To Find Out – Tennis Pursuits
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