With terms such as 2-line, horizontal and vertical oscillators its unsurprising that understanding the differences between the various Ball Machines can be daunting. We have therefore carried out a comparison between two of the more popular battery machines and summarized our finding below:

 *2-Line = single alternate forehand and backhand feed of the same shot to either side of court centre to a repetitive (operator set) depth

As an average club player who plays 2 to 3 times a week I can only dream of playing like Andy Murray. None the less when on court I find myself trying the same shots, slice, kicking serve and even the squash like defensive shot. I haven’t yet plucked up the courage to try and play the shot through my legs get, concerned that I am highly likely to do myself a mischeif. Joking aside the particular aspect of his game that I marvel at most is his seaming effortless ability to defend using a multitude of slices and spins I am yet to master even on the odd occasion. With Wimbledon now upon us and the weather forcaste looking unusually promising for the next few weeks, I will again be sitting down to watch one of the modern masters ply his trade, studying his grip, swing and feet movement with the hope I could pull off that one special shot.

Other wise Known at the Lobster Tournament or Lobster Tournament 401.

Product size - 38”L x 22”H x 13”W (965 x 560 x 330mm)
Product weight - 32lbs (14.5kg)
Shipping size - 38”L x 23”H x 14”W (965 x 585 x 355mm)
Shipping weight - 42lbs (19.1kg)

Horizontal/Vertical Oscillators and 2-line facility still none the wiser!?! Put in layman’s terms the Lobster Elite 1 feeds the ball at the same depth horizontally across the court at different time intervals, while the Lobster Elite 2 and Lobster Elite 3 in addition to this vary the depth of the ball using the vertical oscillator. The Elite 3 has the added feature of the 2-line facility which feeds the same shot to either side of the court to a repetitive depth.

The height of a standard Tennis Net is 3ft in the middle and 3ft 6inches at either side (next to the posts). A measuring net stick can be useful to check the height of your net on a regular basis.

The above question is one of the most frequently asked questions and the truth is there is no right or wrong answer. As we all know children grow at varying rates making it very difficult to categorised rackets by age group. Below we have put together some information as an indication of what mini tennis racket size would be suitable for your child.  The fact is some children can manage a larger racket sooner than others and not just based on height! So the below is just a suggested guide.

19” Up to 4 years, up to 3′6”

21” 4 to 6 years, 3′6”to 4′ tall

23” 6 to 9 years, 4′ to 4′6”tall

25” 9 to 12 years, 4′6”to 5′tall

27”13 years to adult, over 5′tall

The basic purpose of a Tennis ball machine isn’t to recreate a tennis match but as a substitute for a tennis partner, who consistently plays the shots. Dependent on how advanced the machine is, topspin, backspin, ball depth can all be altered to give a good work out.

A Tennis ball machine will give you consistent shots which is what you need when setting a drill/practicing. With a range of ball machines on the market it can be quite difficult to decide, the main competition being Lobster, Tennis tutor, Tennis tower and Playmate. The main differences between the more expensive ball machines and the cheaper ones are the level in which you can alter the settings. You get what you pay for! the more expensive machines allow you to change ball direction, ball depth, spin and speed with some having built in pre-set programs giving you an instant work out. Each Tennis ball machine comes with information on the functions available allowing you to make an informed decision.

Ball machines use pressureless balls and should always be used with new/newish tennis balls for reliability, as the point of a ball machine is consistency.

Will there be any top seeds left in the finals? Federer who is about to loose his number 1 spot is out, the Williams sisters are out, Andy Murray had a second chance in the doubles but he is out again. Its great to see the lower seeds and some unknown players come through. Is this not what the Olympics is all about?

Murray now seeded sixth in the world after winning his first ATP masters title against Djokovic is also seeded 6 at the Olympic Games and will face Yen-Hsun of Taipei, who is currently ranked 74 in the world.
Second seed Rafael Nadal is a potential quarter final opponent for Murray, with Novak Djokovic, a possible semi-final opponent.

Roger Federer is under increasing pressure from his biggest rival Rafael Nadal to keep his world number one ranking. Federer has been at the top of the world rankings for 234 weeks. In January Federer was 1445 ranking points ahead of Nadal, now there is less than 300.