On their own, tennis ball machines are simply mindless machines which do what they’re programmed to do – and that’s not much. Still, if they are given their rightful place in an overall tennis training regimen, they can do wonders for any tennis player. Because, even though tennis is a game of the mind, it also relies heavily on muscle memory, and that’s the part a tennis ball machine is used for.

Think of it this way – a tennis ball machine can’t teach you a new shot, but if you point it the right way, it can help your muscles remember it. The biggest advantage of a tennis machine in training muscle memory is the fact that it will consistently launch balls in the same spot, for as long as there are balls to be launched, and that’s a fact that makes a tennis ball machine a very useful tool, as long as you plan your trainings well.

Here’s how you should do it – first, you need to learn a new shot, and that’s something a tennis coach will help you with. After your coach is satisfied with how you perform the shot, you need to help your muscles memorize it. So, at the end of each training session where there has been a significant improvement, you should fire up the tennis ball machine and learn the shot to perfection, or as close to it as possible. Then, of course, you can try out the new shot with real opponents – don’t forget that you still need to play with your peers to see how the shot holds up in real conditions.

Although mindless, tennis ball machines can be a valuable part of your tennis training regime, as long as you know their place. Their consistency and relentlessness will help you develop the same traits, and hit every shot the right way for a very long time.