The Problem with Hoppers and Ball Machines

Reprinted with persmission from "Scholastic and Academy Tennis Planning the Season."

1) They Are Physiologically Incorrect

When a coach works out in such a way that it fatigues the players, they begin to make adaptations to their strokes. A tired player begins to hit with his weight back, reaches for balls he should move for, tosses the ball lower and stays on the ground during a serve and otherwise takes shortcuts.

Drills that promote "mental toughness" by forcing an exhausted player to continue running side to side for fed balls, in order to force that player to "focus", may promote concentration and willpower, but will require that the player practice under conditions that will not occur during a match, and can lead to a player leaning for balls, slapping at them, hitting late, etc.

2) They Have Inappropriate Time Spacing
On average, the time it takes for the ball to leave your racquet on a groundstroke, make it to your opponent on the other baseline, and return to you to make your next stroke is about 2.5 seconds.

This means that after you hit a groundstroke during a tennis match, your body has 2.5 seconds of recovery and regeneration time between each stroke.

If you stand at the net with a hopper, feeding balls every 1 or 1.5 seconds, not only is your player not experiencing the a realistic recovery time in terms of getting back to the center of the court, but his body is not experiencing the same rest and regeneration period it will experience point after point after point, for two or three or four hours during a tennis match.

3) They Defy the Laws of Physics
Let's look at a classic drill used by teachers and coaches all over the world, and which you would never suspect is actually bad for your player.

1) The coach stands with a hopper deep in the ad court, and hits a deep ball to his
player across the net at the baseline, asking the player to hit the ball down the line
(to the deuce court).
2) The coach then feeds a short ball from the ad court and asks the student to hit an
approach shot down the line (to the deuce court) and come to the net.
3) The coach then feeds the player a ball from the ad court, which the player volleys
for a winner.
4) The player then runs back to the baseline and gets back in line.

Have you ever run this drill? What's the obvious flaw?

The article provides a more in-depth explanation of each of these areas, including of discussion of the two skills a player needs to develop before the stroke.