SAN FRANCISCO, Ca., June 13 – So your forehand's faltering, your backhand's broken, your service return is swing-and-miss, and — worst of all — nobody has time to help you work out the kinks. Better hang up that racket and pick up a 3-wood, right? Wrong.
Mercantila Does Tennis Ball Machines!
How did a computer geek put muscle into your tennis training? In the Beginning. The tennis ball machine market began with a race to the starting line in 1970. That year, Bob McClure founded tennis-equipment titan Prince by building the first home ball machine in his garage; within months, Lob-ster followed with a model of its own. Prince has moved on to apparel and gear, but Lob-ster has endured. Other brands like Sports Tutor and zealous new kid SAM have joined the market to put game training — no partner required! — in home and commercial courts the world over.
Innovations
Nothing raises a level of play like a good opponent. Each brand's particular strength — Lob-ster's durability; Sports Tutor's portability; SAM's technical advancements — has forced its competitors to keep pace. Now all machines above $500 can be moved from court to court, provide thousands upon thousands of repetitions, and offer features to train even a finely tuned game. SAM — formerly marketed under the Prince name — was the market's most recent addition. The line debuted in 1990 as the brainchild of computer robotics whiz H. Daniel Elbaum, who combined egghead acumen with Wimbledon and U.S. Open champ Neale Fraser's input to deliver machines with the market's most sophisticated programming.
What’s In It For You?
Price. You're not a pro — at least not yet — and you aren't expected to spend like one. You can get unlimited hitting sessions for under $1,000. (It's cheaper than a year of therapy).
Premium programs. Oh, you are a pro? Apologies — but these machines can still improve your game. Spins, trajectories, random oscillation, two-line drills, high speeds, remote control, and programmable training patterns are some of the innovations that have pushed the market envelope in recent years.
Portability. Today's models are either lightweight, wheeled, or both. Many are battery-powered making them suitable for any court, and most of the plug-in models are built to fit in your car for easy mobility.
Power preferences. Battery-powered models — pioneered by Sports Tutor — introduced a focus on portability to the market. AC-powered (plug-in) models offer limitless practice duration on courts with outlets.
Meet your match:
If everyone had the same strokes, the same setting, and the same budget, choosing your ball machine would be easy (and boring). The least we can do is offer our expertise to narrow down our vast selection to a few favorites:
| Top gun: Lob-ster Elite Three; $1,549 |  A top-shelf combination — two-line drill for multiple-player training and triple oscillation to place ball into any spot on the court — at a mid-range price. Battery-powered, so you can take it to the local park and show it off. | | Top saver: i-SAM; $611.99 |  This model packs a wallop in the lower price range: 250-ball capacity for long workout sessions without ball pick-up, random oscillation to train movement and shot variety. | | Top shelf: Shotmaker Super Deluxe; $3,999.99 |  Okay, so the name is hokey. But this is one serious machine: speeds up to 95 mph, all sorts of programming (it'll even remember your programs for you), every shot in the book, remote control, etc. Hand-delivered by Maria Sharapova- made you look! | | Topsy-turvy: Tennis Twist; $199 |  Unique in price, design, and function. It's the lightest machine on the market, and its mesmerizing spiral ball feed and low, safe speeds make it the perfect choice for kids and beginners. | | | Save & Share |  $50-on-$500!
Take $50 off any tennis ball machine over $500. Enter Coupon code T3NS8J at checkout. Coupon valid through 6/22/2006 at | | |
| Top Brand | It's not just the battery-power pioneer; its products are favored by amateurs and ATP training centers alike for their compact size, light weight, and heavy-hitting training features. Sports Tutor standards are exacting and uncompromising, and your game will be the better for it.
The Sports Tutor Store | |
| Penny For Your Thoughts? |  We sell a lot of stuff. Is there any particular line of products that's always mystified / fascinated you? (Go on, admit it. We're retail freaks. We're into this.)
Tell us why you're so curious -- give us a good enough story, and we'll give you the inside scoop. (Nobody wants pennies these days anyway.) Send your reply to readers@mercantila.com | | |
