Tennis ball shooters are used by casual and professional tennis players around the world. Tennis ball shooters help improve the tennis player’s skills. These attributes include, reaction time, accuracy, strength, and agility. However, not many people begin to think about how these machines actually function. While they seem like simple gadgets that just lob balls at you, they are complicated machines that have many different components.
A tennis ball machine requires electricity and a supply of balls in order to function. When powered on, an electric fan begins to turn on and draw air from outside, while being pushed into a bin. Being transported into the bin can be dangerous to the fan motor because of tiny pieces of debris being sucked in by the fan. However, within the launcher there is a piece of foam and screen barrier that prevents debris from damaging the fan motor. Additionally, there is an electric motor hopper inside the tennis ball launcher.
The electric motor hoper uses to wheels to squeeze the balls together and put them under intense pressure. From the overwhelming pressure, it forces the balls into a cylindrical tube. The cylindrical tube then leads to a small opening which is where the tennis balls launch out of. When the ball enters the tube it creates an airtight seal at the end of the tube and a flap over the entrance of the tube causes pressure to gather. When the air pressure on the ball overwhelms resistance from the tube, it causes the ball to shoot out down the barrel and launch out the machine. Then when the ball is launched and the pressure is let out ,the flap is released and another ball enters the barrel. The process is continued and repeated until there are no balls left inside the machine.
A feature of the a tennis ball launcher is also creating specific types of tennis shots that the player wishes to practice. These types of shots, are created from the rotation speed of the wheels. For example, if the player wishes to practice hitting balls with topspin then they can set the rotation speed of the top wheel to be faster than the bottom wheel. Allowing the players to choose what type of shot they want to hit allows players to get better and improve their skills at returning hits. Tennis ball shooters are important to professional and casual tennis players alike.
Related Stories:
https://www.businessinsider.com/how-a-tennis-ball-machine-works-2016-2
Take Action:
https://www.tennis-warehouse.com/Tennis_Ball_Machines/catpage-COURTEQ.html
