Putting the Slinger Launcher Bag through its paces...
Tennis like many other sports benefits from repetition of the same strokes, the more times you hit the ball the better the muscle memory!
That’s where using a ball machine can help improve your game. Ball machines have come into their own over the past two years as various restrictions have meant not having opponents to play against.
So we put to test the Slinger Bag, a portable tennis ball launcher, at our local park to see how it fared…
Overview
The major benefit of the launcher for your average tennis player is portability. The handle and wheels make it so easy to roll to your local courts, it’s similar to rolling a large case and for anyone who’s ever handled a pram, bumping up and down the pavement is a cinch! However, once you hit the courts the launcher really comes into its own as you appreciate how easy it is to control the speed and length of the feed to simulate a variety of real-life scenarios. You can even set it to feed balls for serve practice (although even on the slowest feed you do need to be quick to make sure you catch every one!)
We started off setting it mid court at medium feed and medium/high speed, creating a nice baseline delivery. The remote means you can get in position before starting the feed. The feed itself delivered consistent topspin balls and after hitting the 72 balls, we were quite pleased to get a breather when collecting in the balls with the Slinger Telescopic Ball Tube! Using the Slinger Oscillator, added a much greater level of cardio workout, and a very realistic random ball feed.
Next up we played with the height control to get the perfect feed for volleys and overheads. It took a few changes and a bit trial and error to get the perfect feed, so it’s worth having a notebook to jot down all the settings for the different drills.
There are plenty of drills available to try online, and in our upcoming post we’ll collate the best drills for ball machines.
There’s plenty of space in the bag for extras like towels, water, and another great little added extra is a USB port for phone recharging (especially useful if you take lots of footage of you hitting balls !).
So what did we think? Overall it’s a great piece of equipment for the beginner, intermediate or advanced player, to use as a personal ball machine.
For more information on the Slinger Bag from the UK distributor visit: https://slingerbaguk.frameworksports.com
KEY FACTS
144
Ball Capacity
10mph/16kmh Minimum Launch Speed
45mph/73kmh
Maximum Launch Speed
(with match level topspin)
5 hours
Battery Life
ACCESSORIES
