A mistake a lot of players make on the junior and intermediate level circuits is thinking that the only way to improve, the only way to get better, is simply by playing a lot of actual tennis matches and nothing more.
While that is undoubtedly one way to trigger a notable upswing (pun intended!) in your abilities, there are many unique and intriguing-looking devices out there to help you work on the more technical elements of your tennis.
Most of these will help you to fine-tune your personal game and allow you to experiment with different techniques. Tennis players are often creatures of habit who shy away from trying out new things but hey, what have you got to lose?!
…your money, you say?!
That’s a fair point right there, so that’s why we’re here to showcase some of the very tools and equipment available on the market currently so that you don’t go splashing the cash on something that’s not going to work.
Settle in as we try and help you find the very best tennis training aid.
Best Tennis Training Aids & Devices
Billie Jean King’s Eye Coach
What better way to start this list than with a product branded around one of the most influential tennis players of all time?
What’s so great about this is that it allows you to practice at your house on your own, which is fantastic in these times of global isolation due to the Coronavirus pandemic. You can work on several different shots over and over again until you find your rhythm, all without leaving your home creature comforts.
This is a tennis ball placed on the top of a mechanism that is designed to spring back upwards every time you hit it down. This means that, as long as you keep swinging away, you’ll be able to find a consistent rhythm that works for you. After a while of training, mishits and framed forehands will be a thing of the past!
This is being pushed as a revolutionary design that allows for shot improvement at a pace unheard of before. With an endorsement from the great Billie Jean King and coaches around the world maintaining that this has a proven track record of helping players keep their eye on the ball when hitting through shots, this has a lot going for it.
It’s brought together in a lightweight design that can be dismantled and placed in a carrier bag. It’s a little bit like your own personal ball machine to be taken wherever you like. This is easily in contention for the title of best tennis training device currently on the market.
Just make sure that you get the right sized version for you, as this comes in three different variations!
Pros:
- Allows you to train on your own
- You can work on shot variation
- Find your consistent hitting rhythm
- Three different size types
- Practice on your own
Cons:
- Expensive – but worth every cent
Spinshot-Player Tennis Ball Machine
This is a tennis ball machine that will sit on the baseline and fire tennis balls across the net at you for you to hit back.
That’s about it for this. Onto the next product…
OK, OK, we’re joking, there’s a bit more going on here!
Firstly, the Spinshot has ball spin variety! That means it’s not simply going to ping the same ball at you time and time again, oh no! This is going to keep you guessing and you can customize what sort of training rhythm you want to work out with the use of the free downloadable app that comes with the machine.
It’s also got wheels! This might not seem like a big deal but we reassure you, when you don’t need to put your back into lugging this tin can around, you’ll be thankful designers decided to add them on.
We’ve already mentioned that free mobile app. Well, this entire system can be controlled via your phone which is immensely handy when you want to mix things up slightly but are a bit too lazy to walk around to the other side of the court to change things up.
120 tennis balls can be fired from this before requiring a reload and so you’ll be able to quickly find a consistent rhythm before you need to collect them all in. Sadly, we haven’t as yet got an automatic tennis ball picker-upper machine yet… Hopefully, scientists are working on that now! But, you can always check out our list of the best tennis ball hoppers to help speed up your collection time.
This is probably the best tennis training aid if you’re looking at getting out on the tennis court to practice on your own. You won’t need a hitting partner which is hugely useful if – like us here at Mind the Racket! – you have no friends.
We’ve got a full list of the best tennis ball machines that you can check out for some more options.
Pros:
- 120 ball capacity
- Mobile control
- Maneuverable
- Strong metal design
- Practice on your own
Cons:
- Extremely expensive
- Pretty heavy
Perfect Pitch Rebounder
The best way to describe this is to get you to imagine a trampoline balanced on its side and then get you to imagine that you’re hitting tennis balls into it. That’s basically what this is!
This trampoline has been specifically designed to allow you to hit tennis balls into it though, which means that the arc that the ball takes through the air after bouncing off the surface will closely resemble a regular tennis shot flying through the air. You can work on shot consistency and keeping your eye on the ball at all times.
Another great training tool for practicing on your own, the Rebounder can be maneuvered around easily thanks to four interlocking wheels stationed at the corners of the lightweight metal frame. You can push this into the corner of your garden to work with out of sight if you prefer!
With an average of 1.6 seconds between hitting the ball and it being back within range to be struck again, the Rebounder provides that quick paced tennis experience that every player needs to work on mastering.
The Rebounder is a great little tool to help you work on the simple mechanics of forehand and backhand techniques on your own. You can work on setting up for shots and swinging through the ball time and time again to find that consistent rhythm you’re looking for.
Pros:
- Simulates real ball arcs through the air
- Work on quickly finding your hitting rhythm
- Practice on your own
- Lightweight metal design
Cons:
- A bit of an eye sore
TopspinPro – Tennis Training Aid
Ah, now this is a funny little design!
As the name would suggest, this is built to allow you to work on your topspin game. Applying spin to a ball is a difficult task and one that needs to be repeatedly practiced to fully master. The fundamentals of it are hard and that is where this device can help.
The screen frame around the central stationary ball is placed at the angle that your racket will need to be at to impart the desired amount of spin on the ball. If you’re someone who consistently finds yourself hitting into the net, the TopspinPro will help you to gain that much needed height over the net.
The ball itself is placed on a spring loaded panel in the center of the device and is properly ready to take the weight of your shot to allow you to swing to your heart’s desire. By the end of an extended practice session with this, you’ll be ripping topspin like only Rafael Nadal can!
This is also height adjustable, making it an ideal pick up for beginners and intermediate players of any and all ages. The lightweight and easy-carry nature of the TopspinPro means that you can also use it in the privacy of your own home to properly hone your skills away from watchful eyes.
This is likely the best training aid for tennis if we judge in terms of sheer reach around the world! Endorsed in over 80 different countries, the TopspinPro is here to stay and will suit you if you find your spin game to be somewhat lacking!
Pros:
- Improved spin technique
- Adjustable height
- Lightweight and manoeuvrable
- Practice on your own
Cons:
- A bit on dimensional
Topsin Master
OK, we’ll be honest, this does look a little bit like something out of a book on the planetary movements in space. For real, it wouldn’t look out of place in an observatory!
This is another topsin focused device, designed to get you working on ripping through your shots without requiring you to get to the local courts to practice. The bright orange orb stationed at the end of hitting lever will draw your eye to it and help you keep focused as you repeatedly swing away.
It’s durable too, ready to take all of the forces that imparting angled topspin results in. Lightweight and easily assembled, you can take the Topspin Master out for a 5 or a 30 minute practice session and just as easily store it away at the back of your wardrobe at a moments notice!
Before long, you’ll feel that practicing your topspin shots will begin to pay off in longer rallies as you’ll repeatedly find yourself able to clear the net in a controllable fashion without hitting beyond the baseline.
Height adjustable, the Topspin Master provides a great starting point for players looking to explore their topspin games without the fear of judgment or laughter from their opponents when out on the court.
If you’re someone looking for a way to stamp out flat ball-striking techniques from your game, this is for you. The next time you play your biggest rival, be sure to surprise them with that bit of extra kick on your shots!
Pros:
- Easily assembled and accessible
- Lightweight
- Durable
- Height adjustable
- Can practice on your own
- Portable
Cons:
- Doesn’t offer a well rounded training experience
Tennis Rebounder
This is like swingball but for tennis! Everyone loves swingball!
The central blue weighted column keeps the entire device down and allows you to attach the ball to it via an elasticated string, with the aim being to be able to repeatedly hit it and for it to spring back at you.
This has been put together with the sole intention of improving your shot selection and finding your rhythm regularly and quickly. With no opponent to distract you, you can swing freely without fear of any sort of criticism.
One of the best things about the Rebounder is how easy it is to carry around. Simply empty the central column of water, wrap the string around it and lift it up and off you can go. This is small and durable enough to toss in the back of your car and take on holiday with you if you want to continue to work on your game at all times. Perfect techniques takes no breaks is what we always say!
You’ll have likely seen these sort of devices being used by coaches at your local courts before and that’s because they’re immensely durable and hugely useful for building up junior shot consistency.
Honestly, these are so cheap that you may as well give it a go if only for the experience of trying it!
Pros:
- Cheap
- Lightweight
- Practice on your own
- Work on shot selection
Cons:
- Slightly basic
- Not the best training aid, but cheap and better than nothing
Oncourt Offcourt Tennis Grip Trainer
This is admittedly one of the more bizarre tools we’ve reviewed here at Mind the Racket! That’s not to say it’s not useful though!
If you find yourself struggling to hold your racket in a way that feels easily comfortable, these grip trainers can help you out. They slide between your fingers and offer that bit more stability until you find what works best for you.
These are hugely simplistic, made to instantly attach to your racket handle right out of the packet and you’ll be ready to try it out in a matter of seconds. You’ll immediately feel a difference as well, with the racket remaining stationary in your hands, even when returning powerful serves.
The Grip Trainer can be adjusted and fitted to suit any and all modern racket grips and so you won’t find an issue with using it unless you prefer swinging your racket from the frame and hitting the ball with the handle… If that’s you, let us know, we’d love to hear from you!
Good for both forehand and backhand grips, the Grip Trainer strives to help you find a natural way of holding your racket to help you further enjoy playing and improving. Gripping the racket properly is an immensely important part of tennis and if you’ve not got a technique that works for you, it can be frustrating and demoralizing.
If you find yourself at the end of your tether trying to find a relaxed racket holding position, give these a try and they might just surprise you! The cheap price tag makes it worth the pick-up regardless!
Pros:
- Cheap
- Work on forehand, backhand and volley grips
- Lightweight and durable
- Easy to use
Cons:
- Slightly simplistic
- Only suitable for beginners
The Total Serve Tennis ServeMaster
Finding and mastering a serve is arguably the most important part of improving the game of any player of any level. Serving is the one shot in tennis that you have full control over and that’s why it’s imperative that you have the best possible technique for finding those important aces.
Step forward, the ServeMaster.
A name like that, we’re hoping for good things!
This is basically like a big green elasticated and weighted whip of sorts. It is designed to help you replicate the weighty feel of a normal racket until you feel comfortable enough in your shots to try it out for real on the courts.
As long as you have enough space around you, you can use this at home on your own to work on perfecting your technique. Despite the name of the device, this isn’t only good for working on serves but can also be used to improve your forehand and backhand swings.
You can even take this out for a warmup before your opponent arrives to make absolutely sure that you’re ready to dismantle him in the match that you’re about to play.
The ServeMaster comes in a few different weight versions so make sure to check what weight your racket is before parting way with your hard earned dollars!
Pros:
- Work on your shot technique
- Practice on your own
- Different weight variations
- Affordable
Cons:
- Slightly strange design
SwingVision: A.I. Tennis App – Apple Watch App
OK, now we’re getting REALLY technical!
This application is backed by professional player investors including Andy Roddick and James Blake so we know what we’re dealing with here is the real deal.
Built by A.I. programmers at both Tesla and Apple, this app gathers data from your own game by using just one single camera. It then provides you with its findings through a series of numbered charts and statistics.
You following us so far?
This is absolutely designed for those of us who are wired to be a bit more aware of in-depth play-by-play shot analysis. It won’t be majorly beneficial for beginners or even intermediates still trying to find their footing on the court.
Having said that, if you’re someone who feels like a bit more information on your specific shots and error count will be beneficial to you in the long-run, this will be well-worth your while trying out.
Advanced players will find themselves geeking-out over how smooth the overall presentation of this application is. Of course, you’ll need an Apple Watch to record all the data, but if you’ve got one, then this is well worth a try.
Pros:
- Tech! A lot of tech!
- Gathers in-depth data for you analyse
- Intuitive design and interface
- Measure you improvement and development
Cons:
- Requires Apple Watch
- Expensive if you don’t have an Apple Watch
Big B Pro Sports Speed Agility Training Set
Wow! Now this! This looks like a solid collection of all things fun and exciting!
Put together to allow you to have all the equipment necessary for a diverse and unique training regime, the Agility Training Set is a perfectly packaged variety of items to allow you to experiment with how you work on your technique and footwork.
Using high quality and durable materials, the sheer amount of different bits and bobs in here for you to pull out and try makes it an appealing offering if you’re looking for a new way of working on your tennis.
This comes with a LOT. We’ve got endurance bands, an agility ladder, a small adjustable parachute to help with resistance running, flexible training cones, rubber markers, skipping ropes… This is fantastic and all of it comes in a small bag to be carried around with you wherever you please.
Train out in your back-garden, in your bedroom (as long as your floors are secure…) or even just down at your local courts if you don’t have a training partner for that day! The great thing about this is that you can use the individual items on your own whenever you fancy a quick workout.
This set provides a great way for you to properly work on your foot speed and general footwork as you move around a tennis court.
ALSO! The price of this set makes it a great option to toss in your basket and head to the checkout without being concerned about breaking the bank.
Pros:
- A ton of variety
- Train on your own
- High quality gear
- Something for everyone
- Allows training regimes that translate well to tennis
Cons:
- Won’t develop technique or specific tennis skills
Speed and Strength Leg Resistance Bands
We’re rounding out our list with a product that you’ll likely have seen before. Used by athletes the world over to help them prepare for their big sporting moments, resistance bands are a must have for preparing for that must win tennis match.
This set has several different sizes and color bands to allow you to properly experiment with different techniques for using them to work your entire body. Muscles you didn’t even know you had will be getting woken up when you strap these on!
There’s a brilliant lifetime warranty offered on this selection of bands, meaning that you can wrap them on and get to it without concerning yourself with wear and tear.
Not that these bands aren’t durable of course. Absolutely the opposite in fact! Made out of lightweight and highly stretchable nylon, the bands are ready for you to practice proper tennis all-court movement and strength conditioning training.
If you’re concerned about not knowing quite what you’re doing with these, have no fear. There’s a downloadable training app to help you work through the ins and out of how to go about using resistance bands in the proper way. We do NOT want you twisting a muscle due to improper technique!
A great product for intermediate and advanced tennis players looking to work on strengthening their core muscles to improve their games, resistance bands are well worth trying out at least once to see if they’re for you!
Pros:
- Use as a home work out
- Great selection of bands
- Reasonable price
- Build core muscle strength
Cons:
- Doesn’t help improve technique
How to Pick a Training Aid for Tennis
If you’re sitting here having read through all of that and you’re wondering “but isn’t there an all in one option for training aids?!”, unfortunately, there’s not.
But wait! Before your heart breaks into a million pieces of despair as you envisage yourself having to buy all these different things, stop.
You absolutely do NOT need every single little training aid item.
For one thing, they won’t all suit your game. If you’re a beginner, it’s unlikely you’ll be hugely keen on looking at resistance bands in hopes of improving your overall tennis. If you’re a more advanced player, you’re probably going to want to stay clear of the topspin training devices we’ve listed.
Take your time with this decision. These are important tools you’re going to be investing in!
Final Thoughts
And we’ve passed the chequered flag once more!
Well, almost…
Thank you for joining us on this journey to find the absolute best tennis training aid for you personally. We hope you’ve found some value in what we’ve discussed today and if you have, feel free to hang around a bit and head back up the page to take a closer look at some of those aids we’ve listed.
We’d like to reiterate that you should take your time selecting what kind of training aid you’d like to use. If you’re lucky enough to have a coach, discuss with them what your options are. If you don’t have a coach, make a list of areas in your game you feel need improvement and work forward from there.
Soon, you’ll be improving your game in ways that you didn’t know were imaginable without the new aid you’ve got helping you out.
Enjoy the ride and we’ll see you out there on the courts!
…And there’s the chequered flag!
