Ball Machine
Learn to use the tennis club’s practice machine
The Perth Tay Tennis Club has a ball machine for its members to practice with, kept in the container to the left of Court 1. Here’s where to find it, and how to use it.
First, make sure to sign out the ball machine, so we know how often it’s been used for maintanence reasons.
Check the solar charger in the corner. If the green light on the right side is lit, the machine is ready for use.
Next, disconnect the machine from the charger.
Place the wooden ramp at the door of the container, and simply roll the machine out. You shouldn’t ever have to lift it, but if you do, always lift only from the red areas of the machine. Just roll it out, and it’s off to the court!
Make sure you lock the container behind you. The code for the padlock is 7882.
Once you’re at the court, roll the machine into place at the baseline, at the T.
To start using the machine, first ensure that the top row of switches are all in the OFF position.
The FEED RATE dial should be turned all the way to the left, to the OFF position.
The SPEED dial should be somewhere in the middle, at around 40 miles an hour.
And the SPIN dial should be right in the middle, on FLAT.
Once all the initial settings are in place, you can turn the power switch ON. The green light at the bottom should illuminate, and the maching will start spinning up. You can now set the FEED RATE to around 7 or 8 seconds to start launching balls.
Watch a few balls to see where they go, then adjust the settings to your liking.
To change the height of the shot, hold up or down on the ELEVATION switch as needed.
The SPEED dial controls the strength of the shot, and the SPIN dial will add topspin or backspin.
Once the settings are as you like them, turn the REMOTE CONTROL switch to ON, and press the FEED button on the remote. This will effectively put the machine on pause while you get into position. Once you’re on the other side of the net, press the FEED button again, and the machine will continue.
At this point, you know how to use the machine to get a consistant flight and speed. But the ELITE TWO is also able to add some randomness to more closely simulate actual game conditions.
Before you make any changes, make sure to turn the REMOTE CONTROL switch to the OFF position. Having the remote enabled effectively locks the machine’s settings, and will override any changes made on the dashboard.
If you want the ball to sweep side to side, turn the HORIZONTEL switch ON.
If you want the ball to sweep up and down, turn the VERTICAL switch ON.
When you’re done, turn the REMOTE CONTROL back ON.
Once you’re done using the machine, turn the POWER switch to OFF, and return the remote to it’s loop on the back of the hopper.
Then just put all the balls back into the machine, and wheel it back to the container.
Replace the ramp in the doorway, and wheel the machine back into its corner.
Plug in the charging cable, confirm on the SIGN OUT form that the machine is in working condition, and the remote is back on its loop.
If you have any issues with the machine, please report them to the club.
Remeber to lock the storage container when you’re finished, and enjoy using the ball machine!