I have said this a few times – tennis is a hard sport to learn. Tennis training aids are a great way to improve your skills and take your game to the next level. Whether you’re a beginner or an advanced player, training aids can help you work on specific areas of your game. From serves to ground strokes and from sweet-spot hitting to footwork, there’s a tennis training aid out there for you.
In this post, we’ll explore six tennis training aids that I believe are worth checking out. The tennis training tools and aids covered here are targeted at beginner and intermediate-level players. So, here they are.
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The Sweet Spotter
Concept: Improve the precision, timing, and posture of your strokes
This one is not for beginners. However, it may make a good investment for younger players who are serious about improving their game.
Imagine two players playing tennis with baseball bats!
The Sweet Spotter is a baseball-like bat that mimics the length and weight of a tennis racquet. To keep the ball in play, players have to hit the ball with precision and timing, ensuring correct posture and form. As part of the design, a clean stroke with the Sweet Spotter generates a distinct sound as a form of auditory encouragement.
If you can consistently hit groundstrokes and serves with the Sweet Spotter, you probably don’t need it.
The Functional Tennis Saber
Concept: Improve accuracy and consistency through sweet-spot hitting
If you are looking for a tennis training aid that looks and feels like an actual tennis racquet, the Functional Tennis Saber might be the one for you. The concept behind the Tennis Saber is simple: offer players a sweet spot training aid that looks and feels like a tennis racquet but with a smaller head that forces them to focus while hitting the ball.
High-level specs, such as the weight and grip size of the mid-sized Tennis Saber, are comparable to popular adult tennis racquets. The key difference is in the head size, which comes in at 37 square inches, which is considerably smaller than regular tennis racquets. The idea is that players who train with the Saber develop hitting accuracy and consistency while building up a good feel for the racquet’s sweet spot.
Here’s a video of some pros trying out the Tennis Saber.
Unlike many training aids, the Saber does not require significant changes to your current grip and playing style, making it easier for players to transition between the training tool and their racquets. The Tennis Saber comes pre-strung and ready for you to start training.
At around $165, the Saber is priced like a mid-range tennis racquet and is available for worldwide shipping. You can buy the Functional Tennis Saber here.
Or, add it to your Christmas wish list!
TopspinPro
Concept: Improve topspin and racquet swing technique
Technically, this tool could be used by beginners to understand and learn the topspin swing path, and by more advanced players to fine-tune their technique. The design of the TopspinPro’s screen panel and the attached ball helps users hit the ball in the much-touted windshield wiper motion, needed for heavy topspin.
The good thing about the TopspinPro is that you can set it up in your basement or backyard and don’t need to be on a tennis court to train with it. The height-adjustable tool can be moved around and folded away when not in use.
At last check, the TopspinPro was listed as “Currently Unavailable” on Amazon.com. However, you can pick it up from Amazon.ca for $250. It is not an inexpensive tennis training aid!
Pop-Up Targets
Concept: Developing shot accuracy
As the name suggests, Pop-Up Targets help you practice aiming your shots to develop better accuracy on the court. The pop-up targets can be attached to the net at a position that you want to practice hitting to. Hitting balls through a target that is 26” high and 19” wide is guaranteed to improve your accuracy in hitting passing shots, serves, and other groundstrokes. The portable nature of this training aid perhaps makes it one of the more usable training aids.
Here’s a video of this training aid in use. The video is dated, but it still demonstrates the concept.
The ServeMaster
Concept: Develop muscle memory and improve serving technique
If you have ever had a coach who suggested that you stuff a long sock with a few tennis balls and use it as a tool to practice your serve, you may like this one. The tool has a handle similar to that of a tennis racquet and is designed to simulate the swing of a serve. Available in three specs, its length and weight are similar to that of a real tennis racquet. When swung the right way, it goes through the muscle movements involved in a tennis serve. The symmetrical design is intended to suit both right and left-handed players and the markings on the handle help in perfecting the grip while using the tool.
The ServeMaster is a tool that you can use indoors as long as you have enough room. Just make sure that you don’t end up breaking things. Totalserve.com lists ServeMaster products, starting at $64.95.
- Serve Tool and Swing Trainer for Tennis Training
- Learn to serve like the pros
- Can be used to practice ground strokes and overheads.
Start Rite Grip Trainer
Concept: Perfect the continental grip.
If you are a diehard proponent of the Western grip, this gadget may not be for you.
Simply put, this is a gadget that helps you perfect the continental grip which is used by most players for serves, volleys, and overhead shots. If you are unsure of what a continental grip is, check out this post.
Essentially, the Grip Trainer acts as a physical deterrent that limits the movement of your hand on the racquet handle forcing you to stay with the continental grip.
The Start Rite Grip Trainer can come in handy if you have taken up Pickleball recently.
- Tennis grip trainer swing tool
- The Start Rite Grip Trainer is a teaching must-have
- Get a feel for the continental and other grips in minutes
At the end of the day, tennis tools and aids can only help you build on the skills that you already possess. Nothing can beat a few lessons from a coach or a friend who knows the game well.
So there you have it. Are there other modestly priced tennis aids that should have made the list?
Hi. I think that it is not a good idea to say that tennis is hard to learn. It is a question of how the coach starts. My opinion is the opposite. Base it on natural movements and kopi the best players. I have been teaching beginners for more than 30 years. We can do the same movements as the pros. You just have to know them. I´m a tennis nerd. good luck out there.
Hans from Denmark
Hello Dax,
I think our PermaWrist training aid is a great tool and may be even better than Racket Bracket since ours works without choking up on the racket. http://www.aaswing.com/permawrist.html.
The ServeMaster makes a lot of sense. I hate seeing beginners “pancake slap” serves.
Coming to market soon is another training aid that is getting a lot of notice – the GripFinder. FREE prototypes available for testing at tennisgripfinder.com.
Speaking of tennis serves – here is an interesting article that explains why no tennis players play their second serve with the same risk profile as their first.
http://fivethirtyeight.com/datalab/why-tennis-players-dont-take-more-risks-on-second-serves/
Thanks Joe!
I read the post. Good analysis, supported by numbers…
Very cool…I might have to look into one if these!
Thanks Dave!
I think the ServeMaster is a good bet. Here’s another video on it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFlSBM1DYcQ