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The Pros and Cons of Teaching Carts
| One of our favorite pieces of equipment commonly seen on tennis courts is the teaching cart. The main purpose of the teaching cart is for storage and transport of large quantities of tennis balls. Often used by tennis teaching pros for feeding balls to their students, the teaching cart is a useful tool in many tennis teachers’ arsenal, and may be where teaching carts get their name. Manufactured by several companies, there is a variety of styles of teaching cart. Some models have accessories and replacement parts available.Tennis pro’s can help their players stroke development by feeding a consistent shot to the player’s strike zone. Instead of the player practicing on a live ball, balls fed at the net from a teaching cart can be repeatable and predictable. Not everyone agrees that feeding balls from the net is such a good idea.
In Stan Oley’s article, “What are You Really Doing to Your Player if You are Feeding from the Net?”, Stan stresses the importance of teaching pros feeding balls from a ball machine. Stan says that the problem with feeding from the net is that it, “produces a one-dimensional player”. He states this because, “most tennis lessons involve an instructor standing at the net feeding a simple ground stroke to the player at the baseline, or the instructor standing at the baseline feeding a simple volley to the player at the net”. Stan makes a great analogy to golf in his article. He says that playing an entire match with a one dimensional forehand, “would be like playing 18 holes of golf with just your driver”! Stan’s article presents a good argument in favor of wheeling out the ball machine instead of the teaching cart, but we will let you read it and decide for yourself. |
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| There are many pros who will agree that when it comes to storing and separating large numbers of balls, there is no equal to the teaching cart. Tennis pros frequently use different types of tennis balls and it is important that they do not get mixed. In one club there may be 10 or more pro’s who each use their teaching cart to manage and contain their own balls. Keeping Quick-Start (low compression) balls separate from regular balls is important. Cart Dividers are available, which insert into the cart to create two separate storage areas for tennis balls. |  |
The HOAG 350 is a popular model of teaching cart. We sell this model more often then any others. It is so popular in Nor Cal that we always keep them in-stock now, along with accessories, such as; the ball divider, replacement wheels, replacement lid, and vinyl cover. It has a lower shelf that hold your racquet, training aids, sunblock, water bottle etc.
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The HOAG 225 Teach ‘n’ Travel has folding legs, so it is easily transported in the trunk of a car.
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| The Gamma Folding Travel Cart & Bag holds 150 balls. The ball bag lifts out of cart and cart folds up. Carrying case included. Holds up to 150 balls. |  |
These are good models for the pro who teaches at more than one location.
| The Tennis Cart aka SportsCart has a few key features. It is made of durable molded plastic and has a lockable lid. This allows for the tennis balls to be completely enclosed from the elements. This cart also comes with an optional umbrella holder. Hopper holds 500 balls. It has two large wheels and two multi-directional casters. There is also an option to have 4 casters. Although we have never seen this option, it looks like the large wheels would simply be replaced by two more casters. This model has a lower shelf. It is more expensive than the HOAG but has a higher capacity. It is favorable in some cliamtes whre rust is a problem because it is constructed of plastic. Available in black or green. |  |
For more information about teaching carts (or any other court equipment, net, windscreen or ball machine) don’t hesitate to call Dave or Evan in the office (650) 563-9600 or email info@dhtennis.net
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