WATCH: Tennis365 tried out Slinger Bag and we loved everything about it

Kevin Palmer

The first thing you notice when you turn up with a Slinger Bag at your local tennis club is that you quickly become the centre of attention.

As racket bags go, this is a pretty hefty piece of luggage for an amateur player, so intrigue is quickly replaced by anticipation over what comes next.

Then when the Slinger Bag is unleashed in all its glory, the interest moves on to a whole different level. 

Slinger Bag takes the ball feeding machine to a whole new level, with the slickness and quality of the product complemented by how easy it is to use.

Tennis365 were given a chance to trial the Slinger Bag and within a minute of walking onto court, our portable practice partner was firing balls at us with an accuracy you would struggle to find unless an A team club player was at a loose end and agreed to hit with you for an hour.

With a neat remote control to start and stop the flow of balls and the ability to change the range and speed of the feed, this is a product that does everything it says on the label and has the potential to change the way players of all standards work on their game. 

“Joe Kalfa, an avid tennis player, had this crazy idea that quickly became a core mission for him: that everyone should be able to own a tennis ball launcher,” Slinger Bag CMO Juda Honickman told Tennis365.

“He loved the concept of tennis ball launchers, and always used them when he was at the club and they were available. Problem was, they weren’t always available, or easy to use, or even good for that matter.

“He knew that to make a tennis ball launcher for everyone, besides being simple and incredible, it would have to be both portable and affordable. So we got to work, and we couldn’t be prouder of the end product.

“While Slinger will work for any level player, our initial idea behind the product was for individuals, which is why we focused on portability, affordability and versatility. We are also seeing many clubs, schools, coaches and pros from around the world using and benefiting from Slinger. 

“The current Slinger Machine allows you to edit the ball feed’s trajectory while the insertion of the unique Slinger Bag Oscillator plate on which the Slinger Bag can sit allows the Slinger Bag to oscillate. The Oscillator is included in all of our Grand Slam Packs.”

Dustin Brown

Dustin Brown is the latest player to sign up as a Slinger Bag ambassador and he likes what he sees as he stated: I love everything that Slinger Bag stands for as a product and brand. For me, tennis has always been about expressing myself on the court

“As a player, I rely on my creativity, and practicing with the Slinger Bag enables me to work on anything I dream up.

“Growing up, I didn’t always have someone to play tennis with when I wanted to. But with the Slinger Bag, the entire tennis experience, whether it is hitting with a friend or training for a match, is re-imagined. It is the perfect playing partner and I think will help to encourage the next generation of players to bring some more creativity to the court.”

Slinger Bag would be the ultimate companion for any coach, with the ability to stand next to your student as you work on fine-tuning their game offering the opportunity to take the level of technical advice to a new level.

From the perspective of the player, Slinger Bag provides a workout that you will never get playing with your friends and that is down purely to the number of balls you can hit using this electronic practice partner. 

In a doubles match, you will only hit a few balls over the course of a five-minute burst of action, but you can hut 100 balls with Slinger Bag firing at you over the same period. That means the fitness element of this product separates it from a human practice partner and you can also work on your game in private, without feeling the need to try and win points against an opponent.

The cost price of £795 ensures Slinger Bag is affordable for clubs and individuals, while you could team up with a couple of your regular practice partners to own a share of a bag to make it more cost-effective. For more information, look here: https://slingerbaguk.frameworksports.com/.

The Tennis365 verdict: Every tennis club needs a Slinger Bag to be made available to members and once you have tried it, there is every chance you will be dipping into your saving account to get one delivered to your front door.

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