Your hitting partner cancelled. You still want to play. Here's what you can do in Christchurch on your own.
Hitting walls
A wall is the cheapest coach there is. It shows you very quickly which shots you can't repeat.
Burwood Park has a volley wall, along with a ball machine, but both sit behind club membership. Wilding Park in Linwood has the famous one. Bjorn Borg hit on it, it came through the earthquakes, and plans in 2020 had it being restored. Ring Tennis Canterbury on 03 389 6484 before you go to check it's open for casual use.
Ball machines
Burwood Park lists a ball machine for supervised use as a membership benefit. Adult membership (25+) is $290 for the 2026/27 year and includes free court booking through the club's gate system.
A bag of balls and a public court
Serving needs nothing else. Take as many balls as you own to one of the free public courts, serve the lot, pick them up, go again. Twenty minutes of that is a decent serve session.
Why this matters
Solo practice is good for your strokes. It's no fun as a habit, though, and a lot of solo sessions happen because nobody was free at the same time. That's the problem Hitter is built for: finding a player near you, at your level, when you're both free.
More at hitter.nz.
