Sports Attack was founded 1995 in Reno, NV. To say that we are manufacturers of quality sports training equipment just seems to not capture the essence of who we are. We do not just design our products; we explore, scrutinize, analyze and engineer our products. We do not just manufacture or assemble our equipment; we build each one from the ground up, by hand, the old fashioned way. And all of it, every part, every wheel, every motor, every element of every machine is made in the United States. 

We view our suppliers through the lens of our mission statement, as a critical part of the design and development of our equipment. After fabrication and prior to shipment the equipment is tested thoroughly, every aspect of every unit. This insures the product reliability on which our brand is built. Our process represents who we are; distinctive and exclusive design, detailed and quality manufacturing, resulting in innovative, effective training equipment.

While the company was founded in 1995, our design and manufacturing folks pre-date the first wheel machines in the baseball industry, over 40 years ago. There have been a lot of changes over the course of these years but none greater than the introduction of the third wheel to the traditional pitching machine, finally achieving the unobstructed vision and the resulting timing so critical to hitting. 

Our corporate integrity is a critical asset and we are committed to upholding it worldwide. We set high standards and we abide by them as we practice business fairly and behave ethically. We wholeheartedly believe in, enthusiastically embrace and relentlessly pursue our company's mission.

To thoroughly understand the entire range of features necessary for a volleyball machine we relied heavily on the expertise of successful coaches at all levels, from young club coaches to international teams. We analyzed countless practice sessions and drills to further identify key features necessary to develop players and support the training needs of coaches. 

It quickly became apparent that the sport was growing rapidly and quickly becoming much more sophisticated. With the advent of the jump serve, the game had changed; serving became a much more dominant factor. This meant that a volleyball machine intending to exactly replicate every aspect of the game had to be able to deliver servers from a high release point with considerable velocity. No longer adequate was a simple setting machine that only lobbed the ball.

We concluded that while our machine needed to be able to provide a low ball release point for setting; it was imperative that it also provide a much higher above-the-net release point for exact replication of serves and spikes for digging drills. In addition, to produce an all-important jump serve, the machine had to deliver high velocity, controlled top spin and floaters that could be repeated. This would provide the much needed controlled repetition for serve-receiving drills. It was evident how important variability was to matching game-like play, so the ability to instantly change ball placement on the court was also crucial. 

The major problem presented was how a coach or player could easily raise or lower the throwing head while maintaining stability and easy access.  This was achieved by a framework containing a platform for the operator and a tilted mast that maintains the equipment’s center of gravity within the confines of the base of the machine as the throwing head is raised. The position of the operator then becomes an integral part of the machine’s stability. 
Next was the need to change ball placement between throws in order to add the necessary variations found in some drills and game situations. 

We accomplished this through a dual-axes throwing head that allows the operator to instantly pivot the throwing head in any direction and place the ball in any desired location on the court, quickly changing between throws.  This provided game tempo and realistic repetition of sets, serves, spikes and entry passes.

Because of the need for spin, velocity and the elevation of the throwing head, we choose wheels to propel the ball.  Wheels are compact and are the only way to efficiently impart variable spin and speed.  However, an initial concern was ball wear. 


We addressed this in two ways.  First we designed a convexed contoured wheel that uniformly distributed the contact forces, eliminating the high wear contact points. Then we developed a soft wheel gripping surface that further reduced wear. 

Together, these two unique features virtually eliminated any concern of ball wear. 

Since the introduction of the Attack, Attack II and the Skill Attack, 90% of the teams reaching the final four in college competition have used our machine as a key training tool throughout the season.  

Today, our volleyball equipment is standard for leading national, college, high school and club programs across the country.  With our explosive growth internationally, the Attack machines have truly become the number one volleyball
machine in the world.

Members of our product design group grew-up in the baseball industry, from playing the sport to coaching it, all the way to designing and manufacturing some of the first pitching machines. Through years of intimate personal experience as well as significant relationships developed through the years with baseball coaches at all levels, our folks were not only keenly aware of the needs of the coach and player but also understood both the strengths and weaknesses of each pitching machine design that had been manufactured over the years.  

The first arm machines that were used were unguarded, leading to some very tragic accidents.  Arm machines then needed to be heavily guarded, limiting the vision advantage.  Due to the enormous recoil generated by the arm, the machines also had to be bolted to concrete pads, making them stationery and not available for field or fungo work.  Even today arm machines remain bulky and massive. The strengths of this design was some level of vision and timing.  The weaknesses were that it was limited to only fastballs, completely immobile and still carried a concern for safety. 

The innovators of the wheel machines saw the ability to throw curve balls as the ultimate feature in pitching machines. While the initial wheel machines threw curve balls, they ignored the need for portability and for guarding throwing wheels.  Slowly improvements were made to introduce some portability and fungo capabilities but essentially the basic design has stayed the same.  The strength of these units was certainly the curve ball although they required awkward and time consuming adjustments in order to change the type of pitch.  One of the major deficiencies was the lack of the all important vision and timing feature. This meant that wheel-driven pitching machines at the higher levels of play were frequently considered just pre-season or off-season tools, avoided during the season because it was felt they affected a hitter’s sense of timing.   

Following the two-wheel machines, the disc machine was introduced.  It provided some vision and timing along with the ability to do effective fungo work.  For this it sacrificed breaking pitches, a huge deficiency.   
We concluded that the ultimate pitching machine should be accurate, have adequate velocity, throw breaking pitches, have fungo capabilities, be portable and above all, provide the all important vision and timing. 

Our design began by identifying wheels as the most efficient ball throwing mechanism.  Wheels can throw breaking pitches, provide accuracy, and deliver the much needed speed.  The true uniqueness to our machine is the use of a third wheel.  The location of the three wheels visually opens the ball chute, allowing the hitter to see the ball through acceleration and release, providing complete vision and timing.  

By simply changing wheel speed, any breaking pitch could be instantly dialed in as the third wheel eliminated the need to pivot the throwing head when changing pitches.  Accuracy and ball control was also increased due to the increased amount of ball surface being captured.  Additional benefits of the third wheel were a reduction of throwing wheel and ball wear.


Other important characteristics of the design were to incorporate safety features that kept the operator protected from moving parts.  Ease of vertical and horizontal controls were also key for pitch location and fungo work.  In addition, portability was a requirement, providing the mobility on and off the field and for storage.

Because of the features of the Hack Attack, major league coaches are now using a pitching machine not only all season in practices but also prior to games in warm-ups.  They are frequently setting the machine to simulate the pitches their hitters will be facing that night.  Even pinch hitters are hitting off of the machine just prior to being called up. 

With the validity of the timing element, even many coaches who avoid pitching machines all together in the past, now include them as an important tool in their daily practice. Taking notice, teams at all levels are replacing existing machines for the new Hack Attack.

For younger players and specific drills at all levels of competition, the Hack Attack was quickly followed by the Junior Hack Attack.  It is equal in quality but designed for use at shorter distances.

The Junior is perfect for use at home in backyard cages, little league practices, machine pitch games and travel ball.  

Our depth of knowledge and experience with softball parallels that of baseball. Thus extending the attributes of the baseball machine to address the needs of softball was a natural for us. Analyzing the existing softball pitching machines in 2003 we found that the basic design had not changed for many years.

There had always been little attention to safety, portability or ease of operation and the majority of the machines were very awkward and difficult to operate, especially for women. The most popular unit at the time was a snubbing-action inefficient one-wheel machine that experienced excessive recoil, high ball wear, but most importantly, could not duplicate the riser and other breaking pitches that are standards of the game. 

To thoroughly meet the needs of the softball coach and player, the only changes necessary to the baseball Hack Attack design was an adjustment to accommodate the larger softball and the lower release point needed to simulate a live softball pitcher.

Our three-wheel machine delivers every softball breaking pitch, from the riser to right and left-handed drops. With the key features of portability, safety, vision and timing that is inherent in the design, the Softball Hack Attack quickly caught the attention of leading college and high school programs across the nation. 

When looking at the sport of tennis it became obvious that one of the most important elements of the game, serve-receiving, was neglected in practice sessions. The right and left handed kick serves were almost impossible to practice against as they were extremely difficult for an individual to deliver with any significant repetition. A consistent high-kick serve was also not available from any existing tennis machine as serving capabilities were an after thought to ground strokes when most of the equipment was designed. Some expensive and awkward add-ons attempted to lift what were basically groundstroke machines to serving height in an attempt to provide serve-receiving practice, but because they were ground stroke machines they had neither the velocity nor the ability to put right or left handed spins on the ball, not at all simulating the needed high-kicks. 
 
  We identified many key features through our extensive discussions with tennis pros, college coaches and competitive players at all levels. We quickly learned that machine durability and reliability was an industry-wide problem as many units would only function for one or two seasons before requiring substantial maintenance or service. The need for portability on and off the court along with the desperately desired ability to deliver a realistic serve were also on the top of our list of machine requirements.
 
  Our research resulted in significant design challenges that included the need for high velocity, varying planes of high degrees of spin, and an easy method of raising the throwing head from a low groundstroke level to a realistic 9' serving height. These abilities to the degree required were beyond the scope of existing machines but based on Sports Attack's extensive ball throwing experience and reputation for equipment with the highest level of performance and quality, were much easier for our product development team to overcome. 

Our proven three-wheel throwing system solved the velocity challenge. By gripping the ball at three points using our unique, patented three-wheel design, high speeds were easily attained. High degrees of spin were obtained by simply changing the speed of each of the three wheels. Again, the efficiency of the three-wheels allowed the throwing head to be compact enough to be combined with a large ball reservoir and still be light enough to be quickly elevated up to the required 9'. A linear actuator supplied the power to raise and lower the throwing head with a click of a switch. 

When addressing the portability feature, we began with a wide stabilizing "H-shaped" base. The width and length were to ensure the utmost stability, especially in the serving mode. The base also facilitated the moving of the machine on and off the court, allowing it to easily pass through awkward court entrances and tight doorways for storage. 

Quality considerations entered into the very basis of the design. The powerful linear activator-driven elevating system drives the patented cantilevered means used to raise and lower the throwing mechanism and ball reservoir from ground stroke level to serving height efficiently, quickly and safely. The open design provides accessibility to all moving parts and complete visibility of ball acceleration. Power-coated weather resistant steel frame and electronic component covers ensure durability and lasting quality. 

As was expected, the ability to deliver a realistic serve, especially the Kick Serve, has proven to be key as the Ace Attack gains attention and acceptance from the leading competitive players and teams across the country. With our unit, tennis pros are experiencing extremely productive and more broadly structured training sessions with players at all skill levels. High school and college coaches finally have a machine that will last as long as that of other sports, responding to the ever tightening budget concerns of most athletic departments. 

The Ace Attack is relatively new to the industry and Sports Attack is working hard to establish the reputation in the tennis industry that parallels our position in other sports, that of exceptional quality and sport-specific design innovation.