September 2005 -- The industry is abuzz with news about the exciting new Cardio Tennis program. If you haven’t jumped on the Cardio Tennis bandwagon yet, visit www.partners.cardiotennis.com and see the incredibly useful Web site that has been put together by the TIA to help you kick off your Cardio Tennis program.
As more and more pros start their programs, we receive great stories of success and ideas that work well. This article will focus on the many “tools” that will make your Cardio Tennis program a success. The tools have been broken down into three categories.
Category 1: Basic Tools – These are things that all Cardio Tennis programs should have as a minimum to run an effective and successful program.
Category 2: Great Additional Tools – These tools are a step up and can make your Cardio Tennis program more professional and more successful. While you can run an effective Cardio Tennis program without these tools, they are a great addition and will take your program to the next level.
Category 3: Advanced Tools – These are high-tech tools that will add prestige and excitement to your Cardio Tennis programs. The cost may be prohibitive for some sites, but a worthwhile investment for other sites that may allow them to charge more for their Cardio Tennis program.
Category 1: Basic ToolsMusic and Boom Box: Music with the proper boom box makes your Cardio Tennis workout seem like it is on steroids. According to players, it is the single most helpful tool in getting them moving and having a great workout. The TIA has lined up some great sources for each item. Find these products on www.partners.cardiotennis.com.
Large Teaching Cart (300 balls): As we conduct workshops across the country, it has become evident to us that a large teaching cart of balls is far more useful than a hopper. A hopper will limit your ability to fast feed.
Dots and Doughnuts: These simple tools are a great way to identify areas of the court and safely direct your players’ movements. Dots and doughnuts add color and a more impressive overall look to the court.
Foam Balls: These are great tools for keeping the points alive for a longer period of time, a key to a successful Cardio Tennis program. Foam balls allow players of different abilities to be on the same court better than regular balls do.
Transition Balls: These are a step closer to regular balls, but transition balls still have enough softness to allow for fun points and success for lower-level players.
Footwork Ladder: This is simply the best sideline tool to use for Cardio Tennis. A footwork ladder allows people to be engaged in an activity rather than just bouncing in line or worse yet, standing around.
Category 2: Great Additional ToolsCones/Targets: Cones/targets are simple, inexpensive tools that help serve as targets and, more importantly, help direct traffic for rotating purposes and player movements in a fast-paced Cardio Tennis workout.
Jump Ropes: Jump ropes are simple and useful for getting a great workout. They are usually used as a sideline activity and really keep players’ heart rates up in their cardio zone.
Heart Rate Monitors: With the impressive loaner packages available through Polar, heart rate monitors really drive home the benefits of the Cardio Tennis workout. After they are done, each player can see how long they exercised, how long they were in the target heart range, how many calories they burned and their average heart rate.
Sling Hopper: A hopper you wear on your hip, the Sling Hopper, allows pros to move around the court and feed balls from a variety of angles and locations. The pro also gets a better workout as they are not stuck at the side of a cart.
Loaner Racquets: Loaner racquets are a nice addition for a club, especially if it runs a program for new players. Loaner racquets also remove one more obstacle for a new player in Cardio Tennis.
Hit-and-Learn Stationary Machine: This is a very useful sideline tool, especially for new players. These stationary hitting machines allow players to strike a ball that sits on a rotating arm and players can be active and hitting actual tennis strokes as they do their workout.
Category 3: Advanced ToolsBall Machines: This can be a great tool once you have assessed a player’s ability and fitness level. Using a ball machine works best if players are of the same level.
Hurdles: These short “plyo” hurdles are great for keeping players on the move after they rotate out of their turn. They push players quite a bit and can keep even the fit players in their target heart range.
Medicine Balls: These are another excellent sideline tool. Using medicine balls and specific tennis movements can help players build core strength and get a great workout.
I hope this list helps you implement and enhance your Cardio Tennis program. If you have any other tools you feel work well with your program and want us to know about them, contact us at partners@cardiotennis.com.
USPTA Master Professional Jorge Capestany is a member of the Cardio Tennis Speakers Team and the manager at the DeWitt Tennis Center located on the campus of Hope College in Holland, Mich.
