Cardio Tennis Keeps Consumers, Facilities Healthy

August 25, 2010 · No Comments

Imagine playing nonstop tennis for an hour, burning hundreds of calories, hitting dozens of balls…and having a ton of fun the whole time. That’s Cardio Tennis.

Developed and managed by the Tennis Industry Association, there are now more than 1,700 facilities and parks in the U.S. offering Cardio Tennis. More than 30 countries have shown interest in running Cardio Tennis programs and some are doing it on a large scale, similar to the U.S.

But Cardio Tennis, which was launched in 2005, isn’t just keeping consumers healthy, it’s also helping to keep the bottom line healthy for some tennis facilities. “There are facilities running Cardio Tennis that are making $10,000 to $18,000 a month from that program alone,” says Michele Krause, the National Program Manager for Cardio Tennis.

CT also is changing the nature of tennis, too. Music is an important part of Cardio Tennis, keeping players motivated on court. Now, some facilities are finding that their players want music all the time, not just during CT sessions.

“Facilities are putting speakers on the courts and playing music throughout the day,” Krause says. “Music helps you to move naturally, and for an activity like Cardio Tennis—and tennis in general—a steady, and even increasing, beat can help keep your intensity level up.” Research shows people train 33% harder and endurance improves 15% while listening to music.

A typical Cardio Tennis session is 60 minutes, and the focus is on having fun while working out—not on tennis instruction. In fact, there’s little to no instruction in the typical CT class, but players do improve their tennis because of the repetition, the large number of balls they hit, and the realistic and challenging “play” situations. However, CT is for everyone, at any level of play, even those who may not have played tennis before.

In a CT class, the warm-up includes a dynamic movement exercise, a catching/tossing skill and light hitting. The cardio portion is the bulk of the class (35 to 45 minutes) and is about 30 percent drills and 70 percent play-based games. The last segment is the cool-down, which includes activities to safely bring the heart rate down and to do some light stretching.

For more on Cardio Tennis, visit CardioTennis.com.