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Courting Good Health

Cardio Tennis, a high-energy group exercise program, is a hybrid of an aerobics fitness class and a game of tennis. It was introduced at the U.S. Open in New York this summer and created under the auspices of the U.S. Tennis Association and Tennis Industry Association (TIA).

Krause, Cardio Tennis' business manager working for the TIA, was one of four tennis pros who introduced the concept to local trainers at a four-and-a-half hour workshop, which included both court and classroom time.

Cardio Tennis is currently being offered to members only at The Longfellow Club, 524 Boston Post Road, Wayland. The club hopes to offer Cardio Tennis to nonmembers soon.

At the workshop, each pro set up on one of four courts at the Natick facility, and the almost 50 participants were divided into four groups, one per court. Rotating from court to court, we were introduced to warm-up and cool-down exercises, drills, play action and motivation techniques.

But before we hit the courts, Jim Baugh, president of TIA and a member of the board of the USTA, spoke about the program.

The numbers of participants in "all traditional sports - tennis, baseball, soccer, basketball - are down. The only thing up is fitness," he said, and health clubs are brimming with treadmills, stationary bikes and weight machines.

Baugh feels professionals involved in traditional sports better think outside the box before all their club members and students look elsewhere for fitness needs.

"How many clubs have taken out tennis courts (and replaced them with) fitness machines?" he asked. Many pros at the workshop raised their hands.

"Cardio Tennis does not replace singles, doubles (play) ... it's a new way (of introducing tennis to new players and bringing) fitness into our sport," he said.

Baugh, along with the USTA and other tennis-teaching professionals, helped design the Cardio Tennis concept. Faced with declines in tennis club membership and difficulty drawing new players, Baugh and others saw a need to market the sport in a new light.

"This program, in my mind, is vital for our sport to grow," Baugh told the workshop audience. "This is not just a program, this is a product launch.

"We need to bring fitness into our sport. How many (tennis players) do you know leave the court and hit the cardio machines? Why can't they do it all here (on the court)?" Baugh asked. "The whole key here is getting people moving."

Cardio Tennis hopes to attract not only those existing players but a second, and perhaps bigger, market - "the fitness group," said Baugh. "They're on the treadmills, watching TVs, listening to their MP3s - bored out of their skulls!

"Cardio Tennis is a way of capturing people, and keeping them in the game. Some may come to Cardio Tennis and stay there, and others may move into your (tennis) leagues," he said.

Cardio Tennis is liberating and not constrained by the strict rules of a tennis game or match. First of all, there's music. Even this polite workshop group seemed to squirm a bit in their seats at the thought. But once on the courts, no one seemed to mind. In fact, the music helped keep us on our toes, literally - the key to keeping your heart rate up during the court exercises, and getting the maximum cardio workout, was to never stop moving.

Phillip Odipo of Worcester is a tennis instructor at the Longfellow Clubs in Wayland and Natick. At the end of the two-hour workout portion of the workshop, Odipo said he thought Cardio Tennis has a lot of potential to appeal to people at different fitness levels and all levels of tennis-playing ability.

"This carries more fitness into tennis," said Odipo, and would appeal to almost all ages.

The USTA has supplied most of the funding for the promotion of Cardio Tennis, and clubs need only register online to become a Cardio Tennis site - no franchise fee or dues required.

"Did you notice it's easy to get above your zone?" asked Baugh, speaking of the optimal cardio heart rate range that differs for each person based on their weight and age. "(Cardio Tennis) differs from traditional tennis, where you hit the ball and rest" while waiting for another shot.

Teachers need to be mindful of students' heart rates during classes, and assure they stay within their individual zones.

"It was fun," said Barbara Aldorisio, girls' tennis coach at Bedford High School. She thought her students would really respond to the program's drills.

Many workshop participants found familiar elements between Cardio Tennis and the workouts they currently run. Jim Berrigan, head men's and women's tennis coach at Babson College in Wellesley, said he has been adding fun elements to his teams' workouts for many years.

"We warm up to music, and have 'Fun Fridays' where (team members) bring music" to practices, said Berrigan, who also teaches tennis at Cedardale Health & Fitness in Haverhill, already a Cardio Tennis site.

Even in matches, Berrigan encourages his athletes to keep a song in their heads.

"It keeps you relaxed so you don't choke. Tennis is a rhythm - bounce, hit - the rhythm you get into helps you stay focused," he said.

Music can help that, but it's got to be the right music.

"I'd rather have songs they know, (that are) upbeat and they sing along with it. Tennis is muscle memory," Berrigan said.

Music appeals to the younger players and keeps you loose.

"Once you have the fundamentals, you know what's wrong (during a game). You make adjustments over time. Then you're learning," said Berrigan.

Phil Parrish of Framingham is the tennis director for the Longfellow Club of Wayland, one of three clubs owned by Laury Hammel - along with the Longfellow Club of Natick and Natick Racquet Club, where the workshop was held. Parrish has already registered the Wayland club as a Cardio Tennis site, and classes are running. Continue to learn more about tennis, please visit Town Online.

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