Cardio Tennis
Cardio Tennis was developed in the USA to bring more people into the game, and to retain them. It is a new, fun group activity featuring drills to give players of all abilities an ultimate, high energy workout. Anybody looking for a great new way to get in shape and burn calories must try it. People want to get fit and it is a lot more sociable, interesting and fun to get your fitness workout on the court as against being on a treadmill.
All evidence indicates that to improve overall health and reduce the risk of heart disease we need at least 30 minutes of moderate intensity aerobic exercise, most if not all days of the week.
Cardio Tennis can go a long way helping people realize this health benefit. While other activities provide a great workout, Cardio Tennis challenges in lots of different ways: running, moving sideways, stretching, hitting balls, jumping, etc. The heart rate goes through high intensity periods, followed by a short period of recovery. This is very similar to interval training.
The typical Cardio Tennis programme includes:
• 5-10 minute warm-up segment
• 30-50 minute Cardio segment
• 5-10 minute cool down segment
Cardio Tennis is first of all a fitness programme. It is more about getting people moving and active, and less on teaching perfect tennis technique. The programme will elevate a person’s heart rate into the aerobic zone. The coach will challenge each player to his/her ability and fitness level.
You can find various drills used by many top professionals in the official Cardio Tennis website: http://www.cardiotennis.com/curriculum.cfm
Cardio Tennis was launched in Ireland at a Coaches Workshop organized by Tennis Ireland in April 2007, since then several Clubs have embraced the initiative.