June 2006 -- "But I am a 5.0 player. Why would I want to participate in Cardio Tennis? I need to practice real tennis.” Have you heard this line? Of course, the logic is flawed because Cardio Tennis is also great for 4.0 and above players. In fact, “heart-pumping” tennis is very beneficial for learning certain shots and tactics as part of the modern game. It provides the perfect stress-free or controlled-stress environment to practice new strokes and tactics for modern tennis.
We are not suggesting an advanced or elite player learning the nuances of the modern game should only play Cardio Tennis in an effort to improve. That would clearly be counterproductive. However, a Cardio Tennis workout once or twice a week can provide numerous opportunities to work on one’s game.
The format for a Cardio Tennis class is the key to engaging an elite player. A typical class consists of a warm-up, drills and play-based drills, and finally a cool-down phase. Each phase provides numerous subtleties for the elite player and student of the modern game. In the hands of an adroit Cardio Tennis teacher (your USPTA-certified pro), each portion of a cardio class can be tailored to this type of student. Let us examine how.
Warm-up
Cardio Tennis starts with a warm-up. What an excellent opportunity to work on your weaknesses in a stress-free environment. If a 4.0 student does not like the net, the pro can easily lead her in a volley warm-up emphasizing footwork. A number of strong players conveniently forget that the modern game does include the good old volley! The “shadow” drill, which involves mimicking the pro’s strokes, is ideal for warming up before a match in the lobby or locker room. If an elite player loves whacking forehands and “hides” the backhand, have him only hit backhands during the warm-up. If a 5.0 player gets distracted easily in competition, throw a foam ball toward him in the middle of the warm-up. Of course, due to the foam texture, the ball is not going to hurt him. The goal is to train his mind to be more disciplined.
DrillsDead-ball drills follow the warm-up. You can now work on mechanics and tactics. The pro should not stop the flow of the class and give individual instruction. The trick is to tell the elite player before the drill starts what to focus on. If you have made a grip change to semiwestern on the forehand, just say “semi” before you feed. The best part is that the student has carte blanche to make mistakes and spray balls. This is invaluable feedback from a motor-learning perspective. If the player hits six balls that bounce before they hit the net, keep quiet (very hard for us!) and keep feeding. Your student will figure out that the new grip has altered the path of the racquet and/or position of the racquet face at contact.
The drill-based portion is also a gold mine for working on modern-game mechanics and tactics. If John is working on his loading phase for an open-stance forehand, do the three-ball-across drill. The variation for John is he hits the first ball as a forehand, next ball as a backhand, and the last ball as a forehand. The rest of the students will hit all three forehands. John will really have to work on his footwork to load correctly. You can also give John directional intent on the two forehands by directing him to hit the first one inside out and the third one inside in. John is free to work only on mechanics and not worry about an opponent. John’s improvement is courtesy of Cardio Tennis!
Continuing with the modern-game paradigm, let us use the example of Susie working on her swing volley. The pro can easily do an approach-and-volley drill. Susie will set up and execute a swing volley. The others will hit a regular volley. The foam or transitional ball will allow Susie more time to set up correctly.
The pro can make feeds more challenging while working with elite players during the drill session. Feeds can include topspin and underspin, and can be hard, soft, deep or short. You can also make the sideline drills more challenging to push an advanced player. This will challenge the integrity of stroke mechanics under fatigue conditions. Think four games, all in the third set on a hot, humid summer day. One of the simplest ways to make a sideline drill more challenging is to make this player go through the drill twice (lay a “special” ladder for him) or have him go on one leg and/or alternate legs. The pro can also incorporate more advanced tactics in any drill for the skilled player. As an example, on a simple approach-and-volley drill, the higher-level player will either go down the line or crosscourt based on a verbal cue from the pro. Decision-making time! A verbal cue can also be given on the volley. The degree of difficulty has just been exponentially increased for this player with the introduction of a simple verbal cue.
PlayThe next phase of our cardio class is the play-based section. This is the part of class where “games” are played primarily with transitional balls. What a perfect time to work on strokes, tactics and strategy for elite players and teach the nuances of the modern game.
Here are some great variations that work with a highly skilled player in the play-based section.
- The player can only hit off one flank (forehand or backhand). This is also invaluable to working on footwork.
- The player either has to hit the ball after a bounce (if playing doubles) or no bounce (if playing singles). In this variation, the advanced player now really has to think tactics instead of relying on skill. In a doubles game, the elite player in this scenario might choose to stay back (remember, she must hit the ball after a bounce) and work the point from the baseline.
- The player loses a point if he hits the ball hard and/or scores an outright winner. This drill teaches players how to construct a point and be patient.
- The player loses all points if he loses a point designated as “huge” by the pro. Have fun with this. When the score is at 10 – 6 for the stronger player in a game to 11, introduce the “huge” point. There’s nothing like pressure to teach mental toughness. If the player loses this point, the score goes to 0 – 7. In a perfect world, the player will even say, “This is not fair.” You then nicely explain that tennis, and life, are not fair. Get over it, and play!
- Limit that strong player to only one type of shot. If Jane is my 5.0 player, she can only lob. Jane will now have to hit deeper lobs. Better still, she can use modern-game methodology to put excessive topspin on her lob if the opposing player is at the net.
Cool-downEach class ends with a cool-down phase. This segment is designed to bring the heart rate down and allow the body to decompress after the workout. How many elite players do you work with who do not cool down properly? Worse, some skip a cool-down completely. The cardio cool-down is a reminder that your cool-down (also called warm-down) is vital to post-match recovery. You can still work on some mechanics (example is a volley rally for an advanced player who does not like the net), but the emphasis is on creating the mindset that you must cool down after a match or practice.
Fitness is key
Cardio Tennis is about fitness. Since the movements are tennis-specific (you are playing tennis), I honestly cannot fathom why every elite player would not do Cardio Tennis simply for fitness’ sake. I am certainly not a world-class player, but come under the umbrella of a player who was good enough to try the minor leagues and realized very quickly that he was better off teaching. I do Cardio Tennis once a week, and it is my best workout of the week – approximately 700 calories burned in an hour with a targeted heart zone achieved for at least 45 minutes. It’s certainly more fun and tennis-specific than using an elliptical machine or treadmill. There are a number of 4.5 to 5.0 players at TCA clubs who report significant improvement in overall conditioning and quickness since starting Cardio Tennis. Tracy Austin, two-time U.S. Open champion, does Cardio Tennis at least three times a week. If Cardio Tennis works for world-class player Tracy Austin, how on earth could it not benefit a 4.5-level player who competes in local park tournaments?
More benefitsCardio Tennis has a subtle yet powerful effect on a player’s mental game. Drills and games are accompanied by music. If a skilled player can hit an overhead when the Bee Gees or Donna Summer are vocalizing in the background, how can he claim to be distracted in a match by trivial external factors? We all have heard of tournament players complaining about noise on accompanying courts, people talking and other excuses. Remember this mental training was not the goal behind Cardio Tennis – it is just another hidden benefit. I have asked a number of very talented players (5.0 and above) how the music affected their stroke production in Cardio Tennis. Without exception, the response has been, “what music?”
There is one benefit to Cardio Tennis that outweighs all the others. It is arguably the biggest reason that every 4.0 – 7.0 player and/or fan of the modern game should participate in Cardio Tennis. This is also why every single 1.0 – 4.0 man, woman, child and mom or dad should try Cardio Tennis. It’s fun! Let’s face reality. Most of us are not going to be seen on prime-time T.V. competing against Roger Federer or Maria Sharapova. However, every one of us would like to play tennis for fun – the social aspect of our wonderful sport. Cardio Tennis is probably the best thing that has happened to put the fun back in tennis. Fun is what allows us to be better competitors. Elite players report playing in the “zone” and having fun. I have not had any players tell me they got nervous and tight while doing Cardio Tennis. Everyone is too busy having the time of their lives to get nervous. Players focus on the process, not the outcome. This is just a fancy way of saying play for the sheer, pure magic of fun.
Cardio Tennis is an easy supplement for advanced players who want to groove their strokes and even practice elements of the modern game. The environment for the classes is nonthreatening and, due to special drills and balls, time is not an impediment to the learning environment. It is up to us as coaches to get this message out.
Ajay Pant serves on the National Cardio Tennis Speakers Team. This USPTA Pro 1 is a Specialist in Competitive Player Development. As the national tennis director for Tennis Corporation of America, he also is regional manager of Indian Creek and Bally racquet clubs in the Kansas City area.
