August 2006 -- One of the biggest misconceptions our sport must overcome is that tennis is a recreational or nonfitness activity. I realize most of you are saying to yourselves, “But tennis is an amazing full-body workout.” Keep in mind I am talking about perception – and a prevalent one, according to studies by International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association and the Sporting Goods Manufacturing Association. Guess what happens when a 2.0 and 2.5 player go out and hit? They pick up a lot of balls, so their perception is, “I’m not getting any exercise playing tennis.”
So how are we going to change this public perception? Cardio Tennis is a major step. In fact, Jack Groppel, Ph.D., who is a big supporter of this fun way to get fit, has said, “Cardio Tennis is the single most important idea we must support as a group to grow our great game with the nontennis playing masses.”
Cardio Tennis has been wholeheartedly supported by the USPTA and other organizations in our industry. With this support and unity, we are seeing a change in perception and a growth in numbers. I can’t count how often I am told by a pro how many former players and new players are taking up the game because of this initiative. It is also creating a domino effect in that these newly captured players are then signing up for private and beginner group lessons.
Cardio Tennis is first and foremost a fitness activity, with participants hitting as many tennis balls and moving as much as possible in a 60-minute time period. When you put eight players on a court in a Cardio Tennis class, the average female will burn 300-500 calories and the average male 500-900 calories – and more importantly, have tons of fun. But here’s the kicker. The only way you will ever know how many calories you burn on the tennis court is if you wear a heart rate monitor. Since the inception of the Cardio Tennis program we have partnered with Polar (the market share leader in the HRM business) and have been encouraging tennis pros to use HRMs in their cardio classes.
The objective of Cardio Tennis is to keep a player in their recommended heart rate range for 30-50 minutes during a 60-minute workout.
A HRM is the most accurate way to measure heart rate on the court. It makes the players accountable for their workout and it takes some of the pressure off you as the pro in continuously monitoring each person on the court.
So how does the HRM work? The Polar F5 or F6 model, which we recommend for Cardio Tennis, is preprogrammed in the 65 percent to 85 percent range. When a customer enters their personal information into the watch, it automatically calculates their range, which appears on the top of the screen on their watch. During the training, the watch beeps if the player is below or above their range (a built-in warning system). If they are below, they need to pick up the intensity of their workout and if they are above they need to rest. By rest, I mean sit out a rotation, avoid the ladder, pick up balls or get a drink of water. Educate your customers that this is not about keeping up with the Joneses and they should try to stay in their range because everyBODY trains differently. Your players should continuously look at their watches to make sure they are in their zone. As many of you know, it gets pretty loud on the Cardio Tennis court and they might not be able to hear their watch beep.
Ultimately, we are wearing the heart rate monitor because we want to have a safe, efficient and effective workout. We especially want to avoid overtraining. I have been a gym rat/figure competitor/tennis player most of my life and I admit I have been guilty of overtraining. I have been exercising with a HRM consistently now for 14 months and I will admit I am a bit addicted to my monitor. I wear it while lifting weights, walking, leading Cardio Tennis classes and, of course, playing singles and doubles.
The “grand finale” of your Cardio Tennis class is at the end when you pull the data from everyone’s watch. When you pull the file the HRM will tell you:
- How long each player exercised
- What their average heart rate was
- How long they were in the zone
- And our favorite number: how many calories they burned!
Americans are time crunched so they want to get the best possible workout they can in 60 minutes and, of course, they want to know how many calories they burned. This is the part of the class that really creates camaraderie and bonding among the players on your court. Everyone is excited to hear each other’s calorie burn and that results in a lot of high fives and smiles. Now, how often do you see people giving each other high fives in the fitness center when they get off of a treadmill? This is one of many reasons why our sport can compete with traditional fitness activities.
I encourage you as a tennis professional to invest in your own HRM. For a limited time Polar is offering an individual first-time discounted purchase on an F6. Minimum retail price on this HRM is $99.95, but as a USPTA pro you can purchase it for $71.50. This offer is available until Oct 15, 2006. If you are interested please contact Donna Irwin at (800) 290-6330, ext. 3035, and mention that you read this article. She will direct you to the appropriate Polar sales rep.
I wish you much success in your cardio program and encourage you to elevate the fitness profile of your class with the use of HRMs. Check out next month’s issue when I discuss how to position, market and sell the heart rate monitor in your cardio program.
Happy Cardio Tennis time!
Michele Krause has been a USPTA Professional for more than 12 years and has taught “cardio style” throughout her career. She currently works for the TIA as the national Cardio Tennis program director and is responsible for all aspects of the program, including curriculum, promotion, events, organization of national Cardio Tennis speakers, training and education.
