Originally published October 18 2005
Tennis Association hopes Cardio Tennis will catch on as new aerobics program
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Hoping to restore interest to the sport, the Tennis Industry Association is offering a new 50-minute exercise program called Cardio Tennis, which combines obstacle drills with hand-eye coordination.
A new aerobic activity could make quite a "racquet."
The tennis industry hopes the fast-paced fitness program will score points with the public and help serve up more interest in the sport, reported WCVB-TV in Boston.
Fifty tennis teachers from across New England were learning Cardio Tennis in Natick, Mass., recently.
"You're hitting a large amount of balls, you're moving," said Cardio Tennis instructor Michele Karose.
"Even our old-schoolers are seeing the benefit of it, how they can kind of add some pizzazz to their program."
Interest in tennis has remained flat over the past decade.
The Tennis Industry Association is spending $1 million to launch their Cardio Tennis program.
They hope it will draw some from the latest cardio crazes, like treadmills and spinning classes.
"You can't do cardio softball, you can't do cardio golf, but you can do cardio tennis," said Jim Baugh, of the Tennis Industry Association.
"We still have singles, we have doubles we have leagues, but Cardio Tennis is another way to play the game."
You need to be fast on your feet for the 50-minute session, which combines a mini-obstacle course with skills that test hand-eye coordination.
Even some of the pros find it challenging.
There's a lot more challenge to it, with the ball skills," said Doug Eng, a tennis instructor at Tufts and Harvard University.
I'm a little out of breath, just got through doing some games on the court.
Got my heart rate up, and it's fun," said Phil Parrish, a tennis instructor at the Longfellow Club in Wayland, Mass.
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