Everything you need to know about Cardio Tennis

How are the classes structured?

There are four main sections of class: a warm up (10 minutes), drills (10 minutes), games (30 minutes) and a cooldown (5-7 minutes). The warm up starts with dynamic stretches and fast movement before practicing sending and receiving skills followed by light hitting. The drill section usually incorporates two or three different drills with the coach feeding balls in a past-faced environment. You’re always moving and getting plenty of touches on the ball. Next, three unique games are played in the final working section, one of which is always triples—it’s just like playing doubles, but with three people on each side of the net. Finally, you’ll cool down with exercises that develop your feel and spin skills.

Throughout the experience you’ll rotate off the court in between points, but you will always have something to do while you’re on deck. You might be going through the agility ladder and working on footwork or doing other “cardio blast” exercises (think plyo hops) of varying intensities depending on your fitness level while fun, fast, high-energy music keeps you motivated.

I’m a new player or a fitness newbie. Can I participate?

Whether you’ve never picked up a tennis racquet or you win trophies on a regular basis, Cardio Tennis is for you. As long as you have decent hand-eye coordination and are willing to get a great workout in, there’s a place for you on the court.

In order to make Cardio Tennis accessible for players of all levels, lower-compression balls are used throughout the class. The red ball, the lowest-compression tennis ball, is used during the warm up, and orange balls are used during the rest of the Cardio Tennis experience. These balls are a great equalizer, allowing beginners to play with more experienced players without any issues.

Additionally, two bounces are allowed in order to keep the ball in play and ensure that all participants are getting plenty of touches on the ball. You can’t let the ball bounce twice on purpose, but if you can’t get it on the first bounce you can hit it after the second one. This allows newer players to build their confidence, Krause said.

Additionally, you have the support of your instructors and the players around you, and you can laugh with each other throughout class—something you can’t find in most group fitness classes. When combined with the other health and wellness benefits of tennis, there’s no reason not to grab a friend and get out on the court.

How can I get involved?

If you’re a player who wants to try Cardio Tennis, click here to see where it is offered near you.

Still not sure if it’s for you? As part of National Tennis Month, providers around the country are celebrating Hit to be Fit Day on May 19. These events include an introduction to tennis that ensures anyone can become a tennis player in 30 minutes, followed by Cardio Tennis Triples.

Join the fun on May 19 by finding an event.