Stretching the shoulders before playing is advised by licensed sports massage therapist Brian Horner, who works with athletes at pickleball, tennis, racquetball and beach volleyball tournaments in Arizona, California and else- where. The shoulder is like the handle of a whip in these sports, says Horner, who authored the new ebook Complete Guide to Winning Pickleball (PickleballTournaments. com). “If it isn’t operating normally, when more pressure is applied it can strain the elbow and wrist.” Swimming, especially backstrokes, is advised because therapists regard water as a friend of shoulders. “Sixty to 70 percent of the people that play [here] are


retired,” says Steve Munro, owner of the West View Tennis Center, in Morgantown, West Virginia. He also sees the sport as a nice transition for older tennis players. Pickleball was invented in Washington’s Bainbridge Island in 1965 by then Congressman Joel Pritchard and busi- nessman Bill Bell. Along with the Pacific Northwest, some other major pockets of popularity include Chicago, Phoenix, southern Utah, Orange County, California; and Collier, Lee and Miami-Dade counties, in Florida.


Tennis Goes Cardio


Participants of Cardio Tennis, a Tennis Industry Associa- tion program, benefit from high-intensity, aerobic, interval training, using functional movement to run to return shots and move around the court in preparatory footwork drills. It also increases stamina and endurance, which enhances both regular tennis performance and overall fitness. According to CardioTennis.com (which includes a sample video), men can burn between 500 and 1,000 calo- ries in one, hour-long class; women, between 300 and 500. Estimates put the number of players currently engaging in such clinics at 1.82 million nationwide. “Tennis is a chief component of Cardio Tennis, but


it’s much more. It’s a group fitness activity, a major work- out that increases the heart rate,” says Chris Ojakian, a global Cardio Tennis trainer and executive director of racquet sports with Elite Racquet Sports, of Marina del Rey, California. They manage and operate tennis programs at facilities nationwide.


A session often consists of a five-to-seven-minute


dynamic warm-up including stretching, tossing tennis balls and light tennis play; more tennis lasting 10 to 12 min- utes, including “cardio blast” sideline activities like quick footwork drills and jumping jacks when changing sides; 30 minutes of point-based tennis games with constant rotation of players and more cardio blasts; and a five-to- 10-minute cool down. “Participants are moving during the times they’d be


waiting their turn to hit the ball in regular tennis clinics, and it works on the kind of quick footwork that’s done in compe- tition,” explains Ojakian, the 2011 U.S. Professional Tennis Association California Pro of the Year. Sessions, which also include party music and heart


rate monitors, are “so fast paced and fun, people often can’t believe when they’re over,” he enthuses. “It accomplishes so much in one hour.”


natural awakenings June 2017 21


Sideline drills enhance skills during Cardio Tennis sessions. Larry Carlat, of Venice, California, editor in chief of


PurpleClover.com, credits participating in Cardio Tennis sessions with Ojakian twice a week and a healthier diet in the last three-plus years for losing 25 pounds. “You’re never standing still for more than a couple of seconds, and my footwork has improved,” says the 20-year tennis player. “Chris also provides tennis tips during classes. It’s fun and run!”


Randy Kambic, in Estero, FL, is a freelance editor and writer, including for Natural Awakenings magazine.


courtesy of Cardio Tennis


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