SportsGeezer

Cardio Tennis Rocks, But Doesn't Play Much Tennis

Can Beyonce save tennis? How about Beyonce and Jennifer Lopez? The United States Tennis Association and the Tennis Industry Association seem to think so. The two organizations, concerned about their sport's failure to thrive in recent years, have created a new and way more extreme tennis workout, and it often includes blasting music from at least one of the two young ladies. What else does in include? There's a 10-minute warm-up,  45 minutes of cardiovascular conditioning — including team games and forehand, backhand and volley drills — and a five-minute cool-down. As this piece in the LA Times reports, it's called cardio tennis, and it seems to be less about tennis than it is about cardio. The main selling point is that it is a high-energy workout that burns more calories than singles or doubles by elevating the heart rate into the aerobic training zone. And if you think no one will buy that selling point, think again. Cardio tennis workouts are offered at 760 public and private courts across the country. Read more.

Tennis: Seven Tips From the Top

Men's Health rallies for the U.S. Open with seven quick tips from "some of the top tennis pros in the country."  Because Geezer's game would improve with seven tips from some of the worst tennis pros in the country, he's paying attention.  Perhaps you should too. Favorite tips: Stand up straight and track the ball with your eyes, not your entire head; When serving, the tighter your grip, the less racket head speed you generate; when playing the backhand, turn early and point your shoulder at the contact point. Read more tips, or play the rest of your life in the Geezer league.

Tennis: New Season, New Shoes

Time to play tennis, and time to reconsider last year's tennis shoes. Here, to help you compare last year's shoes to this year's shoes, is a short piece by Roy Wallack that ran in the L.A. Times. Remember: treat your feet well, and they will return the favor.