Cardio, Anyone?

A tennis exercise is less about precision and more about boosting heart rates

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In past attempts at playing tennis, were you one of those suffering from chronic ball-control issues? Where it seems like every time you focus on keeping your knees bent and racket stroke level, the game frustrates you to the point of quitting because the tennis ball has other ideas -- behaving more like a baseball and sailing well over the court's tall fence?

Cardio Tennis » Kailua Racquet Club: 20 classes weekly, with spots for nonmembers; 263-4444. For schedule, visit kailuaracquetclub.net. » Oahu Club: Classes for members only; 395-3300. For schedule, visit theoahuclub.com. » Public courts: Classes listed on listed on the Tennis Industry Association's cardio-tennis site, cardiotennis.com.

Well, you'd do just fine with your home-run swing in cardio tennis.

The object of this increasingly popular fitness trend is much less about sweating the details of tennis technique and almost all about simply getting your heart rate to stay in the aerobic range so you work up a great sweat.

Typical one-hour cardio-tennis workouts are of course based on the sport and can benefit seasoned tennis players. But the workouts are also just as much for people with only a modicum of racket skills; anyone can step up, take their hacks -- and benefit.

"That's the beauty of cardio tennis. There's no score kept, you don't have to hit (the ball) inside the court," said Henry Somerville, tennis director at the Oahu Club in Hawaii Kai, which has a handful of cardio-tennis classes each week. "You could be hitting it outside the fence, you'd still be exercising with the added aspect of trying to hit a tennis ball. Camaraderie is also built up because everyone (in the classes) is encouraging each other to move and hit a tennis ball."

When first developed more than a decade ago, cardio tennis was called, among other things, exer-tennis. Programs have been available in Hawaii since the start, but when the Tennis Industry Association and United States Tennis Association -- the sport's biggest national organizations -- began pushing cardio tennis as a great aerobic workout choice about five years ago, it surged in appeal even among those not particularly inclined to pick up a racket.

In drills with names like Windshield Wiper or Ships in the Night, the emphasis is on hitting a ton of balls and getting your heart rate up with sustained movement -- and not nearly as much about where those balls end up.

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From martial arts and cycling to salsa, hip-hop and even exotic dancing, it seems that nearly everything can be -- and has been -- made into an organized aerobic activity.

Even so-called traditional sports like tennis have been caught up in the fever to get your heartbeat pounding and sweat dripping, all in the tight and neat window of about an hour. To Billy Blanks' tae bo and Carmen Electra's strip aerobics, add Hawaii tennis pros like Henry Somerville and Bruce Nagel and cardio tennis.

Somerville and Nagel were among the first in the islands to offer what was called exer-tennis when it was introduced more than a decade ago. The aerobic-fitness activity is much less about game-set-match and more about movement and hitting as many tennis balls as you can before you collapse.

The Tennis Industry Association and the United States Tennis Association latched onto the concept about five years ago, renamed it cardio tennis, and it's taken off in popularity since. Many participants don't regularly play tennis otherwise, but the activity has had the added benefits of generating general interest in the sport and helping veteran players, as well.

"It's high energy, real positive, and people don't get caught up in technique," said Somerville, tennis director at the Oahu Club in Hawaii Kai. "That was probably the biggest downfall with tennis in the past. Cardio tennis has given (participants) the option of, 'Hey, I don't even have to think about hitting the ball. I can just go out there and whack it.' It's why a lot of people have gotten their rackets out of the closet, dusted them off and started playing again."

After warming up with some jogging and stretching, cardio-tennis workouts include dead-ball drills in which you are fed balls that you hit without worrying about returning them over the net, and live-ball exercises in which you play out points as in a regular game. The drills have names like Killer Volley and Passing Ships, and participants are constantly moving around, doing footwork exercises or quickly retrieving balls when not repetitively hitting them.

"The idea is that the heart rate stays high, and that you get a good sweat in," Somerville said.

Classes are available for all ability levels. One must be a member -- or a member's guest -- at the Oahu Club, as cardio tennis is part of the membership package. Classes are open to nonmembers at the Kailua Racquet Club, where Nagel is head pro and nearly 20 cardio-tennis workouts are available per week. Public courts offer options, as well.

"We do our cardio tennis based on ability level," Nagel said. "It's very satisfying, no matter what your ability level is, as long as you're in there with a group of people that are comparable to your skill."

He added: "You come in at a set time and get a great workout in about an hour, and that's tough to do with the regular game. We've even got a class that's just for 'nutso' guys. They're running to the side, smashing into the fence. We only have like one or two of those (classes) a week; most of our classes are geared for the not-so-young and athletic group."

Some cardio-tennis classes incorporate music and involve wearing a heart-rate monitor to make sure participants get up to and stay "in the zone." Seasoned players use the classes to increase their cardio capacity and improve their skills; plenty of novices use them purely for aerobic benefit, while others get hooked on the regular game through cardio tennis.

"Cardio tennis is fast-paced and a lot of fun," said Tricia Bauman, a novice who has been participating at Oahu Club classes since July. "It's very social, so the time flies by. But it's a good way to improve your skills while burning fat."

Added Miyuki Haught, a competitive tennis player who participates in the Oahu Club's cardio-tennis program: "Cardio tennis kills two birds with one stone. I choose the fastest-pace class, and it guarantees you a great workout and has increased my stamina to succeed in league meets."