Daily Racquet

2009 New Year's Resolutions

As we gladly ring out the old, and optimistically ring in the new, most of us have probably included a few things to help us get fit for the courts. If that includes you, here are a few of our favorite fitness aids that might help you accomplish your goal.

Complete Conditioning For Tennis
Take your game to a higher level! Now you can train to play like the pros by specifically conditioning each fitness component to meet the physical demands of tennis. Complete Conditioning for Tennis by Paul Roetert and Todd Ellenbecker improves your strength, power, agility, flexibility, quickness, and stamina. Experts from the United States Tennis Association provide the very best training exercises and drills, sample workouts from the game’s top players, and sample programs to maximize your tennis performance. You’ll finish strong in every match. Available online at Amazon.com.

Dyna-Flex Pro Plus Gyro Exerciser
Professional athletes use the Dynaflex Pro to strengthen your wrists, forearms, and other lower arm muscles. It's great to use as a carpal tunnel exercise (for prevention and rehabilitation), and also works great for improving arm strength for almost every sport and physical activity. Professional athletes use the Dynaflex Pro to improve grip, to improve arm strength, to improve shoulder strength, to improve coordination, as therapeutic relief for the hands, wrists, arms, biceps and triceps, and to gain a competitive edge in sports requiring hand speed, control, accuracy, and grip strength.They've been around forever. You may have played with one as a kid. They come in fun and different colors. Available online at Tennis Warehouse.

ETCH-Swing
ETCH-Swing is great to use for tennis strength training, whether you’re working on your serve, forehand  or backhand. At advanced levels, it has become an integral part of the training regimens of pros Justine Henin, Jelena Jankovic and Victoria Azaeenka since the Etch-Swing allows players to merge movement drills with upper body strengthening for more efficient training sessions. The unique design of the Etch-Swing does much more than a weight on the end of a racquet. Available online at Etcheberry Experience.

Yoga for Great Tennis 
In this easy-to-follow 45-minute video, avid tennis player and Jivamukti-certified and registered yoga instructor Anastasia will guide you through this tennis specific yoga practice. Flexibility, strength and breath control, which is part of every Yoga posture, is the key to on-court improvement. Available online at Tennis Warehouse.

TenniSpheres
TenniSpheres are an innovative product based on an ancient hand exercise technique. Two iron balls are manipulated in the hand(s) with various motions. The exercises are believed to have beneficial effects not only for the hand, wrist and arm, but for the whole body. Not only on these little balls helpful to your well-being; they're very cool looking! Available online at Tennis Warehouse.

Timex Fitness Tracker
The sleek Timex Fitness Tracker, which combines a comfortable sports digital watch with a wireless digital transmitter that can help you track your daily activity —  this watch works great on the tennis court. The Wireless Fitness Tracker’s digital transmitter easily clips to the waist and wirelessly relays information to a fashionable, highly functional wristwatch that lets you track your time, steps and calories. What a way to get a step on your opponent. Available online at Amazon.com.

PumpOne
PumponeNeed a little incentive to help you? Try PumpOne — a personal trainer that fits in your racquet bag. Here's how it works — you download a workout program, sync it to your iPod, iPhone, Nano, Zune or cell phone, and click through your workout while listening to your own music. When you’re done with an exercise, click the next button for your next move. Single workouts start at $9, packages start at $49. And for the tennis player there's even a tennis-specific stretch and core package. Available online at PumpOne.

Xtensor
The Xtensor is a glove-like device that uses elasticized bands for resistance as you open your palm and extend your fingers fully. The mini-workout can help rebalance your muscles, reduce pain from repetitive strain, and ward off join erosion. Use the Xtensor for two to three minutes a day. Work up to two sets of 15 repititions and while it may look a little strange, this little gadget works wonders to help build strength and relieve pain and tension. Available online at Amazon.com.

You make 'em and you break 'em but at least you have to try.

Getting A Jump On The Competition

Boxers have been doing it for years — just check out any Rocky movie and you'll see. But jumping rope also has it advantage for tennis players. It improves agility, speed, rhythm, and timing — all vital elements to the game. What's more, it'll spike both your anaerobic and aerobic levels, so you have the energy to both charge the net and take it to a fifth set.

And now, you can get all those benefits and more with JumpSnap, a ropeless jump-rope that tracks calories burned, the number of jumps, a timer, and has a ‘snap’ sound with each rotation providing the user a rhythm for each jump.

That's right! Get all the undisputed calorie burning and heart-pumping benefits of a traditional jump rope without the interruptions of tripping on the rope. The JumpSnap has two handles, one with an electronic chip inside to record the virtual rotations and the number of calories burned. Once you have programmed in your weight and height, the JumpSnap does the rest. With each rotation, there's a clicking sound that gives the illusion of the rope hitting the ground.

This new super gizmo has been featured in US Weekly as Hollywood's hot new workout and praised by Fitness magazine, Elle Canada and FLARE.

For more information go to jumpsnap.com. Available online at Amazon.com.

Have a Ball While Supporting Breast Cancer Research

Wilson has created the Hope Ball Hopper Pickup as part of its program to support Breast Cancer Research — it provides an easy way to pick up and store up to 75 tennis balls at once and is an ideal accessory for the teaching pro.

The unit is made of heavy-duty plated steel, with handles that fold up for easy ball retrieval. As an alternative, you can flip the handles down and convert them into lock-in-place legs, making it easier to dispense the balls. Best of all, the Ball Hopper breaks down quickly for convenient storage. The hopper also has a no-spill lid, which is extra good news for anybody who has had to play "Pickup 75" and not by choice, if you know what we mean.

Wilson has been a corporate sponsor of The Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF) since 1998. All Wilson Hope products feature the BCRF pink ribbon and their packaging includes information on how to prevent breast cancer. A minimum of $500,000 benefits BCRF during the next five years.

What better way to show your support for breast cancer research with a hopper of balls!

Available online at Amazon.com.

PumpOne For Tennis Fitness

Need a little incentive to help you get in shape for the tennis courts? Try PumpOne — a personal trainer that fits in your racquet bag.

Here's how it works — you download a workout program, sync it to your iPod, iPhone, Nano, Zune or cell phone, and click through your workout while listening to your own music. When you’re done with an exercise, click the next button for your next move. Single workouts start at $9, packages start at $49.

And for the tennis player there's even a tennis-specific stretch and core package.

Available online at PumpOne.

Spring Training: Rev Up Your Tennis Game

Until now, getting a complete core and cardio workout required multiple pieces of equipment, multiple exercise routines, and lots of time at the gym. BodyRev links your arms and abs together so you get the most efficient and effective upper body exercise possible — it combines weight training and aerobic exercise in easy-to-follow 15 min workouts. 

BodyRev simplifies and supercharges workouts by combining cardio and core strengthening together. Every time you raise your arms, stretch your legs and rotate your hips, BodyRev gives you an ab workout while simultaneously engaging your entire core and boosting your heart rate. Ergonomic, free-spinning handles allow you to move weight easily around your body which helps strengthen your core. Whether you are a beginning exerciser or are a conditioned athlete, BodyRev's adjustable weight range lets you customize your workout to your fitness level.

Rev up your tennis game now — just GRIP AND GO!

For more information go to bodyrev.com. Available online at Amazon.com.

Court Time With adiStar GT Midsize Watch

Step up your on-court training regime with this high powered, intuitive sport watch from adidas. 

This stylish sport watch features a digital dial with 100-lap memory, shadow race mode, enhanced interval timer, touch sensor plate/button, world time mode and race calculator functions. It has digital movement and is water resistant to 100 meters. The strap is a black and sliver  polyurethane with a  polycarbonate and aluminum case.  Styles are available for both men and women.

A sporty watch that will definitely add some style to your game.

Available online at shopadidas.com.

2008 New Year's Resolutions

As we gladly ring out the old, and optimistically ring in the new, most of us have probably included a few things to help us get fit for the courts. If that includes you, here are a few of our favorite fitness aids that might help you accomplish your goal.

Complete Conditioning For Tennis
Take your game to a higher level! Now you can train to play like the pros by specifically conditioning each fitness component to meet the physical demands of tennis. Complete Conditioning for Tennis by Paul Roetert and Todd Ellenbecker improves your strength, power, agility, flexibility, quickness, and stamina. Experts from the United States Tennis Association provide the very best training exercises and drills, sample workouts from the game’s top players, and sample programs to maximize your tennis performance. You’ll finish strong in every match.

Available online at Amazon.com.

PumpOne
Need a little incentive to help you? Try PumpOne — a personal trainer that fits in your racquet bag. Here's how it works — you download a workout program, sync it to your iPod, iPhone, Nano, Zune or cell phone, and click through your workout while listening to your own music. When you’re done with an exercise, click the next button for your next move. Single workouts start at $9, packages start at $49. And for the tennis player there's even a tennis-specific stretch and core package.

Available online at PumpOne.

Yoga for Great Tennis
In this easy-to-follow 45-minute video, avid tennis player and Jivamukti-certified and Yoga Alliance-registered yoga instructor Anastasia will guide you through this tennis specific yoga practice. Flexibility, strength and breath control, which is part of every Yoga posture, is the key to on-court improvement.

Available online at Steady Bliss.

Dyna-Flex Pro Plus Gyro Exerciser
Professional athletes use the Dynaflex Pro to strengthen your wrists, forearms, and other lower arm muscles. It's great to use as a carpal tunnel exercise (for prevention and rehabilitation), and also works great for improving arm strength for almost every sport and physical activity. Professional athletes use the Dynaflex Pro to improve grip, to improve arm strength, to improve shoulder strength, to improve coordination, as therapeutic relief for the hands, wrists, arms, biceps and triceps, and to gain a competitive edge in sports requiring hand speed, control, accuracy, and grip strength.They've been around forever. You may have played with one as a kid. They come in fun and different colors.

Available online at Amazon.com.

Perfect Pushup
The Perfect Pushup puts a new spin on one of the oldest exercises, the pushup. Invented by someone who knows a lot about pushups, former U.S. Navy SEAL, Alden Mills, the Perfect Pushup's rotating handles allow your arms to rotate naturally when you do pushups the same way they do when you throw a punch or press up a dumb bell. The Perfect Pushup is the perfect tool for accelerating your New Year's resolution  — getting fit for the courts!

Available online at Perfect Pushup.

Tanita Healthy Jump Jump Rope
Jumping rope has many health benefits—it's good for the heart, strengthens the upper and lower body, and burns a lot of calories in a small amount of time and best of all, you can do all this without taking one step into a gym. The Tanita Healthy Jump jump rope, a Tennis Magazine favorite, is digital, so if you enter your weight, the LCD display tells you how many calories you burn, just like when you’re on a treadmill.

Available online at The Competitive Edge. 

You make 'em and you break 'em but at least you have to try.

A New Spin On The Stocking Stuffer

The game of tennis depends on targeted strength in the hands, forearms, and elbows. You also need strong quads and great flexibility. And to improve the power behind your serve and return of the ball calls for strong and stable core muscles, as well as shoulder and scapula muscle strength.

The Perfect Pushup is an efficient way to enhance all these areas.

The Perfect Pushup puts a new spin on one of the oldest exercises, the pushup. Invented by someone who knows a lot about pushups, former U.S. Navy SEAL, Alden Mills, the Perfect Pushup's rotating handles allow your arms to rotate naturally when you do pushups the same way they do when you throw a punch or press up a dumb bell.

This unique feature accelerates results by engaging more muscles in the arms, chest, shoulders, and back. It also helps reduce strain on wrists and elbows, and helps to stabilize and strengthen the shoulder joint by engaging the scapular and rotator cuff muscles. An added feature of the Perfect Pushup is the unique rotation handles and a ball bearing design. They move with your arms natural motion, like when you throw a punch, improving wrist strength and flexibility while reducing risk of tennis elbow.

The Perfect Pushup is the perfect tool for accelerating your New Year's resolution  — getting fit for the courts!

Available online at perfectpushup.com.

PumpOne For Tennis Fitness

Wouldn’t you love to have a personal trainer help whip you into shape for the tennis court? But who can afford one? Enter PumpOne.

PumpOne offers more than 1,500 downloadable workout programs. You can concentrate on strength, weight loss, flexibility, or preparation for an event—the sectional league tennis championships, for example.

Here's how it works — you download a workout program, sync it to your iPod, iPhone, Nano, Zune or cell phone, and click through your workout while listening to your own music. When you’re done with an exercise, click the next button for your next move. Single workouts start at $9, packages start at $49. And for the tennis player there's even a tennis-specific stretch and core package.

A personal trainer that fits in your racquet bag — why would you leave home without one?

Available online at pumpone.com.

The Perfect Tennis Partner

Are you looking for a tennis partner that will sharpen your game, build your confidence, be as consistent as the day is long? One that you can count on, day-in and day-out?

If your answer was yes, you may want to give the Swing Shot a try.

The Swing Shot is the world’s first tennis ball machine that hits balls with a racket. According to its Japanese manufacturer, conventional ball machines cannot provide effective practices because it’s impossible to foresee the timing of the ball release and feeds.

The Swing Shot fixes all that by feeding the balls with a racket just like a real person would. Not only is the feed from a racquet, but the Swing Shot has the ability to feed balls with a variety of speeds, spins and shots.

The Swing Shot definitely gives new meaning to the word ball machine and perhaps, is the perfect tennis practice partner that we've all been looking for. Of course, as we all know, good practice partners don't come cheap and neither do these. We hear the going price is $8400.00.

For more information go to swingshot.com.