News

HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. — Thirty select tennis and fitness professionals from across the U.S. took part in the Cardio Tennis Trainer Summit in April, held at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. At the two-and-a-half-day event, attendees learned the skills and knowledge required to be a TIA Cardio Tennis Trainer.

“We trained the trainers,” said TIA Cardio Tennis Manager Michele Krause. “These 30 tennis and fitness professionals are qualified to deliver official Cardio Tennis education to tennis and fitness professionals around the country and the world, so that those pros can bring quality Cardio Tennis programs to consumers and players.”

The CT Summit kicked off with a welcome from IMG Academy founder and tennis Hall-of-Famer Nick Bollettieri. Then David Thompson of Polar USA talked to the group about the use of heart-rate monitors for Cardio Tennis participants, to make sure they’re receiving maximum benefit from their on-court activity.

Over the course of the weekend, the CT Trainers were coached and evaluated on feeding technique, delivery of Cardio Tennis games, warm-up and cool-down activities, as well as personal fitness. Other speakers included Krause; Cassiano Costa, the head tennis fitness trainer at IMG; and Jeff Smith from Rapid Force.

There also was a “Calorie Burn Challenge,” with 28 trainers participating. Over the course of the two days, the group burned a total of 140,570 calories. The highest woman calorie-burner was Marley Woods of Kingsport, Tenn., with 6,298; the leader for the men was Michael Branan of Orlando, Fla., who burned 10,233 calories.

Also during the weekend, 36 professionals participated in a Cardio Tennis “Triples” tournament. The winning team consisted of Jack Steyn of Bradenton, Fla., Andrew Sirota of Wayne, N.J., and Woods. In addition, there were TRX Cardio Tennis workouts and IMG protocol pro training sessions. The third day of the Summit included a seven-hour Cardio Tennis course delivered to 45 participants by multiple members of the CT Trainer Team.

“It was an incredible weekend of learning, bonding, teamwork and personal growth,” Krause said. “The members of the TIA Cardio Tennis Team are the best in the business, and their passion and energy over the weekend was off the charts. As an educational team, we are now that much stronger and evolved to continue providing some of the very best education in the tennis industry.”

In related news, Krause and TIA Executive Director Jolyn de Boer were invited by the Italian Tennis Federation to speak to coaches at the 2nd Annual International Tennis Coaches Symposium in early May. Cardio Tennis was presented and demonstrated to more than 3,000 tennis pros and coaches by Krause and de Boer on the Grandstand Court at the historic Foro Italico during the qualifying tournament for the Italian Open.

Cardio Tennis is offered in more than 30 countries, including as a key pillar for tennis participation in Australia and the United Kingdom. In the U.S., more than 1.7 million people participate in Cardio Tennis.

For more about Cardio Tennis, including training for tennis providers, visit CardioTennis.com.