Summer is a great time for tennis in the Tri-State. If you want to give the game a try, it’s the best time to pick it up or maybe perfect a few faults.
“Getting involved in the sport is as easy as it’s ever been,” said Brian Clark, director of tennis at Cincinnati’s Eastern Hills Indoor Tennis Club. “Many private clubs and public courts offer inexpensive adult beginner programming to the general public that enable players to try out the sport while getting a crash course in the basics.”
Why try tennis?
The benefits of tennis are marked and multiple, including both aerobic and anaerobic fitness, development of acceleration and speed, agility and flexibility, fine and gross motor skills, even bone strength and density.
According to the United States Tennis Association, playing competitive tennis burns more calories than aerobics, cycling or inline skating, and is better than golf and other sports for “developing positive personality characteristics.”
Some experts say tennis’ wellness benefits transcend the physical. Also according to the USTA, tennis players “scored higher in vigor, optimism and self-esteem” and lower in “depression, anger, confusion, anxiety and tension” than both other athletes and non-athletes, according to a Southwestern Connecticut State University study, and a University of Illinois study suggested tennis may even promote new connections between nerves in the brain.
“Personally, I’m the type that enjoys chasing a ball around as opposed to a treadmill for my cardio exercise,” Clark said. “I still enjoy the challenges of competing, and especially like the team aspect of playing doubles and the camaraderie involved.”
What you need to start playing
If you’re new to the game, here are a couple quick tips to get you going:
1. Equipment
Rackets come in many shapes and sizes, swing weights and grip widths. Your biggest decision will be finding the right one, so don’t rush.
Many area clubs and two leading retail outlets, Midwest Sports in Sharonville and Samuels Tennisport in Kenwood, have demo programs that will allow you to try a racket for free or a nominal fee. Midwest’s racket finder is a useful place to start.
Make sure to wear flat-soled tennis shoes, not running shoes, which are built for forward and not lateral movement. Wear shorts with pockets so you can hold an extra ball or two.
2. Courts and instruction
PlayTennis.com can give you the details on all the courts in your area, including high schools, parks and private clubs (if you’re playing after work, you can even find out which ones have lights).
You can find adult beginner classes and/or private instruction throughout Greater Cincinnati, including the Lindner Tennis Center at Lunken Playfield, the Sawyer Point tennis complex downtown, and the 12 clubs of the Greater Cincinnati Indoor Tennis Association (GCITA): Eastern Hills, Beechmont, Camargo, Court Yard, Five Seasons Kentucky, Five Seasons Ohio, Harper’s Point, Mercy Anderson, Mercy Fairfield, Queen City, Riverside and Western. The GCITA clubs field teams that compete against one another in men’s and women’s divisions, singles and doubles, encompassing a wide spectrum of ages and skill levels.
EHI’s Clark said one of the things that makes tennis so appealing is it can be played for life.
“It’s inspiring to see players well into their eighties on our courts, playing with their friends, having some great rallies and lots of laughs,” he said. “There just aren’t that many sports that have quite the same combination of social and physical fitness that don’t require a lot of time and money.”
