Think tennis for cross-training! In the 1970s, I was affiliated with the Biomechanics Research Laboratory at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. One of the laboratory contracts was with U.S. Skiing and, it was during that involvement that I learned how Austrian alpine skiers were playing tennis in their off-season. They felt that the agility, dynamic balance, coordination, development of speed/power, endurance and strength required to play tennis was the best activity in which they could participate to keep up their fitness and actually help them as skiers.
Research abounds to demonstrate that tennis is one of the best activities to help athletes from all endeavors maintain (or even improve) their physical development, while at the same time, giving them a needed break from their specific sport. There is scientific evidence to show that agility, cardiovascular endurance, dynamic balance, overall coordination, eye-hand coordination, bone strength, and overall fitness can be improved by playing tennis. You can see this plethora of research by going to the booklet, Tennis – for the health of it!, at www.tennis-health.com.
But, I’m more interested in your thoughts! Do you have any experiences where tennis has helped you or someone you know? I look forward to seeing your response.