The PT WinSock is a slide-on, weighted tennis training tool that builds strength and racquet control while hitting balls.
"For beginners," says WinSock inventor/owner Bill Gibson, "it is very useful in learning to execute a full finish on ground strokes, to let the racket turn them in recovery to the center, and to develop upper body strength. [The device] delivers a powerful and reliable swing movement and dramatically improves swing speed and swing mechanics."
Gibson recommends short, moderate speed sessions of 10 to 20 strokes (each) for best results at all levels.
So, how does it work? The added 8 ozs. of weight, equally distributed at both sides of the racquet throat, necessitates that you hold your racquet more firmly and in the correct position while hitting. Use it to groove groundies or volleys and to develop strength, muscle memory and faster, controlled racquet speed that can help generate more spin and power.
I found the WinSock easy to put on and take off, simple to work into a training regime in the recommended small doses. You do not need to hit hard to reap the benefits. Go easy to begin, especially if you do not lift/work out regularly. One extra note, the company recommends that you do not serve using WinSock. The service motion, however, is ok.
Find it at PTWinSock, $30 USD. Not recommended for children using kid sized racquets as young muscles are not developed enough to handle the extra weight.
adidas has announced a new heart rate monitor that works with the miCoach mobile app the company introduced last year.
The monitor snaps onto an adjustable absorbant stretch belt (pictured below) that you wear around your chest. A small, connect device plugs into your iPhone or iPod Touch.
Sync your phone to the monitor once you have it on and off you go. Your heart rate data is transferred to the screen (and to your ears if you choose) in real time as you work out, right alongside miles, time, calories burned etc. The device (and built in personal coach) is excellent for fitness training.
But, why should a healthy athlete be concerned about heart rate?
According to Dr. Kimberly Parks, Cardiologist, Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and Harvard Medical School:
"Monitoring your heart rate during exercise is important both for safety and to make sure you are achieving maximum effectiveness from your workout.
It can be easy to get caught up in the positive response your brain has to exercise...[and] It is easy to under or over estimate how much you are exerting yourself. Monitoring your heart rate is important to ensure that you are achieving the desired intensity of your workout."
Determining your desired heart rate: Subtract your age from the number 220. The result is your maximum predicted heart rate (MPHR).
"For endurance training, your target heart rate should be between 70-80% of your MPHR," says Dr. Parks. "For maximum aerobic benefit, you should aim to maintain your target heart rate for a minimum of 20-30 minutes. It's best to avoid exerting yourself at greater than 85% MPHR [during endurance training]..."
Dr. Malissa Wood, Co-director of the MGH Heart Center, Corrigan Women's Heart Health Program and Cardiovascular Performance Program comments that "Individuals hoping to increase their fitness can push their heart rate to a slightly higher range (88-90% max of MPHR) for short intervals..The benefits derived from higher intensity short periods are clear. Typical types of short burst activity would include plyometrics (jump training), sprints or interval runs and running the baselines on a tennis court."
A few notes:
The miCoach heart rate monitor is a great tool for those who want to add running or cycling to their training-for-tennis regime and well as for those who already do these activities. The app will run an assessment program that it will use to base your future workouts on. You can also simply use the heart monitor for short interval training.
This is not a time to lie about your age. Yeah, we all wish we were younger but it's important that the heart monitor make its calculations based on your true age.
I did not find the belt uncomfortable at all but I do not run long distances where chafing could be a problem. adidas offers a couple of miCoach heart rate monitor compatible garments, a sports bra (pictured left) and close fitting shirt for men, for those who might be bothered by the belt. Try it without them first.
You may want to wear an armband style iPhone case if you want to keep your hands free when using the system for high intensity training.
Pretty neat little tool that adds to an already solid fitness app. The adidas miCoachConnect and the Heart Rate Monitor bundle retails for $69.99 and will be available soon at adidas. The miCoach app is free and available for iPhone, BlackBerry and Android. The heart monitor, as noted above, is only available for iPhone and iPod touch.
As always, talk to your doctor before starting a new fitness regime.
Learn more at adidas.com/micoach . Their blog is a good resource for getting familiar with the app. Not available in all countries yet.
Outside Magazine's January 2011 issue has a great article out on Landon Donovan. If you need a New Year fitness motivator, Donovan is your man. No Donovan's not a tennis player but he is one of the fittest guys on the planet and tennis players could learn a lot from him.
In the article Donovan talks about his training routines, hydration, diet and rest regime referring to doing it all right as ""...the exact formula.'" "'Landon grasps the entire concept of what goes into making a fit player,'" says Ben Yauss, Galaxy's strengthening and conditioning coach in the article. If you've watched the guy play you understand what Yauss means.
Fitness and nutrition are a big part of today's tennis game. Have you found a formula for tennis success? Tell us about it and TennisIdentity may feature you in an upcoming addicted spotlight. Send your regime to: tips (at) TennisIdentity.com
First things I noticed about Jo-Wilfried Tsonga were his smile and his shoes, retro suede lace ups. The guy is a sharp dresser and quite charming to boot. Really nice guy.
Although recovering from a knee injury and not playing the Open, I caught up with Tsonga in New York:
How's the knee?
Getting better every day.
Where did you get those shoes?
adidas in France. I don't think they sell them here. You like them?
You're in great shape. What are you doing these days and what do you eat to stay trim and strong? (I'm always looking for tips..)
I eat pretty light, everything but not heavy or greasy: pasta, fish, no fried foods or cream sauces.
So no French foods?
laughs
Match day breakfast?
Cereal, eggs and grape juice
What do you do for fitness when you are healthy?
Run, lift weights..a little of everything. I work on fitness more than I hit balls.
What about massage? Is it important?
I see a physio after each practice and match. Massage and stretching are both important to my game. I believe you will be a better performer if you take care to recover after hard work.
What do you like to wear on court?
I love adidas and have been wearing it since I was a junior when I was buying my own clothes. Now they give me 2-3 shirts and 2-3 shorts for each tournament and I choose what I wear. It doesn't matter to me if something is close or loose fitting but I love bright flashy colors. They look good with my skin tone.
Tsonga looks to return to the ATP tour in Tokyo for the Rakuten Open next month.
Do you have a favorite tennis outfit from the past? 2008 first in blue and then in orange (a good winning year).
Thanks Ana and good luck at the Open!
For a look at what Ana is wearing this year click here.
As training for tennis grows in importance so does training apparel. According to Gil Reyes, conditioning coach of the adidas Player Development Program, "Tennis players spend 70% of their time training and preparing for their next tournament...wearing the right training footwear is vital for future on-court success." According to Reyes, the CYD Reflex shoes are designed to contribute to the development of strong legs that will get you in perfect position, keeping good balance point after point at any phase of the game. Dinara Safina reinforces the concept in the video above.
Normal running and gym shoes are not designed to withstand or support the sudden movements required in tennis training and so the CYD Reflex features Speedcut, an adidas technology designed to reduce the forefoot strain of extreme side-to-side movements so players can maintain speed and performance while reducing the risk of injury. The shoes are built with adiTUFF to withstand abrasion by tough-on-footwear hard courts. The Torsion® System stabilizing technology gives the overarching support of the CYD Reflex, providing the midfoot with enhanced control, support and fit to adapt to whatever surface you are training or hitting on. It's a little like a seat-belt for your foot.
The breathable new shoes, designed for running and drills will ultimately save your tennis shoes for game day and keep your body and feet much happier during training.
The CYD Reflex retails for $100 USD and comes in four different colors for both men and women. White with black stripes and acid buzz (pictured above) or teal trimming for men and white with orange or black stripes and magenta detailing for women. A line of training apparel will also compliment the shoe.
Shop adidas Tennis
Below are a few tennis oriented gift ideas to get you started. Take a look around Tennisidentity.com for others. We've got reviews up in mens and womens fashion, gear, essentials, books, fitness, services, t-shirts and more.
Would your Mom carry an over the shoulder six pack? Mine wouldn't. For the woman who simply must arrive in 21st century style, take a look at the Cassanova bag by Court Couture. It comes in six colors (pink berry in pic) croc-embossed faux leather and hosts an outside racquet pocket that holds two racquets (including mid-plus and oversize heads). Inside you'll find a cosmetic bag and a large two section interior lined with pretty striped fabric and more pockets, $189 USD. If Kim Kardashian played -- and I would like to see that -- she might pick this bag. You get the picture. Tennis-Warehouse carries Court Couture as well.
The buff men of pro tennis can be part of your daily life -- do tell!. Look for 2010 calendars featuring Andy Roddick, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and more. Available at Tennis-Warehouse $19-29 USD. Play carries the Murray calendar.
If price is no object take a look at the Power Plate, a workout machine said to be a favorite of Serena Williams. The machine provides an efficient full body workout in just 30 minutes. Advance vibration technology causes muscles to react many times per second as you exercise. The result is increased flexibility, strength, bone density and range of motion, decreased joint and muscle pain and improved blood circulation; $4,500 - 10,500. Not in the financial cards? Ask your club to buy one for everyone to use. "Our members love it," says Phyllis Kugler, Fitness Director at the Vineyard Tennis Workout and Spa in Martha's Vineyard. "It can be addictive. That machine does not gather dust."
Speaking of Serena, pictured right is her "Lucky Ring," $65, part of the Serena Williams Signature Statement Collection. This is a replica of the ring she wears on court every match. She will be hawking the line December 11 on HSN if you want to check it out or buy.
Anyone can always use an extra warm up jacket, especially welcome would be one from adidas by Stella McCartney (this is the line that Caroline Wozniacki wears). Pictured left is the CU Hoodie in Dark Atlantic blue, $140. The color is gorgeous on anyone, really. Beautiful detail a la Ms. Stella. adidas by Stella McCartney is at Shopadidas
and Tennis-Warehouse.
For men, pictured right is the Nike Men's Athlete Clima Fit Jacket, white with mahogany. It comes in three colors. Pretty clean and classic. Toss in the masters polo and mahogany shorts and you've got Roger looking back at you. Available at Nike and Tennis-Warehouse.
How about an ATP World Tour Tee? 100% cotton, it's your basic tee with ATP cool, $19.99. I can't think of a tennis playing teen boy who wouldn't want one. Here's the direct link.
Just ideas...Happy Holidays and have fun shopping.
A match warm up for the pros is not just a quick hit; it really shouldn't be for the rec player either.
Back in the heat of August I had a chance to watch a few WTA players warming up for matches at the Pilot Pen Tournament at Yale. Their pre-hitting routines were eye-opening. Those bag checks you see on the Tennis Channel really just scratch the surface of what some of these players and coaches carry around a tournament.
The bags were chock full of portable fitness equipment: jump ropes, cones, medicine balls, rip cords, thera bands, flex bars and more. The players used the gear, jogged and s-t-r-e-t-c-h-e-d.
Top left to right, Sybille Bammer jumps rope; Yaroslava Shvedova tosses the medicine ball while Ipek Senoglu (not pictured) runs cones; Sara Errani works a rip cord; and bottom, left Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova squeezes a flex bar.
Most rec players hop out of their car and after a quick 10 minute warm-up say "do you want to get started?" And then we wonder why we are stiff, slow starters?
Get the gear: Most sporting good stores carry the above portable fitness equipment. Online I found the Jump rope and RipCords at Tennis-Warehouse; medicine balls, the Thera-Band Flexbar 
If you are wondering about the tape on Errani's shoulder, take a look at this post.
Fitness is a big part of tennis and if your tennis facility doesn't offer weight training equipment this means another club membership or home equipment. Pricey. We've seen circuit pros (men and women) warming up with exercise bands prior to matches. They hook them over the net post or fence and warm up shoulders, arms and legs.
What we didn't realize was that you can get a great whole body workout with a complete set of these bands. Each color offers a different level of resistance. Requiring storage space about the size of a large tissue box, you can work out anywhere you have a little room to move. The brand we checked out, Ripcords, offers a DVD called Circuit 7 which outlines a 7 minute total body workout beginner to expert. We liked the easy to hold handles on each of the bands and the workout was great. Package prices range between $39.95 and $67.90 USD. The six-pack is also available at Tennis-Warehouse.
Anyone who plays aggressive tennis knows that it's not enough just to play. ATP and WTA players spend hours strengthening their bodies to improve stamina and power. We're not saying YOU need to spend hours but even a little fitness training will go a long way to improving your game.
Ultimate Conditioning for Tennis was developed by Alan Pearson the Chief Executive of SAQ International Ltd., an internationally renowned training organization. The book contains tennis specific exercises which are easy to follow and, a good section of which, can be done alone. Some require inexpensive training equipment, a court or a group. The group exercises are great for a clinic or team practice. You can pick and choose what your game needs more of (i.e balance, fast feet, overhead power) or focus more generally on what they call ultimate conditioning.
The book includes sample training sessions both for the professional and recreational weekend player. Buy it at www.amazon.com, $15.95 USD.
