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Tennis enthusiasts can now serve an ace by shedding the excess weight they have put on during the festive season with professional instructor Dan Barrie at the British School of Bahrain.
Barrie’s weekly Cardio Tennis class is a full-body workout offering fitness fanatics a chance to burn calories while also learning to play the sport.
He said: “Cardio Tennis is for everybody and is a great workout – both mentally and physically – while having fun. It is a superb opening for those interested in tennis to get into the game and it’s also a great tennis-specific workout for more advanced players.
“The use of transition (slower) balls brings down the speed of play, greatly reducing the effective difference in ability between beginners and more experienced players. This makes the sessions more enjoyable for a wider variety of participants than a traditional lesson with regular balls.
“It also helps in expelling a lot of energy, more than any other activity I know of in Bahrain, in a fun and social environment. The constant movement interspersed with short sprints and short periods of rest taxes both the aerobic (energy burned with oxygen) and anaerobic (energy burned without oxygen) systems.
“In a class of six to eight people most women can burn 300-500 calories per hour while men can burn between 500 and 1,000. So it burns more calories than the vast majority of other activities and has the added benefit of keeping you mentally occupied so you have less time to think of how hard your body is working!”
The 34-year-old tennis director and head professional at the Bahrain Tennis Academy (BTA) has more than 16 years experience under his belt, having taught in Australia, the US and Bahrain. He is certified at the highest level, Pro 1, with the United States Professional Tennis Association (USPTA) which is the oldest and largest organisation of tennis teaching professionals.
The highlight of his career, thus far, has been sparring with former world number one Rafael Nadal at the 2007 Dubai Tennis Championship.
Barrie started the cardio course in September of last year to further develop tennis in the kingdom.
He said: “When I heard that cardio tennis had taken off in the US and saw the demonstration at the USPTA’s World Conference, I met with the worldwide cardio tennis manager, Michele Krause, to learn more about the workout.
“Its introduction by the Tennis Industry Association and by BTA here in Bahrain was due to people’s increasing awareness and interest in the benefits of being fit and healthy. It was also an acknowledgement that a traditional sport like tennis needs to evolve for players, both with other sports and traditional fitness classes, in an increasingly competitive market place.
“It does help improve your tennis as participants are hitting lots of balls which trains their muscles for tennis and improves their hand-eye co-ordination, particularly for beginners who find regular balls too fast. Advanced players benefit more from the tennis specific workout which improves their match fitness.”
Barrie’s wife, Lyn, 38, is a teacher at BSB and a regular at the class. She said: “I am very happy with this class. I love tennis and exercise and I think it’s a really good combination of both things. What I love about doing it is that you don’t even realise that you are exercising because you are too busy having fun and constantly on the move.
“My daughters, Emily, nine, and Adrienne, eight, also enjoy tennis with their dad. I guess you can say it’s a family affair
Full-time mum, Sarah Hallett, 34, from Jasra, joined cardio tennis because she prefers outdoor activities to working out at the gym. She said: “It’s a lot of fun and I believe other parents should get involved. It has improved my tennis and has really helped build up my stamina and fitness.”
Advanced tennis player Carrie Alfalaij, 43, is a management analyst with the US department of defence, from Sanad. She said: “I have been taking lessons with Dan for years and just thought this would be something new.
“The class works on your cardio a lot and has really helped with my fitness levels. I love the skill level involved in tennis and the competition. It’s a good exercise while enjoying a sport that you love and in my opinion is much better than going to a gym.”
Barrie added: “The classes are for adults only. However, Cardio Tennis classes for kids and teens has become popular in the US and is something we may look to add in future.”
The sessions resume on January 16 at the Dilmun Club on Mondays and Wednesdays from 8.30am-9.30am and British School in the evenings – on Mondays from 6pm-7pm and on Wednesdays from 6.45pm-7.45pm.
For more information email dan@bahraintennisacademy.com
