Ralph Berry
On any given morning at the tennis courts at Robson Ranch, you are likely to come upon several groups of men or ladies playing doubles. The men are not currently playing in any outside leagues, but that does not cut down any on the number of games that most are able to get in. Many of the men have a set group of four that they play with the same time each week, some in multiple groups on multiple days. And many others play in various groupings weekly, but not the same guys every time. The result is great camaraderie, a good variety of games, and lots of exercise.
And good exercise it is. According to research conducted by Fitbit, an hour of doubles tennis equates to, on average, 7,980 steps. That is 3 to 4 miles, depending on stride length. Of course, tennis players in Robson, being older than the “average” player out there on the courts, don’t run as much as younger players due to several factors, such as replaced joints and decades of wear and tear. So, for my own verification, I measured my steps taken over three sets of tennis for the last several months. The result is between 3 and 4 miles, or 6,500 to 7,500 steps, during the average of two hours to play the three competitive sets. If this doesn’t seem like much (it does to me!), consider that the body is under a lot of stress with all the sideways running, moving forwards and backwards, sprinting, bending, and even the occasional jumping. In fact, according to Mid Life Athlete, of the “major” sports played around the world, tennis is second only to soccer in the amount of running required. Field hockey actually comes between soccer and tennis, but that is hardly a major sport.
So, if you want to get into aerobic activity in a big way, consider joining the tennis athletes at Robson on the courts. For more information on joining the action (scheduled play, drop-in, lessons, leagues, or social events) contact the Robson Ranch Tennis Club at [email protected] and you will be directed to fellow Robson residents who can help you.