Showing posts with label tips. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tips. Show all posts

6 tips for playing indoor tennis on a budget!


"Baby, it's cold outside..."
Picture uploaded by P2Squared

Indoor Tennis Anyone?

Winter approaches! This is the time to start thinking "Indoor Tennis" for all of you on the East Coast. When it gets below 40 and so dark after work you just want to go home and take a nap...

Below are some of the best options to ward off the tennis blues and tips for playing tennis indoors.

Even with gloves and a parka, it's still good to have options when it's windy and cold outside!

6 Tips to "Save Money and Play More Tennis" this winter!

1) Weekend Tennis Party and Socials
If you just play once a week, you can join a local weekly "tennis party" that typically charges about $20-$30 so you can play all night of doubles (7-11pm).  Usually held on Fri/Sat nights at many local clubs, they are popularly known as "pizza tennis parties".


More promo codes are updated regularly on our Facebook Tennis Coupons Page!


Pros: They usually have some light snacks or a pot-luck style party on Fri or Sat night.  It's a mixer with typically 30-60 people of various skill levels.  We match people up accordingly and rotate the doubles teams and provide the new tennis balls. Meet new people and get a chance to get on the courts, even if it's just once a week max.

Cons: The downside is that you might be matched with players at the wrong playing level if they do not rate and group them properly. Be sure to tell the organizer well ahead of time your playing experience.

2) Discount Memberships 2 for 1 and no enrollment fees
Alright, you're probably thinking...hmm, aren't private clubs and memberships really expensive?  Usually, but not always...you may be able to find monthly rates at some places.  Also look for promos that waive the enrollment fee (usually $100+ savings).

3) Request an extra "Guest Pass" when signing up with an existing member
If you want to play regularly over the winter without the membership dues (which at gyms are around ~$150/month avg), I'd recommend you to find a buddy who belongs to a local indoor club and then you can just pay a "guest fee" - typically $10 or $20.

Sometimes if you sign up together they can give you a discount as well, but be sure to ask.  But typically it will be cheaper if just one person has a membership and the other people pay guest fees for occasional usage.

4) Book a regular (non-peak) time-slot
If you can gather a group of 4 friends together and just have one person be the designated club member and the others pay the guest fee, this may be a good option at a lower price than booking ad-hoc. It helps if each week, you all can play tennis at the same hour (very early or late). *The hard part is finding a last-minute substitute, if one person cannot make it.

Tennis-Bargains Tip:
Here is a free 7-day online pass for Sport and Health clubs in the VA/DC/MD area. Please reference www.Tennis-Bargains.com, if you are asked how you found out about the deal.

I can only give you my personal option on the court quality vs price of most of the indoor clubs in the VA/DC/MD area that I have visited.  But I'll post some of my reviews of court quality, staff experience, parking benefits in another blog post.
...

Tennis Balls at ~$2/Cans deal

Tennis Balls - Buying Tips
It is Tennis Shopping Season and we love a good Bargain!

Like many tennis fans, we like Amazon.com for their price-matching and wide selection 
 Penn Tennis Ball - 12 can bulk deal
Penn Championship Tennis Balls - 12 Cans Bulk Savings


Cheap ways to get Amazon Prime: FREE Two-Day Shipping

US Open Tickets - How to get "sold out" tickets + 5% Off

US Open Articles and Tips

American Express Perks

Hotel Rooms close to the US Open (Flushing, NY - Chinatown)
http://www.tennis-bargains.com/2010/08/american-express-spg-card-free-night.html

Tips for watching the US Open - my Tennis Travel Blog
http://www.JCtennis.com/2010/08/3-important-tips-for-watching-us-open.html

How to watch Federer, Nadal, Djokovic for FREE - plus a New Court 17

US Open - Upcoming Special Ticket Sale Dates

May 24 – USTA Member Sale
May 31 – American Express Members Early Sale (code required)
June 6 – Tickets go on sale to the general public

Q: I'm not a USTA Member - How do I get tickets now?

According to USopen.org: "Individual Tickets for the 2016 US Open are on sale June 2016."

Q: I don't want to wait until June! What can I do??

Buy tickets from another fan (season ticket holders)!
US Open Tickets available for purchase today!

Because if you prefer not to wait around another couple months to scramble for tickets again. Also remember if you wait until June, then everyone will be lining up to buy them too, not just USTA members...there is another, better way...

TicketExchange by Ticketmaster
These are real tickets (held by season ticket holders or other fans). They are sold by fans, to fans, and guaranteed to be genuine by Ticketmaster.  Before you buy, make sure you don't overpay - check ticket prices here first*


Note: 
The prices will vary depending on the session and quality of the seat choices, but there are almost always some available here.

Plus when you buy from TicketMaster or TicketExchange, you can always put them back on sale again if you decide you need to sell later! The weekend sessions (Fri-Sun) tend to sell out very fast, especially just around Labor Day weekend (9/2-9/5) when everyone comes to NYC! With the schedule below, you can be sure to pick the right session and check ticket prices listed instantly.

2016 US Open Tickets Schedule
2016 US Open Tickets Schedule

Happy New Year - 2014 Tennis Deals

Happy New Year!

Keep up the great work from last year! To help everyone get started with their new years resolutions, we have some healthy tips and helpful coupons for our tennis fans below.

Believe it or not, the Aussie Open is just 2 weeks away!! Here are some of our memories from last year! Let us know what was your favorite moment*

3 Tips on How to Keep Tennis Fit this Winter

  1. Blend your workout during the winter months
    Even though you may not be on the courts as much - try to mix in some indoor exercises to into your daily routine. Take more stairs at work or at the mall. Go for a jog in the afternoon. Enroll in a gym with an indoor pool (heated). Join a weekend "tennis pizza party".
  2. Even getting a cardio sweat just 2-3 times a week is a good start
    Avoid overdoing your first few workouts. Aim for 30-45 mins of getting your heart rate up (try Cardio Tennis for example). It is MUCH better than doing one 2 hour workout just once a week.
  3. Get up and move around! Or just *get up*
    Every 1-2 hours whether if you're at your desk or watching a movie...just get UP and walk around. Sitting still for long periods of time is very unhealthy and makes it tough to break the inertia. Remember: Sometime the *FIRST STEP is the toughest*

Get Closeout 2013 Tennis Apparel up to 75% OFF - Special Promo Codes

Nike Training Center (NTC) - Mobile Fitness App

For fitness and tennis athletes, I found a very good smartphone app - FREE from Nike Training Center on both Android and iTunes. You can even download add-on free bonus videos from Nike Stars, such as Serena Williams!



Each workout has 10-12 different short workouts, with both video and step-by-step images to follow along.

The app even into your Nike+ account so you can track your Nike Fuel, and it also lets you play any songs or playlists you have on your phone while you workout *Not bad - worth checking out*

US Tennis Congress - Top Teaching Pros all in one place (Atlanta, Oct 11-14)

US Tennis Congress - Train with the Top Coaches in America

What: Learn from the Best Tennis Coaches in the USA in one place
When: Oct 11-14, 2013
Where: Atlanta, GA

* Check out their USA Today story published earlier this week!

* The founder P.J. Simmons, is the creator of the site The Road to 4.5 Tennis which I came across several months ago. I highly recommend it to any tennis player who wants to be the best they can be...

I also believe that with the right training, nutrition and the proper routine *anyone* can play 4.5 level tennis. I have trained under several of these world-class coaches and can personally recommend the quality of their instruction and level of professionalism.

The coaches and speakers at this Tennis Congress have helped me tremendously towards reaching my personal goal of becoming #1 Mid-Atlantic Men's 4.0 Singles (2011-2012)


About USTC:
The idea behind the USTC is simple but new: to give passionate adult recreational players (NTRP level 2.0-5.0+) an inspiring, intensive, in-person opportunity to learn from a world-class faculty about all aspects of training necessary to advance to the next level (technique, movement, strategy, fitness, injury prevention, and mental conditioning)—using both on-court training and innovative and dynamic off-court techniques. What’s most unique is that each US Tennis Congress builds the curriculum around the individual needs of those who take part.

Exclusive Discount Code Discount: Use"JACKYUSTC" when registering

  • $100 off the Aces program
  • $100 off the Slam program
  • $100 off the Grand Slam program



Some useful links if you're gearing up for Playing some USTA Tennis Tournaments soon:

Tennis Industry Show with new tennis tools



Similar to the US Open TIA Tennis Show, we attended back in Aug 2012...at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Tysons Corner, a Tennis Show was held for the tennis industry (2/18) here in the Washington DC area.

5th Set Tennis - New Product Demo and Nutrition Trade Show

UPDATE:
Yann Auzoux has just announced a 50% off price for his new tennis invention.


At the Tennis show, he was able to offer us a sneak preview of his latest self-invented tennis tool "Sweet Spotter" that he hopes to help tennis players of all skill levels improve their tennis strokes. He is also the star and creator of Prepping Like a Pro, which we featured a few months ago.

Stay tuned, check back with us at www.FifthSet.com and www.Tennis-Bargains.com for updates and possibly a sneak preview YouTube video demo of the product when it becomes available.

Olivia Ricchi (Nutrition Strategist), Dan Riser (Physio Guru), and Yann Auzoux (Tennis Pro) have worked together on videos to athletes of all sports keep healthy, get stronger, and play better tennis.

Olivia Ricchi (5th Set's Nutritionist)

Check out their Belt-Weigh challenge for more tips:
https://www.youtube.com/user/oliyanncorp


Olivia making one of her isAgenix Shakes!
I had the Chocolate one - yummy and top grade Whey Protein! :)

Nette Tennis - Stylish Sports Wear for Women

A lot of female tennis friends and students of mine have complained about this for years. So many tennis skirts and pants just do not have any pockets to hold balls!!

I guess they think it does not look feminine??

The result is that they have to buy a single plastic ball holder or ask their partner to hold the extra balls. The company Nette Tennis has many different compression shorts and clothing for women to store stuff while they are exercising, jogging, playing tennis, etc. Very cool!


Eleven - Venus Williams' Clothing Line + Women's Fashion

Tennis Karma with Zen Tennis Gear
Venus Williams - Eleven Clothing Line - Free Bags!

TrueStretch - juggle gym of stretching for adults

Although not at the Tennis Show - this product seen at TCCP (College Park, MD) makes for a great way to get lots of great stretching poses on one apparatus.

TrueStretch Chart

How to Train in Off-Season like Tennis Pros: Free HD Videos

"Prepping Like a Pro" - A Tennis Athlete's Workout

"If you make me strong, I will win." - Andre Agassi


"Prepping Like a Pro" Video Series

Featuring: Yann Auzoux
Former ATP Pro / Legg Mason Doubles / Former ITF #7

Starring: ESPN Flex Appeal's Dan Riser
Former US Men's Fitness Champion /  ESPN Cast Member / Hollywood Body-Double

We were able to train with Yann and Dan at his Holton Arm's HS tennis courts. We appreciate his invitation to perform some of the exercises live. We were asked not to release the YouTube videos to the public.

Happy Thanksgiving: Our Turkey Warmup and Workout Tips

Gobble Gobble!

Happy Thanksgiving!


Hey Tennis Fans! Here's a quick Pre-Thanksgiving Tennis workout you can do in your own home or tennis court.

Here are some easy 5-min warm up exercises - to stay in shape before the big meal this Thanksgiving Thursday Or preemptively burn off a couple pounds, get pumped up for all your holiday shopping on Black Friday*

From our Tennis-Bargains Team:
"Stay Fit. Shop Smart. Play Tennis"

"Prepping Like a Pro" Instructors:

  • Dan Riser - Former US Men's Fitness Champion; has appeared regularly on the show Flex Appeal on ESPN 
  • Yann Auzoux - Former Davis Cup Player for Cameroon, ATP Doubles Champion, and Former ITF #7 in the world. 
They have teamed up for this brand new video course together for this "Prepping Like a Pro" Training Course - we're launching it live to the general public very soon this December...


What's Unique about these Training Courses?

Tennis-specific Workout Course designed for *Winter Tennis Players*:
  • Stay in tennis-shape off the court
  • Be fit and ready at the top of your game, when you come back on the tennis courts!
  • Strength, conditioning, speed, endurance drills
  • Training Specifically for Tennis - not just a bunch of random P90X and Cross-Fit workouts mixed together...

    This is exactly what Yann Auzoux himself trains with every week; it's designed for serious tennis players in mind.

Special Tennis-Bargains Bonus Offer

Tennis-Bargains Facebook Fans: get an extra Free Bonus Session:
Here's sneak-peak example, filmed during my workout last weekend with Dan and Yann in this video

This One-Hour Live Training Session will allow Dan to give you personalized, individual feedback on doing these exercises. *Hurry - spaces are very limited*. Offer is only valid, if these remaining spots in these classes are still available.


Tennis Tools for Winter Training


Tennis Tools for Winter Training (updated)

Balance Trainer: Dynamic Balance
Balance is super important in tennis. If you can make small, minor adjustments to your body position - it is extremely hard for your opponent to wrong foot you. Moving laterally with your feet, while swinging forward with your arms is crucially important as it happens continually during a match.

How to Develop Better Balance
I just got this and love this little blue balance trainer! It's basically like an under-inflated cushion that you try to keep your balance on for as long as possible.  The wobbling nature of the tool forces you to keep your core balance stable in order to stand.  You actually use a lot of muscles to counter-act the forces that are tipping you over.

Creative exercises for tennis
It's actually kind of fun to see how long you can keep your body balanced and centered.  After 5-10 mins with the rubber band drill, your legs will be burning. When it's cold outside or you're limited in space, you have to be creative to stay "fit to hit"! Another drill to try is to side-step on a treadmill while simulating a swing motion with your arms (both forehand and backhand). Here are a few other tennis exercises you can do at home.

Agility Ladder: Foot Speed and Quickness

Great for doing indoor footwork drills with limited space. Just lay it out in the basement or living room and it folds away nicely! Just under $25, you can take anywhere with free shipping from Amazon!

Drills:
Check out some of these great tennis-specific drills on YouTube anyone can do.

SKLZ Ladder:
I highly recommend getting an Agility Ladder that will not snag easily and sturdy enough to last, plus this one even comes with a DVD and carrying bag.


PracticeHit: Master your swing indoors

This little device helps you simulate proper contact and timing on ground strokes, both forehand and backhand.

Easy to use, long term pay-off
Best of all it doesn't take much space and helps you with your balance and coordination tremendously.  In home or gym, all you need is a little corner to put it and just do a few mins a day with it.

You can also build core strength and stability with all these cool workouts you can do with it.


Bosu Ball - Jumping and Split-step exercises


Also featured at www.atpworldtour.com - here are some Tips for the Bosu ball too

As a professional tennis instructor, I can feel how much better my balance is now on one foot or when I get stretched out wide.

The Bosu Ball tool does a great job of isolating muscle groups and keeping you "light on your toes". These exercises can be combined with small dumbbells to add to the intensity of squats, etc.


Read more Tennis-Bargain Product Reviews

Train like Spain, in Florida (Sanchez-Casal) Dec 7-9

USPTA Coaches Conference (Dec 7-9) in Naples, Florida

USPTA Player Development Conference - Dec 7-9, 2012
Sanchez-Casal Academy YouTube Videos

Prices start at $300, with discounts for hotels/lodging.

Learn from USPTA Master Professionals

Luis Mediero and Emilo Sanchez (former Davis Cup Captain for Spain) will be your instructors. The weather in southern Florida is usually almost perfect in December.

Only a short car ride to Miami and South Beach, this trip makes for a nice winter getaway.

If it worked for Andy Murray as a junior, it should help your students improve too.

Spain is Davis Cup World Champions in last 3 of 4 years; now in its 4th Final in 5 years.

After the Davis Cup Semi-Finals loss to David Ferrer and Nicholas Almago, John Isner admitted, “It is disappointing; the Spanish team in my opinion is just too good....That is a credit to [Nicolas] Almagro and Ferrer, they were both better than me." (ATPWorldTour.com)

As they say, if you can't beat them...join them


Understand progression training, build upon the "X" and "V" Attack-Defend Patterns and Footwork Drills. Learn how to bring a winning tradition to your own team/club.

Help young players learn to enjoy playing and working hard to get better:
http://www.asc-florida.com/
  • Learn to love clay and have flexibility on all surfaces
  • Teach players to use their feet (footwork), before they learn to use their hands (grips)
  • Mobility before Power
  • Use Tennis as a way of educating and improving the student's life

9/5 and 9/6, Thursday and Friday tickets: 2-for-1 specials


Looking for great deals for Thursday and Friday tickets?

Sometimes the rain we had on Tues and Wed can work out for the best for those people who have tickets for Thursday and Friday sessions.

Remember there are $26 tickets available for both days with our ticketmaster promo codes

Janko Tipsarevic (SRB)[8] vs. David Ferrer (ESP)[4] (9/6 @ 1:30 PM)

The last men's quarter-final will be played NLT 1:30 PM. Also now with Federer out of the draw as of last night, the men's field is wide open! That was a terrific match between Berdych and Federer - who knows, maybe this is the year that Murray will finally win his first major?!

Also on the women's side, many are predicting a Serena vs Sharapova face-off and rematch.

Also, you'll be able to see both Men's and Women's Doubles semi-finals in the next few days.

Remember that the outer courts will have the top juniors all playing during the day so hopefully you'll be able to see some future stars in action too!

Some observations from this year's US Open...

Tennis-Bargains is back from the first week at the US Open 2012 opening weekend!


A few notables US Open 2012 additions and changes we want to highlight for you below. Also, with some US Open insider's guide Part 1 and Part 2 with insights during qualifying week

Court 17 - The "New Grandstand"


Fans Welcome Weekend - Free Close-up Players Practice

  • Got to see Roger Federer, Djokovic, Murray, Ferrer, Raonic, Nalbandian, Tsonga, Del Portro, Tipsarevic, Cilic, Monaco FOR FREE!!
  • Yep, if you came to visit the US Open this past weekend, you got to see practically every male player in the Top 15 from about 20-30 feet away!
  • On the women's side, we were able to see on these courts: Sharapova, Serena Williams, Clisters, Li Na, etc...

Top Food choice this year: Crepes

  • About 3/4 the way down the row of the food court area - these crepes come in different meats (chicken, beef, pork, veggie, etc).
  • Definitely would recommend trying one for about $11 for a relatively healthy yet tasty choice.
  • My favorite, "Le Poulle": The Chicken Crepe ~$11 is one of the best meals on site - good to enjoy when watching a match on the new court 17. Check out this article/review from NY Times.


Thanks to all our fans (both new and old) who are following us!


Top Players Practice *Live Updates* plus photos and videos for Arthur Ashe Day!


Tennis-Bargains.com will be posting up *Player Alerts* on Twitter during this entire first US Open weekend! Whenever we spot a top star practicing on a particular court, you'll be the first to get a front row seat and enjoy!

ATP: Federer, Djokovic, Delpo, Fish, Roddick, Hewitt, etc...
WTA: Sharapova, Williams, Azerenka, Stousur and many more...



This way our fans can instantly get a front row seat to see Federer or Djokovic as soon as they are seen by one of our spotter staff! 



Beat the crowds, and get the practice info first when we release match schedules on Facebook! Plus many more money saving tips!

US Open 2012 - Ticket Prices, Last Minute Deals and Tips


The US Open 2012 is now officially less than 2 weeks away! Some of your may still be looking for tickets. Unfortunately this year, it seems like the WFANDANGO code did not go live (yet...) for those $15 tickets we were all waiting for!

But fear not, there are still ways to get good deals for this year's US Open!


After-market Tickets

The chart below might be helpful if you decide to get a ticket from TicketExchange or Ebay (look for legitimate sellers only) and under $70 for the first week.

Read my tips for buying and selling US Open ticketsI would wait no longer than 3-4 days before your session starts if you need the ticket mailed to you.


US Open Pricing Chart for each session (unofficial)

Below is an unofficial list for prices for all sessions (even with group discounts). It will give you an idea of about how much the fair market value for a particular session should be worth, without fees/shipping.


Unofficial US Open Tickets Pricing (with Group Discount)
 Tournament Dates
Arthur Ashe Price (Upper Promenade)
Grounds Admission Price (Unassigned Seating)
Monday, 8/27 Day
 $60
 $54
Monday, 8/27 Eve
 $32
 N/A
Tuesday, 8/28 Day
 $60
 $54
Tuesday, 8/28 Eve
 $24
 N/A
Wednesday, 8/29 Day
 $60
 $54
Wednesday, 8/29 Eve
 $24
 N/A
Thursday, 8/30 Day
 $69
 $64
Thursday, 8/30 Eve
 $49
 N/A
Friday, 8/31 Day
 $69
 $64 - Sold Out
Friday, 8/31 Eve
 $49
 N/A
Saturday, 9/1 Day
 $69 - Sold Out
 $64 - Sold Out
Saturday, 9/1 Eve
 $49
 N/A
Sunday, 9/2 Day
 $69 - Sold Out
 $64 - Sold Out
Sunday, 9/2 Eve
 $49
 N/A
Monday, 9/3 Day
 $69
 $64 - Sold Out
Monday, 9/3 Eve
 $49
 N/A
Tuesday, 9/4 Day
 $52
 N/A
Tuesday, 9/4 Eve
 $74
 N/A
Wednesday, 9/5 Day
 $52
 N/A
Wednesday, 9/5 Eve
 $74
 N/A
Thursday, 9/6 Day
 $52
 N/A
Thursday, 9/6 Eve
 $74
 N/A
Friday, Sept. 7 Day
 $80
 N/A
Saturday, Sept. 8 Day
 $89 - Sold Out
 N/A
Saturday, Sept. 8 Eve 
 $89
 N/A
Sunday, Sept. 9 Day
 $89 - Sold Out



Free Tennis - Qualifiers Week, Opening Weekend, Arthur Ashe Day

8/21-8/24Watch the Qualification matches played for free during the week

8/25Free to enter grounds and watch players practicing; or $7 Ashe tickets with CBS promo code

8/26Open practice day; free to enter and watch the pros practice


If any more last minute promos pop up, we will be sure to post them here for our fans:

Watching Tennis is more fun (plus cheaper) when you bring friends, family - 4-pack sale plus $25 back offer

How to get Citi Open Tickets 40% OFF - only about $36/ticket for the Finals!!

See our full Citi Open Coverage, previews and photos here!

Citi Open is now Washington DC's biggest tennis event for both ATP men and WTA women. It is also the next stop on the US Open Series, leading up to the US Open 2012 grand slam coming up next month.

Tickets at the box office this week (July 30-Aug 5) are priced $45-$55/ticket.

Tennis-Bargains can help you get them down to $31-$36 for any session you want; plus you can even get $25 back with one tweet* (exp 9/30)!



Citi Open Ticket Prices
Session#
Box Seats
Reserved Seats
4-Pack Seats
3-6
$70
$45
$31
7-9
$75
$50
$33
10
$80
$55
$36







Triple Play Tips for Savings is like "A-B-C"

A) Activate: *Get $25 off $75* promo deal - use Twitter or Facebook (offers exp 9/30*)
B) Buy in Bulk: save 40% on "4-pack" of tickets - Ticketmaster Link (see below)
C) get Credit back: for selling off unused tickets - TicketExchange Link for Fans

Step-by-Step Instructions for Discounted Tickets

  1. Go to the Ticketmaster Citi Open Page
  2. Select the Session / Date you want
    (ex: Session 3 is first round, Session 10 is the Final)
  3. Under Ticket Options,
    Check the "Me+3 4-Pack Offer" check-box ONLY
  4. Continue selecting 4 Seats total
    Note: yes they are nosebleed seats but if you are planning to see only non-stadium matches, it's not a problem. It's "first come first serve" seating on the Grandstand and all other side courts.
  5. Make sure you activated your Ticketmaster Deal and get a confirmation for $25 credit email
  6. Congrats, you just saved over 40% on your tennis tickets! Your buddies will thank you =)

Sell Extra Tickets - use credit to get other sessions or future tickets


**Don't let your unused tickets go to waste!**Another fan is probably looking for one, especially on sold-out days.



Discount Days

  • Mon, July 30 is 2-for-1 USTA Members Day
  • Sat, Aug 4 is Military Appreciation Day - Free entry for all active duty and retired members, family. Plus our heroes get free 2-for-1 tickets, any day of the week.
  • See all special events days here.

Extra Bonus and Tips

If you followed my advice and still have that 50% Off Ticketmaster Gift Card we announced previously, you can save even more! It was a $100 TM gift card you could buy for $50.

For food choices at Citi Open

I recommend the Basil Chicken entree at the Thai place. Most of the staff are pretty friendly and seems like the business place in the food court area. Gets busy around lunch/dinner, so try to go early and get a place to sit!

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