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".

We can email you with any Tennis Events near your zip code!

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.
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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

DC Tennis Page - News and Events

*NEW* Local Tennis Deals in Washington DC

Our new page "DC Deals" features local tennis events and deals in the Washington DC Metro Area DC/VA/MD - with other major cities like NYC to come later. The focus will be on local shops and clubs in the area that we will highlight for their tennis specials and bargain value for service.

Drilling Tennis and Golf Liquidation Sale
D.C.'s Drilling Tennis and Golf (located on 17th Street NW just north of K Street) will be closing up and having a liquidation clearance sale starting now. You can read the full details on the Washington Post article.

The owner, Darrel Haines, will still have Tennis Topia open in Rockville, MD and plenty of discounted items (Shoes, Rackets, Clothes) for sale to local tennis players. We have recommended Tennis Topia before and hope you will be able to visit the historic DC store before it closes their doors.

Arlington YMCA Open House + Free Play
Arlington YMCA will host a free open house event on Dec 3rd. They will also offer a "special offer" then for people who want to sign up. Feel free to bring your friends and enjoy some free court time. See all details here: http://jc10s.com/ArlY_OpenHouse

Winter Indoor Tennis Parties
With winter quickly approaching, we will be updating the list of local indoor tennis parties and events. Of course we will base recommendations from past experiences and only recommend ones that continue to offer a good value and price for the tennis and food they offer.

Fan Reviews and Feedback
If you would like to report a local deal in your area, please feel free to add a comment below. Also please submit your own reviews and feedback on our Facebook Page so that you can share your opinions with the whole group.

Review of the Top DC Indoor Tennis Clubs - Haines Point

East Potomac Tennis Club (EPTC) - Haines Point, DC

East Potomac Tennis Center - Washington DC Location (1st exit off I-395N): Map and Info

• 4 Indoor courts under bubble = Good
• 9 outdoor hard courts - Very Good
• Har Tru Clay courts - Below Average

East Potomac Tennis Club
1st Annual Club Championship
Men's Open Singles (Winner and Finalist)

Facility = B+
Stays fairly warm inside the bubble which has a sealed revolving door to get in. Even though this place has been around for a while, it is still in a very popular, centralized location near the border of VA/DC.

With some of the felt and dust accumulating inside, it could use a good vacuum!

There is usually enough parking outside but it is a short walk/run from the parking lot to get inside. If there is an event happening, you may have to find street parking.

2016 Update:
Brand new 9 hard door courts resurfaced! Blue and solid bounce (no cracks). The clay courts are still dusty deserts though, but barring that, this is a GREAT place to play.

The 1st Annual Club Championship was held here over 9/10/16-9/11/16. I was Men's Singles Champion against a tough opponent.

Staff = A

I've had a couple group lessons here before and the pros are not bad, although it can be on the expensive side if you want private lessons from them ($70/hr).  Here is a list of their lessons offerings and price list but if you can organize a small group, they usually have discounts. It's $30/hr for drop-in lessons.

I'd recommend Scott for any kids tennis. He's a very mellow guy and was the former director over at Hilton Head, SC. He has a great sense of tennis history and event management.

Cost = B

Update: The prices have gone up from popularity* Now they hover around $40 per hour (peak and non-peak). About average for the DC area. However, you do NOT need to join a membership program. Therefore, for the infrequent player, this makes for a great choice.

Availability = C

It can be hard to reserve your own court time as this place can be quite busy in the winter. But usually, if you call a week ahead, during a non-booked slot, you can usually get in.

Just remember that you have to pre-pay over the phone if you are not a member, so make sure you and your partner coordinate ahead of time and have a credit card ready. Still no online booking yet!

Overall = B

If you live close to Haines Point and can book ahead of time, this place is a great bargain!

How we rate DC's Tennis Facilities and Clubs

A lot of people have been asking about good deals for indoor tennis courts, and as promised, I will begin writing reviews of local clubs as a "tennis critic".For starters, here is a good listing of tennis clubs with indoor facilities in the DC metro area (VA/MD/DC).

Please note, I will only review the DC indoor tennis clubs that I have personally attended and can provide my assessment of the following categories on a scale from [A] excellent to [E] fail.

I've compiled some more tips on playing Indoor Tennis this winter. Subscribe below for more info and updates!


Tennis-Bargains deals and promo codes for tennis. Around major holiday and events, we will update you with any Indoor Tennis Parties near your zip code!

For my calculations, I will estimate that the average tennis player will want to play once every week during the winter and will bring 1 friend (guest) to split the costs. I'll let you know if their membership is worth it for frequent players (2-3 times/week in the winter).

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1) Facility - How are the courts? How is the lighting? Is everything clean, well maintained?
2) Staff - How experienced are the average pros teaching there? Are the staff friendly toward you and new non-member guests?
3) Cost - How inexpensive is it to get a membership and court time to play?  (1 = $50/hr/person to 5 = $10/hr/person)
4) Availability - Can you get the court you want when you want it? (1 = Call in a week ahead, 5 = Almost always a court available)
5) Overall - Considering all factors, would you join/play here if you lived close by or go somewhere else?
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Subscribe for updates on tennis deals and promo codes. For major holiday and events, we will update you with any Indoor Tennis Parties near your zip code!