You squat. You swing a stick. You make mad dashes of a dozen or so feet at a time. You stop suddenly. You twist and turn violently all in the hopes you knock a bouncy little ball over a short net. Then you wearily pick up the furry little things before they roll away. And this is tennis, and it’s supposed to be fun?

But can you get in shape by playing tennis? How does it compare to other aerobic activities?

We at Golden Ocala Golf & Equestrian Club specialize in tennis. To answer the first question, yes, tennis is fun (except maybe the chasing of the errant bouncy balls). The answer to the other two questions is “yep.” And we’ll explain.

ACTIVE.com explains the top five benefits of tennis:

• Getting to the Heart of It: Bjorn Borg compared tennis to doing a “thousand little sprints.” The typical game lasts about an hour. All that running and dashing is good aerobic and anaerobic exercise for burning calories and getting fit.
• I’ll Be Back, To Play Another Game: Tennis helps build muscles in the legs, arms and upper body with repetitive motions. The side-to-side movements are also good for leg muscles and hanging onto the racket builds forearm muscles.
• Do the Math, Dude: The game helps develop tactical thinking similar to playing chess by employing principles of geometry and physics.
• Making It Right: Playing tennis develops coordination. Players build the finer motor functions while striking balls and determining distances.
• All In the Head: Regular tennis players scored higher on self-esteem tests during a Southern Connecticut State University study. Players were generally more optimistic and less tense, confused or anxious.

According to the United States Tennis Association, playing tennis produces some amazing health benefits:

• Three hours of playing tennis per week cuts the risk of death in half.
• Tennis players are more alert.
• Tennis beats golf, inline skating and most other sports in developing positive personality traits.
• Competitive tennis burns more calories than tennis and cycling. Playing a vigorous game for an hour burns about 600 calories.

Golden Ocala’s Tennis Club Provides Excellent Amenities

We at Golden Ocala Golf & Equestrian Club offer the best choices for tennis fitness:

• 6 Har-Tru Hydro-Grid® Courts, all lit for night play.
• Private tennis lessons with our tennis professionals.
• Youth tennis programs.
• Champion tennis leagues.
• Tennis Pro Shop offering the latest in tennis fashion.
• Custom racket stringing.

Contact one of Golden Ocala’s tennis professionals today. Keep up with all of the latest news from Golden Ocala by following us on Facebook and Twitter.