Monday, April 11, 2016

POP TENNIS

                                           
   POP TENNIS
I am still amazed five years after starting my 30 sport challenge that I am still finding new and modified versions of different sports being played in the Charlotte, NC region.  Today I met Mark who is trying to drum up business for the game of Pop Tennis.  He can be found at Carolina Pop Tennis on Facebook.  I, of course, was instantly drawn to learning a new sport when I saw him interviewed on a news show so I contacted him to learn this new game, which is really another version of Paddle Tennis that is popular out in California.  So what is POP tennis?  Think smaller court dimensions of tennis, shorter implements to strike the ball, and a different racket head texture. The ball itself is can be a real tennis ball but is used after it is poked with a pin to let the air out.  So the ball is slightly slower which will allow for longer rallies.  This leads to a great workout! And there is NO overhand serve so you start the game underhand.  This was the best feature for me since I usually get smoked on the serves and I just do the side shuffle back and forth on the baseline as I get beat by opponents in real tennis.  So why is it called POP?  Striking the ball gives a very unique popping sound as you rally back and forth on the court. There might be other reasons for the name but that makes sense to me.  Thanks Mark for a new sport that I will definitely be playing again.  Check out more details at: http://poptennis.com.