Aerobic fitness
Tennis: A match can last for several hours, so tennis develops excellent aerobic fitness. Its bursts of exertion also boost the anaerobic system. A 63.5kg (10st) person would burn about 500 calories an hour.
5 stars
Softball: Games last for up to 90 minutes, developing aerobic fitness, but you do get breaks between exertions, especially when your team is batting. A 63.5kg (10st) person would burn about 300 calories an hour.
3 stars
Strength
Tennis: Excellent: the forearm grips the racket; arms, shoulders and back produce the power to hit the ball; core muscles stabilise; legs exert muscular force at speed from leaping and changing direction.
5 stars
Softball: Arms, back and shoulder will become stronger from batting and repeated throwing. The explosive power needed for short, fast runs will also strengthen quads, hamstrings, buttocks and calves.
4 stars
Agility
Tennis: Players rarely run more than three metres in a straight line and can change direction as many as five times in 10 seconds, so excellent forward, backward and lateral agility is required.
5 stars
Softball: Will also develop agility, especially in the field, when you’ll often run sideways or backwards from a standing start to catch a ball.
3 stars
Grey matter
Tennis: The hand-eye coordination and split-second tactical decision-making will work your brain hard. This is even more intense when playing doubles, as it speeds up the game.
5 stars
Softball: All aspects will hone your, plus you get the mood-boosting benefits of playing a team sport.
5 stars
Injury
Tennis: Sprains, strains and overuse injuries, such as shoulder pain and tennis elbow, are the most common. Warming up properly and being fit will help prevent these.
3 stars
Softball: Not quite as demanding as tennis, but ankle sprains, bruises from being hit by the ball and pitching injuries, such as shoulder impingement, do happen.
4 stars
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