After touring campus recreation centers across North America, I don’t think I have ever heard a director or team complain about having more space than they know what to do with. Space is at a premium at nearly every campus across North America. This, coupled with the fact the interests and needs of the diverse campus communities of today are constantly changing, means your facility has opportunities to repurpose existing space to better serve your community’s current needs.
Unused racquetball courts are something we frequently see when visiting campus rec centers, and facility operators are often looking for innovative ways to better use this significant resource of space to serve students. This can be done with a thoughtful small group training alternative that fits perfectly into the footprint of an existing racquetball court and adds value to the student experience by building community and improving fitness. It also allows for growth while allowing facilities to stay committed to a multi-functional area all students can look forward to using.
Solutions should ensure balanced workouts for every participant, and make it easy for newcomers and returning patrons to know what to expect. At the same time, you can change the equipment and exercise focus with each workout, so participants never get bored. The classes are high-intensity while offering progression or regression to meet the needs of all types of students.
When transforming your space, you should consider things like sound, flooring and imagery, along with your equipment choices. Because racquetball courts often echo, strategically-placed insulating materials can make for a much better experience. Though it’s important the coaches can be heard, music should be played to add an element of fun and motivation during each workout. Flooring can be as simple as rolling rubber flooring over the current court. You might also choose to use turf and/or add color to the floor.
With small group training, you can differentiate the offering from group exercise and make it feel like an offshoot of personal training with a more personally-coached experience. On a racquetball court, we’ve found the sweet spot for participation is as many as 12 per class. Programming can be designed to make it easy for the coach to manage all participants with a focus on form, technique, motivation and results to provide a fitness experience like no other.
Rebecca Cofod is the group training business solutions manager for Matrix. For more information about the turnkey MX4 Small Group Training Solution, visit matrixfitness.com or contact Rebecca at rebecca.cofod@matrixfitness.com.
