Business Opportunities Weblog

March 15, 2007 by Rich Whittle | 1 Comment

Contra Costa Times:

Bow Rodgers didn’t expect the lessons he learned in Silicon Valley to help his tennis game.

But it turns out they have. The longtime technology entrepreneur has co-designed a unique tennis training tool that helps tennis players, including himself, improve their stroke.

The WristAssist is a training aid that straps onto a player’s hitting wrist, connects to the racket and helps the player “feel” the correct swing motion. The tool is made of nylon and Velcro webbing, with a tough, lightweight string that attaches to the racket. It resembles a space-age wrist brace.

“It grooves the correct stroke,” said the bright-eyed Rodgers, 61, president and chief executive officer of Palo Alto-based SquareHit Tennis, which just launched its flagship product. The tool has also been an inspiration for Rodgers because it helped improve his volley stroke, which he often overhit.

He sees big potential for the tool among affluent tennis players eager to improve their game. He said there are 26 million U.S. golfers and 24 million tennis players. But although golfers spend about $300 million a year on golf training equipment, tennis players spend only $20 million on training aids. That adds up to an underserved market, he said.

Now faced with marketing the new product, Rodgers is reaching back to the lessons he learned in Silicon Valley. He helped the old Commodore 64 video game software get off the ground by closing distribution deals with Toys R Us, Kmart and Circuit City.

Photo by SquareHit Tennis .

In Inventions | 1 Comment
Tags: Niche, Startup