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.
A top tennis club player and former collegiate star at Santa Clara University, Rodgers is passionate about the new product that's allowing him to create a business around his favorite sport.
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.
The $69.95 WristAssist locks in proper wrist positioning and has attracted the attention of scores of tennis pros, including Brad Gilbert, who helped coach tennis stars Andre Agassi and Andy Roddick to top world rankings. Gilbert's latest prodigy, Andy Murray, won the SAP Open tennis tournament in San Jose on Feb. 18.
"It's a great tool for club players," Gilbert said. "Bow's an innovator. It helped my son with his backhand."
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.
He was also chief executive of MeeVee, a personalized TV program search company in Burlingame, and chief operating officer at multimedia company BigBand Networks in Redwood City, helping that company grow.
Rodgers lined up some financing from angel investors, including himself, and is now using his skills in the fundamentals of business to help folks improve their tennis fundamentals. Eventually, the company will produce "a suite" of tennis training tools, said Rodgers, who is also Burlingame Country Club's tennis team captain.
First off, Rodgers hopes for a big rollout of the WristAssist, which he designed with his partner and tennis coach Ray Bilsey and engineer Maurice LeBlanc. They're not selling the product in big retail stores, so they can capture more of the profits themselves. They sell it now online at www.squarehittennis.com. WristAssist went on sale in July and has sold to 200 tennis pros and sold in 30 countries, Rodgers said.
The WristAssist is also sold at tennis tournaments, such as the SAP Open. So far, its biggest customers are tennis pros.
"If I get a student on the court who has a floppy wrist, they're a perfect fit," said David Petrie, head tennis pro at Burlingame Country Club. "It's a very good tool for putting the racket in the right place and doesn't allow students to waver or wobble."
As for pushing the product, Rodgers is plenty familiar with the world of sports. Besides his tennis prowess, he holds the record for the longest run from scrimmage in Santa Clara University football history: 99 yards.
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