Every Tuesday, this site examines a training or technology concept that shapes how tennis is played. This week, I have been experimenting with BlazePods, a light-based training system that is designed to add unpredictability to agility and fitness exercises. I recently acquired the three-pod Mini Kit and have been incorporating it into my off-court workouts.
A BlazePod is a programmable wireless pod that can light up in various colors and timing patterns. The primary training idea is to respond to whichever pod lights up, frequently tapping it with a hand or foot. A smartphone app controls the sequence and timing, and records performance metrics such as the number of successful contacts and response times. The pods can be placed on the floor, mounted on a wall, or attached to other training equipment, making the system adaptable to a variety of exercises.
The BlazePod system is marketed as an effective and engaging way to build reaction time, agility, speed, and coordination for athletic performance. The Mini Kit includes three full-size pods and a charging base. The app provides free access to over a hundred exercises. Other kits are available, but three pods are a good minimal entry point for experimenting with the technology.
Naturally, I am most interested in tennis functional training, which primarily means reaction time and footwork. Many conventional agility exercises for the sport use predetermined movement patterns. Ladder drills, cone exercises, and similar activities can be excellent for developing foot speed and movement mechanics, but knowing where to move next eliminates an important part of what happens during a tennis point.
I often get wrong-footed when playing tennis. After a few weeks of training, I can confidently report that I also frequently get wrong-footed by the random patterns provided by the BlazePod. In fact, it has been surprisingly good at reproducing that experience when the next light sends me in a direction I wasn’t anticipating.
Two exercises using my BlazePods have moved into heavy rotation in my home gym. I use them to add dynamic stability to planks by reaching to tap illuminated pods. My toe tap exercises require quick foot movements between random targets. The unpredictability makes these exercises more engaging. I particularly like being able to measure my performance and see whether I am getting faster by completing more successful contacts.
The BlazePod app provides a substantial collection of ready-made drills. However, most of these aren’t tennis-specific, and I have found myself wanting to adjust the ones that claim to be. Unfortunately, creating and saving custom exercises requires a paid subscription, which I am never enthusiastic about. In fact, that seems unnecessarily restrictive for someone who has already purchased the hardware. I don’t object to charging for additional coaching content or specialized programming, but configuring my own exercise strikes me as a fairly basic capability that should be included with the purchase.
I have also discovered a limitation while trying to set up an alternative to my soccer ball tap drill. My idea was to use a single pod and count how many alternating taps I could complete during a specified interval. Unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be a way to configure the single-pod mode to reset immediately after each contact. That prevents the pod from registering successive taps at the pace I want. This is disappointing, but not a dealbreaker.
My other surprise involved accessories. When I started using the pods for footwork exercises, I discovered that they frequently tip over when tapped with a foot. I later noticed that in the BlazePod promotional videos, the foot-tap demonstrations all use stabilizing collars around the pods. I started to buy a set, but the cost of what is essentially a piece of plastic put me off. Additionally, they only come in sets of two, so I was annoyed at the prospect of being forced to buy more than what I needed.
Fortunately, I have a 3D printer and can make my own. My lime green TPU print solved the problem. I plan to print additional accessories, including wall mounts and cone elevations to support other drills that I think the pods are well suited for. Anyone considering one of the starter kits should expect to need a few accessories, especially if footwork exercises are a priority.
I haven’t used BlazePod with a training partner yet, although that looks like another engaging way to use the system. I can imagine some interesting competitive drills for two or more people that involve quick reactions and changes of direction. When my granddaughter is in town, she frequently serves as my personal trainer in my home gym, and I suspect that she might insist that we play color-matched toe tap drills ad nauseam once she realizes that is an option.
I wouldn’t suggest that tapping illuminated targets is equivalent to anticipating and reacting to a tennis ball. However, the pods provide a convenient way to introduce an unpredictable stimulus into exercises that would otherwise follow a familiar pattern. For someone investing the gym time on footwork and agility, that is a useful addition.
Overall, I like the BlazePod Mini Kit and consider it a worthwhile purchase. Three pods provide plenty of options for individual training, and the equipment is easy to incorporate into workouts I am already doing. I would prefer more flexibility in programming my own drills without paying for a subscription, and I think the stabilizing collars should be included with the starter kit, but those are quibbles.
A few exercises using my BlazePods are already in heavy rotation in my home gym, and I’m going to continue experimenting with the system. It is definitely good for supporting agility training. Given how often I get wrong-footed during matches, I have a fairly obvious reason to lean hard into BlazePod usage.
BlazePod Reaction Training Kit (<- Sponsored Link)
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