HAND TENNIS ORIGINS
ORIGINAL TENNIS
The first form of tennis (¹) originated in France and was called Jeu de Paume – literally, "Game of Palm". It was raw, it was fast, and yeah, it stung the hand quite a bit! But, it was the real deal. The foundation of everything tennis has become today.
The intensity and raw athleticism required to have great rallies posed endless limitation on the sport. Ultimately, that is what paved the way for the evolution of tennis. The desire for greater power and control sparked innovation.
THE MODERN ERA
It wasn't until the introduction of pressurized pressurized balls and the development of stung racquets(²) that tennis had become popular around the world. Suddenly, all types of players had greater velocity, spin, and precision - unlike ever before.
As a result, "Real Tennis" was born and the memory of those early hand-struck volleys quickly receded. Hand tennis was left in the past along with leather balls. But, what if we could honor those primal origins while embracing modern innovation?
TENNIS (¹)
"Tennis" comes from the French tenez, the formal imperative form of the verb tenir, to have, meaning "hold!", "receive!" or "take!"
RACQUET (²)
"Raquette" refers to the palm of the hand and was also the term for the implement used to strike the ball in early ball games.
THE FOUNDERS STORY
BAREFOOT STROLL
Hand Tennis arose unexpectedly for two brothers and business partners - Anthony and Emmanuel Soto. During a random barefoot brainstorming session, they found themselves strolling into a vacant tennis court, where a lone children's tennis ball sparked an idea: a spontaneous game of hand tennis.
That impromptu game sparked a whole new kind of brainstorm. They got hooked on the idea of those forgotten roots of tennis as they fell in love with the unique feeling of hand tennis. What started as a casual hit-around turned into a full-on obsession. They poured hours into figuring out how to make your hand a better weapon, testing design after design until finally, the Glove Racket was born.
LATEST EVOLUTION
The Glove Racket allows for the raw feeling of original tennis with this insane mix of power and control. It's like going back to the very beginning but with a massive upgrade. From hand held racquets, to racquets that hold you.
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Our vision for this hand racquet was to develop a piece of equipment that transforms your hand into a racquet like no other. Our goal is now is to organize a professional setting where people can come together and enjoy the wonderful and unique experience of hand tennis - from the future.