Tennis shoes are aptly named for their ability to let the wearer perform the sprints, stops, and sudden turns involved in tennis, unlike the unfortunately named boat shoe, which really handles more like a jet ski. Get your soles on the court with today's Groupon to Alley Pond Tennis Center, which is open seven days a week in Queens Village. Choose between the following deal options:

• For $85, you get three hours of court time (up to a $174 value).
• For $35, you get a one-day, two-hour adult mini-camp (a $70 value).

Staffed by tennis professionals, Alley Pond Tennis Center is home to one of the largest indoor tennis bubbles in North America and spaciously houses 11 hard courts, along with several located outdoors. Mini-camps are excellent both for the tennis tenderfoot who wants to master the game's basics or the evil supervillain who wants to infiltrate the meddling League of Mutant Tennis Teens. In classes ranging from five to eight players, students will be provided with rental racquets and balls and within two hours will have subdued the strokes, savored the scoring, and charmed the miserly nets of the game.

Alternately, players with previous experience or causeless rebels who can't tolerate a classroom structure can opt for three unguided hours of court time, where they can adhere to the rules or invent their own tennis-dance fusion. Alley Pond Tennis Center is located within the New York metropolitan area, just a 30-minute drive from Midtown and easily accessible with public transportation.

Reviews

Time Out New York Kids recommends Alley Pond Tennis Center. Owner Hemel Meghani Cosme was mentioned in the Queens Courier:

• The club offers cool perks for young players: free walk-in court time on any of the 11 courts, regular video analysis and a customized progress report for each student. Sporadic Friday night match-plays bring together young tennis fanatics; if they hit it off, they’ve got partners for more practice and play. – Time Out New York Kids
• Cosme has been responsible for putting Alley Pond Tennis Center on the map by running affordable tennis programs for all levels and ages and by hosting national-level tennis tournaments. – Queens Courier