The Idea – 2007
While hiking Jebel Toubkal in the Atlas Mountains in Morocco, struggling with sleep at high altitude, I woke up in the middle to make a few sketches of how a topspin training aid might work.
The Hula Hoop – April 2009
I ‘borrowed’ my daughter’s hula hoop and lashed together my idea with a coat hanger and a tennis ball.
The Steel Prototype – June 2012
In June 2012 further prototypes followed, including this one oddly forged out of metal by some steelworkers I’d met in a nearby business park.
Steve The Industrial Designer – 2013
In 2013 I met Steve, the extraordinary industrial designer responsible for the striking design of the TopspinPro.
Meeting Doug – 2014
In 2014 I talked Doug into getting involved. Initially exchanging tennis lessons for web design.
BTCA Conference – 2014
In December 2014 I took a working prototype to the British Tennis Coaches Association annual conference. Doug and I were up in the wee hours of the night getting the site ready to take payments. Which was just as well because the next day we pre-sold 42 TopspinPro’s and we realised we were onto something!
Kickstarter – 2015
In June 2015 we ran a short Kickstarter campaign to raise capital and raise global awareness of the TopspinPro.
Stock Arrives – Friday 27th June
On Friday the 27th June, by some miracle, the truck with the first 1000 TopspinPro’s arrived at my house in London. Quite literally hours before the first event!
LTA Conference – Saturday 28th June
On Saturday 28th June we exhibited at the LTA’s Annual Coaches Conference for the weekend.
Staff Training – Sunday 29th June
On Sunday 29th I invited the youngsters who had signed up to help promote the TopspinPro over for an evening training session in my garden on how to use the it and to prepare stock for our Wimbledon sales.
Wimbledon – Monday 30th June
On Monday the 30th we headed to the streets of Wimbledon. Mark Stalley, who runs Wimbledon Park Sports, had kindly agreed to allow us to use the pavement in front of one of his stores. An incredible two weeks followed. I still hear from customers who say that met me en route to Wimbledon!
The TopspinPro was launched!
FAQs
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Where did the idea for the TopspinPro first come from?
The idea started in 2007 while hiking Jebel Toubkal in the Atlas Mountains in Morocco. Struggling with sleep at high altitude, the author woke in the middle of the night and made a few sketches of how a topspin training aid might work.
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What did the very first prototype look like?
It was lashed together in April 2009 using a ‘borrowed’ hula hoop from the author’s daughter, a coat hanger and a tennis ball. A simple, rough version of the idea came before anything polished.
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Who helped turn the idea into a real product?
In 2013 the author met Steve, the extraordinary industrial designer behind the striking design of the TopspinPro. In 2014, Doug got involved too, initially exchanging tennis lessons for web design.
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When did they realise they were onto something?
At the British Tennis Coaches Association annual conference in December 2014. Doug and the author were up in the wee hours getting the site ready to take payments, and the next day they pre-sold 42 TopspinPro’s.
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How was the TopspinPro finally launched?
After a short Kickstarter campaign in June 2015, the first 1000 units arrived at the author’s house in London by some miracle, quite literally hours before the first event. A weekend at the LTA Coaches Conference followed, then staff training in the garden, and on Monday 30th June they headed to the streets of Wimbledon — the TopspinPro was launched.
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