rules to play wheelchair tennis

Each player is ultimately responsible for ensuring their wheelchair and all other equipment is ready on time for their match. The Referee has the right to default any player who is not ready to go onto court for whatever reason, within fifteen 15 minutes of their match being called.

Quad players are allowed to use the extra long rackets in case extra space is needed to tape the racket to the hand arm. Any quad player may be allotted extra time during a changeover in order to reposition or adjust the racket in the hand, without being penalized, but only if prior agreement has been made with their opponent as well as the Umpire if there is one prior to the match. The quad player must make every effort to keep any extra time to a reasonable minimum, so as not to disrupt or interfere with the normal progression of the match.

Tournaments must provide shade and ice buckets on court for quad players. A player can be assisted by their coach to spray water over their face. In very hot climates it is advised that matches are scheduled in the morning and late afternoon evening.

A ball is made of two elastic hemispheres joined together and covered by a layer of wool and synthetic threads. Its colour must be yellow or white.

The first tennis rackets were wooden and strings were made of ship or ewe bowels. Tennis rackets today are made of technologically advanced material such as graphite with strings made of synthetic threads. Wheelchair tennis athletes may have a special strap wound around their hand to help them hold the racket.

The court is a 23.77m x 8.23m rectangle for singles and a 23.77m x 10.97m rectangle for doubles. The same court can be marked for both singles and doubles. The court is divided into two halves by a net, which extends at a height of 0.914m at its centre and 1.07m at its sides. There are four types of courts clay, grass, hard and carpet.

The level and degree of injury in Spinal Cord Injured SCI players will affect their balance, available range of motion, and mobility. The more you know about the students injury level, the better you will be able to adapt techniques and drills. The following SCI classification can help you determine the students capabilities.The lowest level on the spinal cord that exhibits intact motor and sensory function classifies spinal cord injuries. For example, a player classified T3 was injured at that vertebra.It is also important to note that a players injury can be complete or incomplete. The latter will allow some function below the level of injury. The diagram shows the level of injury and what muscles might be affected.

In principle, the fundamentals of racquet work and ball control are the same for wheelchair players as A Bs Able Bodied players. The main difference is that wheelchair players have less time to execute strokes. The combination of mobility limitations and the fact that the racquet hand is engaged in maneuvering the chair makes it difficult to prepare early.

Dr. Bal Moore, coach of the US Olympic wheelchair team says, Mobility is the single most important aspect of wheelchair tennis. It provides the base and transition for balance, timing, motion, and the execution of skills. This is perhaps the biggest difference between wheelchair and able bodied A B tennis. Randy Snow, 10 time US Open wheelchair champion adds, Mastering mobility is probably the most important area in becoming a good wheelchair player. To develop players, coaches need to know the framework and components of wheelchair tennis movement.In order to maximize positioning for any shot, a wheelchair player goes through a Mobility Cycle. The Cycle includes The Neutral Position, Maneuvering the movement of the chair to position for the shot, Preparation setting up for the stroke & the stroke itself, and Recovery the chair movement to prepare for the next shot.

Moving around the court involves three basic stages react, negotiate and recover with a point in the court called the hub key to mastering the game. The hub is typically five feet behind the base line and is the point the player uses to react and recover after each stroke. For wheelchair users, thats the effective way to play, behind the base line, because then you can come in for shots or go wide for a second bounce, said Smith. If you stay at the net, you wont be able to return long shots.

Smith said wheelchair users new to the game need to understand the importance of the hub and how to move into and out of it.As a player, after coming in for the shot, you then recover quickly and get back to the hub, she said. You are always going back and forth. Its all about quick movement.

Players start out at the hub and react and move toward the ball. The player negotiates the stroke hits the ball, and then recovers toward the hub by turning his chair toward the middle of the court at an angle to provide a clear view of the opponent. Just before the opponent is about to hit the ball, the player turns into the court, ready to react to the next ball.