PAIN MANAGEMENT

This guide will help you to classify the level of pain you experiencing and to determine the action you should take.

BUY A RACKET

I buy my rackets at The Racket Doctor, http://www.racketdoctor.com/aboutus.html. Twice a year they have a blow out sale during which they offer great savings on most of their stock.

USTA RATING

USTA TENNIS RATING PROGRAM
Rating
1.0
This player is just starting to play tennis.
1.5
This player has played a limited amount but is still working primarily on getting the ball over the net; has some knowledge of scoring but is not familiar with basic positions and procedures for singles and doubles play.
2.0
This player may have had some lessons for one or two years but needs on-court experience; has obvious stroke weaknesses but is beginning to feel comfortable with singles and doubles play; may be a member of a junior high or junior varsity team; may have played in novice tournaments.
2.5
This player has more dependable strokes but is still unable to judge where the ball is going; has weak court coverage; is still working just to keep the ball in play with others of the same ability; many junior high and junior varsity players with two or three years experience play at this level.
3.0
This player can place shots with moderate success; can sustain a rally of slow pace but is not comfortable with all strokes; lacks consistency in serving; can keep the ball in play for six to ten shots or more without missing; plays well enough to make an average high school team.
3.5
This player still lacks stroke dependability, depth and variety but has improved ability to direct shots away from opponent; rarely double faults but does not usually force errors on the serve; hits forehand and backhand volleys consistently; and has often played for several years.
4.0
This player has dependable strokes on both forehand and backhand sides; has the ability to use a variety of shots including lobs, overheads, approach shots and volleys; can place the first serve and force some errors; is rarely out of position in a doubles game; plays tournaments and is good enough to compete at the higher positions on most high school teams.
4.5
This player has begun to master the use of power and spins; has sound footwork; can control depth of shots and is able to move the opponent up and back; can hit first serves with above average power and accuracy and place the second serve; is able to rush net with some success on serve against players of similar ability; can compete evenly with top players on good high school teams that are advancing beyond regional play to the state tournament.
5.0
This player has good shot anticipation; is able to overcome some stroke deficiencies with outstanding shots or exceptional consistency; will approach net at opportune times and is often able to force an error or make a winning placement; can execute lobs, drop shots, half-volleys, and overhead smashes with above average success; is able to vary the spin on the serve; plays well enough to reach the high school state tournament (beyond sectional tournaments) in singles or doubles; is skilled enough to compete on many Division III college teams.
5.5
This player is able to execute all strokes offensively and defensively; can hit first serves for winners and second serves to set up an offensive situation; plays well enough to be a top performer at the state high school championship level; is skilled enough to play college tennis on top Division II & III teams.
6.0
This player has mastered all of the above skills; is able to hit both slice and topspin serves; can vary strategies and styles of play in competitive situations; plays well enough to be a state high school champion, hold a national ranking, and be offered a Division I tennis scholarship.
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HOW TO SCORE A TENNIS MATCH

To put the tennis scoring system as simply as possible, one must win:
· four points to win a game
· six games to win a set
· two (or, more rarely, three) sets to win a match
We'll call the players A and B.
By winning a coin toss or a spin of the racquet, A gets to choose one of the following:
· serve
· receive serve
· choose an end of the court
· have B choose
Let's say A chooses to serve. B then gets to choose an end of the court. A may serve from anywhere behind her baseline between the right singles sideline and the center mark. The serve must be struck before the ball bounces, and it must land in the service box diagonally opposite her. She gets two chances to get a serve in. If she misses both, she loses the point. If a serve that is otherwise good nicks the net on its way in, it is redone.
If A gets her serve in, B must return the ball, after exactly one bounce, into any part of A's singles court. A and B must then return the ball, after no more than one bounce, into one another's singles court until one of them misses.
A will serve from the left side of her baseline for the second point of the game, and she will continue to alternate right and left for the start of each point of the game.
Let's say A wins the first point. At the start of the next point, she must announce the score, her point total first: "15 - love." (Love = 0.)
B wins the next point: "15 all."
B wins the next point: "15 - 30."
A wins the next point: "30 all."
A wins the next point: "40 - 30."
If A wins the next point, she wins the game.
If B wins the next point, the score is "40 all," which is called "deuce." At deuce, one player must win the next two points to win the game. If, at deuce, A wins the next point, she has the advantage, and the score is called "ad in," which means server's advantage. If B had won that point, the score would have been "ad out." If the player having the advantage wins the following point, he or she wins that game. If the player with the advantage loses the point, the score returns to deuce.
With traditional scoring, games can go back and forth from deuce to ad over and over. The "No Ad" variation on the scoring within games allows for a game to be won by a margin of one point. Instead of "15," "30," and "40" used to note points, players may use "1," "2," and "3." At "3 all," the receiver may choose whether to receive in the left or right service box. The winner of that point wins the game.

At the end of the first and every odd-numbered game, the players switch ends of the court, and the player who served the previous game now receives serve. The server always begins a game by serving from the right. At the start of each game, she announces the number of games each has won, starting with her own score, for example, "3 - 2."
Once a player has won six games by a margin of two or more, he or she has won the set. If the score within a set reaches 6 - 6, the players may either continue to try to reach a margin of two (such as 8 - 6 or 9 - 7), or they may play a tie-break to decide the set. In tournament play, this choice will have been determined in advance, but recreational players often choose whichever option appeals to them at the moment.
In a standard "12-point tie break" (best of 12), one player must win seven points by a margin or two or more. The player who received in the game preceding the tie-break serves the first point of the tie-break, starting from the right. The other player then serves the next two points, the first from the left, then the second from the right. Each player continues serving two points per turn. Points are scored with counting numbers ("1, 2, 3 . . ."). When the point total reaches six and each multiple of six, the players switch ends of the court.
Starting a New Set
If the previous set ended with an odd-numbered total of games, the players switch ends to begin the new set. (A tie-break counts as one game.) They will switch ends after every odd game through each set.
At the start of a new set, the player who received in the last game of the previous set (or received first in the tie-break) now serves.
Completing a Match
In most tournaments, the first player to win two sets (best of three) wins the match. In a few events, such as men's Grand Slam tournaments, one must win three sets (best of five). Where time or fitness impose limits on the length of matches, a tie-break is sometimes used in place of a third set.
Recreational players often keep going until they're exhausted, even if one of them has won four sets in a row.

GRIP SIZE

CHOOSE A JUNIOR RACKET

General Guidelines

Tennis racquets come in a wider variety of shapes, lengths, weights, materials, head sizes, thicknesses, and stringing patterns than anyone could have ever imagined thirty years ago in the age of the woodies. Making a choice amidst all of these options can be a real challenge, but the first step in narrowing down your choices is clear: You need to decide on the correct length, which will be our focus here. In future articles, I'll address the other factors you need to consider.
The question of length has become considerably more complicated than it was just a few years ago. Virtually all adult tennis racquets used to be 27" long, but now lengths are available up to 32", although lengths greater than 29" are illegal in most competition. Whether to choose an "extra long" or standard length adult racquet is a complicated question, involving the player's stroking style at least as much as her physical traits. We'll take that up in another discussion. For this article, we will focus on choosing between the various junior lengths on the one hand and any adult length on the other.
As a general principle, a junior should use as long a racquet as she can comfortably handle. This will encourage her to develop smooth strokes that utilize good weight transfer and her larger muscles. Too small a racquet encourages excessive wrist and elbow action, which, in the long run, will harm both her strokes and her arm. Once a junior weighs at least 85 pounds or so, she is usually ready for an adult racquet.

The standard guidelines for age and racquet size are charted below, but you should adjust for several additional factors. If an 8-year-old is the size of an average 10-year-old, choose for a 10-year-old. You should move up one size, possibly two, to adjust for exceptionally high physical strength, but adjusting down for lack of strength is almost never necessary. Modern junior racquets are extremely light, and even a total couch potato should be able to wield the racquet designed for her age. Experience is also a factor. The chart assumes a beginner player. An experienced player will often do best with a size or two larger than the chart indicates. Experienced players will have enough feel for their strokes to be able to conduct a meaningful demo.
Age: Racquet Length
0-4: 19"4-6: 21"7-8: 23"9-10: 25"10-12: 26"12 up: adult size
You will notice overlaps in the above chart at ages 4, 10, and 12. At these ages, either size is equally likely to be suitable, but as a general rule, when in doubt, go with the bigger racquet.
If a junior is just barely big enough for an adult racquet, he's probably better off with a standard 27" racquet than with an extra-long. Despite all of the recent advances in reducing the swing weight of extra-long racquets, they still tend to play heavier than shorter racquets of the same weight.
Adult racquets come as light as 8 ounces these days, but racquets lighter than 10 ounces start approaching too small a multiple of the weight of the ball. I find that an average 12-year-old hits quite comfortably with a racquet weighing 10-11.5 ounces.
Beginners won't have enough feel for tennis strokes to be able to make a firm decision based on an on-court demo, but if a junior is completely torn between two sizes of racquets, here's a test that might help him decide. Have him hold the racquet behind him so that the tip touches his lower back and his elbow is the highest part of his arm. Have him raise the racquet overhead, much as if he were serving, but with a slow swing. If the racquet is going to be too heavy for him, this is where he'll feel it.
Juniors can outgrow racquets quickly, but it helps a lot that junior racquets tend to be inexpensive. Very nice junior racquets at a pro shop will run roughly $20 to $50, and some of the $10 racquets at the big discount chains are quite good, too. When you look at the least expensive racquets, one crude test is to bang the strings on the butt of your hand to get a feel for their solidity. Avoid racquets that seem lighter or more flexible than the others in the bottom end of the price range.

THE COURT

A tennis court is where a game of tennis is played. It is a firm rectangular surface with a low net standing across the center.

Dimensions

Tennis is played on a rectangular flat surface, usually of grass, clay, concrete (hard court) or a synthetic suspended court. The court is 78 feet (23.77 m) long, and its width is 27 feet (8.23 m) for singles matches and 36 feet (10.97 m) for doubles matches. Additional clear space around the court is needed in order for players to reach overrun balls. A net is stretched across the full width of the court, parallel with the baselines, dividing it into two equal ends. The net is 3 feet 6 inches (1.07 m) high at the posts, and 3 feet (914 mm) high in the center.

The court on the right side of each player is called the deuce court, while the left side is called the ad court (short for "advantage court").

Types of tennis courts

There are four main types of courts depending on the materials used for the court surface: clay courts, hard courts, grass courts and indoor courts. Each playing surface has its own unique characteristics which affect the playing style of the game.

Of the Grand Slam tournaments, the U.S. Open and Australian Open use hardcourts (though both used grass courts in the past, and the U.S. Open also used clay courts), the French Open is played on clay (though it too was played on grass before 1928), and Wimbledon is played on grass.

Clay courts

Clay courts are made of crushed shale, stone or brick, and are either red or green. The red clay is slower than the green, or Har-Tru(c) "American" clay. Clay courts are considered "slow", because the balls bounce relatively slowly with less forward motion, making it less difficult for a player to hit an unreturnable shot. Points are usually longer as there are fewer winners. Therefore, clay courts heavily favour baseliners who are consistent and are generally more defensive. These clay courters hit shots with heavy spin, which makes the ball travel with a forward motion, this results in a higher bounce due to the "kick" of topspin. Clay courts are more common in Europe and South America than in the United States. In the U.S., courts made of rubico are often called "clay". This is not the same as clay used in most European and South American countries. The French Open uses clay courts.The killer of the clay court is Rafael Nadal.

Hard courts

Hard courts, usually made of cement or plastic, are considered "fast" surfaces, where fast, low bounces keep rallies short, and powerful, hard-serving players have a slight advantage. Hard courts can vary in speed, but they are faster than clay and slower than grass courts, which allow the ball to slide. These courts are considered the most equal for all playing styles. The US Open is played on DecoTurf, an acrylic hard court, while the Australian Open is played on Rebound Ace, a synthetic hardcourt.

The main difference between Rebound Ace and true hardcourt surfaces is the level of hardness. Rebound ace is softer (more spongy) . Consequently, when the ball bounces on this surface a large part of the ball's momentum is absorbed by the surface and reduces its speed. On a hard surface the loss of momentum is negligible because the surface provides less cushion to the bouncing ball.

The amount of sand used in the top paint also determines the speed. More sand means less speed. The amount of friction can also be altered and more friction will produce a clay court effect, where topspin is magnified. The extra grip/friction will resist the sliding effect of the ball and the resistance will force the ball to change its rotation. The extra grip provided by the surface is also dangerous because it can resist the movement of the player and can cause injury.

The ITF classifies Rebound Ace as a type two category (medium/medium fast) hardcourt.

Grass courts

Grass courts are the fastest type of tennis court in common use (AstroTurf which is rarely used for tennis is faster). They consist of grass grown on very hard-packed soil, similar to golf greens , which adds an additional variable: bounces depend on how healthy the grass is, how recently it has been mowed, and the wear and tear of recent play. Points are usually very short and the serve plays a more important role. Grass courts tend to favour serve-and-volley tennis players, such as John McEnroe, Pete Sampras and as of late, the dominant grass courter Roger Federer. The most famous grass tennis court in the world is Centre Court at Wimbledon. The surface is less firm and more slippery than hard courts, causing the ball to slide and bounce lower, and so players must reach the ball faster. Serve and volley players take advantage of the surface by serving the ball(usually a slice serve because of its effectiveness on grass) and then running to the net to cut off the return of serve, leaving their opponent with little time to reach the low-bouncing, fast-moving ball. Players often hit flatter shots to increase power and allow the ball to travel faster after and before the ball hits the ground. Due to high maintenance costs however, grass courts are now rare as they must be watered and mowed often, and take a longer time to dry after rain than hard courts. For a more extensive discussion of the skills most advantageous on grass court, please see Grass Court Specialist.

Suspended courts

Synthetic suspended courts are usually made of a polypropylene plastic interlocking tile. They are placed on top of a hard surface such as asphalt or concrete. They are suspended approximately 3\4" above the hard surface allowing water and air to flow under it. The Flex Court has shock absorption for vertical and lateral forgiveness. This surface is generally cooler than a hard court surface and players can play longer on it without getting as tired. These USTA approved playing surfaces such as Flex Court are generally considered a “medium speed" surface where the ball bounces similar to a clay court but the player has much better foot traction. World premier doubles player Jonas Bjorkman prefers to practice and play on the Flex Court suspended court because it “has absolutely wonderful stress relief on ankles, knees and legs.” These suspended courts play similar to clay courts but the sliding foot shots are not made because of the great foot traction. This surface is less expensive than clay because it requires almost no maintenance once the court is in place.

Indoor courts

Special surfaces can only be used indoors. Most commonly carpet surfaces, carpet courts vary in playing characteristics due to differences in thickness, texture, and materials used in the base and yarn. Suspended surfaces may be used indoors. The ATP tennis tour also considers rubber surfaces as carpet. While being the most common surface for real tennis, wood is the rarest surface for tennis. It is also the fastest surface, which bounces faster and lower than grass.