LTA - Metro Blind Sport



Summary

The ball

The best option presently but needs to become more robust and cheaper for long term use.

Court sizes

Court sizes for B1 and B2-B4 need to be agreed and used throughout the sport.

B1/red court needs to be created within the dimensions of a regular tennis court.

B2-B4 court width should be the same as the regular tennis court size (benefits - no need for throw down lines and larger playing area).

Rules

Serve – the rule is accepted and works well.

Volleying – several respondents suggested B4’s should be able to volley.

Blindfolds – accepted by most but clarification of when player can and cannot touch blindfold required.

Bounces – some suggested B2 players should get 3 bounces and B3 players should get 2 bounces.

Feedback

1 – The Ball: For the purpose of tournaments, the recognized VI sound tennis ball shall be the current Japanese design in either black or yellow

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Please see appendix 1 for responses.

2a – Court Sizes: The B1 game shall be played on a standard ITF ‘red’ court measuring 12.80m x 6.10m, tactile on all lines except service boxes.

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Please see appendix 2.1 for responses.

2b – Court Sizes: Court Sizes: The B2, B3 and B4 game shall be played on a standard ITF ‘orange’ court measuring 18.29m x 8.23m

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Please see appendix 2.2 for responses.

3a – The Serve: Before serving the server calls to their opponent ‘ready’ and their opponent replies ‘yes’, the server then calls ‘play’ before starting the serve

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Please see appendix 3.1 for responses.

3b – Volleying: No volleying is permitted

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Please see appendix 3.2 for responses.

3c – Blindfolds: Paralympic style blindfolds shall be worn by players in the B1 category of a tournament

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Please see appendix 3.3 for responses.

3d – Bounces (B1’s): B1’s are permitted 3 bounces.

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Please see appendix 3.4 for responses.

3e – Bounces (B2-B4’s): On a standard orange size court; B2’s shall be allowed 3 bounces, B3’s 2 bounces and B4’s 1 bounce

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Please see appendix 3.5 for responses.

Apendix

1 The Ball

| | | |

| |Feedback | |

|1 |No problems with this |A |

|2 |No comment given |NC |

|3 |These balls are weak, used with a 25” racket as the infill piece pop out. In outdoor conditions they float around too much. |C |

| |We prefer the Buzz Balls as they last longer and fly more truly. Also apparently for those with good hearing there is also an | |

| |in-flight sound. | |

|4 |I still cannot see a better example of a ball anywhere but would still welcome other designs to be introduced if they work and |C |

| |are up to ITF standards. | |

|5 |I think the rules are good. |A |

|6 |No comment given |NC |

|7 |I've read the rules and they seem fine |A |

|8 |No comment given |NC |

|9 |Not sure about a black ball on an indoor court. |C |

| |Balls are inconsistent with their bounce, they wear out far too quickly and are ridiculously expensive. I would like to see a | |

| |ball that can be used outside, that’s speed is similar to sponge but is less affected by wind and more resilience would be | |

| |good. Perhaps something along the lines of a mini tennis red ball. | |

| |Often by the third bounce the ball could be rolling, what are the rules for hitting a rolling ball? | |

|10 |No comment given |NC |

|11 |Would it be possible to trial a bright “dayglo” style orange ball? |C |

|12 |I am happy with that but I would like a more robust ball, that lasts for longer and does not break so quickly, and perhaps with|C |

| |the orange court being longer a slightly larger ball would be good for those with the poorer eye sight. Also I would like the| |

| |ball not to become dirty so quickly as it makes it less bright and harder to see. | |

|13 |Yes that is the favoured ball by our players |A |

|14 |Agree |A |

|15 |Ball do you like the black and Yellow Japan sound ball? |C |

| |Do you think there should be deep Orange colours ball. | |

| | | |

| |yes i like the black and yellow balls. it would be interesting to see a deep orange ball | |

|16 |Yellow ball is good might be worth trying an orange coloured balk if not already available |C |

|17 |Generally fine, but they break very easily, which makes them poor value for money in a sport that doesn’t have much money. |C |

|18 |No comment given |NC |

|19 |Yes, agree |A |

|20 |No change |A |

|21 |I would like the yellow ball to be used. |A |

|22 |No comment given |NC |

|23 |The ball remains too expensive and fragile. Would be good to get Slazenger to explore varieties of their shortex balls, or put |C |

| |more support behind the buzz ball | |

|24 |Yellow ball is good might be worth trying an orange coloured balk if not already available |C |

|25 |Agreed |A |

|26 |No comment given |NC |

|27 |Completely agree with this even though they are expensive |A |

|28 |This is fine |A |

|29 |No comment given |NC |

|30 |Good |A |

|31 |No comment given |NC |

|32 |Acceptable |A |

|33 |Best there is at the moment, even though breaks easily and is expensive. Current alternatives are not as good. |C |

2.1 Court Sizes (B1)

| |Feedback | |

|1 |If the B1’s are happy with this, so am I. The important thing is to settle on a size and stick with it |A |

|2 |No comment given |NC |

|3 |Fine |A |

|4 |I think we should drop the use of the words ‘Red’ and ‘Orange’ courts as there is a little room for manoeuvre using minimum and |C |

| |maximum measurements. We need a standardised specific measurement for both forms of the game to ensure that players get used to | |

| |playing on just one uniform size. | |

|5 |I think the rules are good |A |

|6 |No comment given |NC |

|7 |I've read the rules and they seem fine |A |

|8 |No comment given |NC |

|9 |No comment given |NC |

|10 |No comment given |NC |

|11 |Agree |A |

|12 |The red court needs to be set on the regular tennis court so the players have room to go back and sideways, so not in the half |C |

| |of a regular court | |

|13 |We are finding the court size a little small and quite time consuming to set up. Would prefer to play on the service boxes of a |C |

| |standard tennis court. | |

|14 |Should be 10.97m x 5.5m (on a tennis court) or 11.89m x 5.6m (on a badminton court). Ref LTA rules of mini tennis: |C |

| | or ITF rules of mini tennis: | |

| | | |

|15 |Court if your a b1 player are you happy playing on a red court or would you rather play on a orange court, or on a red court |C |

| |using tennis net on tennis court. | |

| | | |

| |Tactile lines. | |

|16 |No comment given |NC |

|17 |I’m yet to get involved with the B1 game, so have no comment. |NC |

|18 |Still getting used to this size but should it specify what happens in singles/doubles. |C |

|19 |No Comment as I am not B1. |NC |

|20 |The additional tactile lines /rope at the back of the court (to show B1 players where they are in relation to the court) should |C |

| |extend beyond the court, not into the court. | |

|21 |No comment given |NC |

|22 |No comment given |NC |

|23 |No comment given |NC |

|24 |No comment given |NC |

|25 |n/a |NC |

|26 |No comment given |NC |

|27 |There has been some confusion regards the measurements of the red court in some tournaments with measurements from 11 x 5m to |C |

| |the above being used. It needs to be made clear what the sizes are. For some of us more mobile B1 players we feel the red court | |

| |a bit restrictive and would prefer a larger court. If it is to be the red court we would prefer the larger of the red court | |

| |dimensions. it should be made standard that the B1 game should be played on a regular tennis court with the correct markings as | |

| |we get 3 bounces and playing across courts is dangerous and a lot of run off area is needed. The net at 80cm is the right size. | |

|28 |Fine, but clarifications needed. |C |

| |Most important: where is the service line - how far from the net? | |

| |Important that there's plenty of room around the court; putting the court sideways on a regular court, as is usual for a red | |

| |court for mainstream under 6 competition, is woefully inadequate for B1 tennis. Would suggest using the service court of a | |

| |regular court, but narrowed and with a service line added. If there's limited space in the actual rules, a separate document | |

| |giving guidelines of how to set out the court (as the ITF have done for junior mainstream tennis) would be acceptable, provided | |

| |that it's considered binding for international competition etc. | |

| |Also: exact net height? The appendix in the ITF rules gives a range for red courts (0.80-0.83m), rather than a specific number.| |

| |More concerningly, since the IBTA rules (as currently worded) don't actually use the term "red court", some people mistakenly, | |

| |but somewhat understandably, interpret them to say that the full net height of 0.914m should be used. | |

| |(I'm assuming from the question that the width of 6.4m, as written in the copy of the IBTA rules I saw, was, indeed, a typo.) | |

|29 |This is not the size of a ‘standard’ ITF court. See also below. |C |

|30 |Clarification is needed on: |C |

| |Height of net; | |

| |Position of the service line; | |

| |Having space behind the baseline (preferably play on a full tennis court rather than sideways on a regular court). | |

|31 |No comment given |NC |

|32 |No comment as I do not play as a B1 |NC |

|33 |Size is fine. Only one B1 game per court playing over the main net, this allows space to move back / sideways for 3rd bounce |C |

| |and takes away confusion of hearing more than one ball! | |

2.2 Court Sizes (B2-4)

| | | |

| |Feedback | |

|1 |I thought the measurement used at Newcastle worked well |C |

| |Like the length (half way between service line and baseline) and playing to the tramlines but think we should have inner for | |

| |singles and outer for doubles | |

|2 |No comment given |NC |

|3 |Fine |A |

|4 |I think we should drop the use of the words ‘Red’ and ‘Orange’ courts as there is a little room for manoeuvre using minimum and |C |

| |maximum measurements. We need a standardised specific measurement for both forms of the game to ensure | |

|5 |I think the rules are good |A |

|6 |I like playing on this size court but would find it difficult entering competitions if the 1 bounce rule remains for B4 players.|C |

| | | |

|7 |I've read the rules and they seem fine |A |

|8 |Court Sizes: We need to be clear on the size of court for a doubles match.  If the basic premise is to use the standard ITF |C |

| |rules with some adaptions, it doesn’t seem to make sense for it to be the same width as a singles court when the tramlines are | |

| |already there to be used. | |

|9 |Court sizes need to be consistent at all tournaments. |C |

|10 |No comment given |NC |

|11 |Agree |A |

|12 |Ok but more tennis courts need the orange line painted so we can play without having to use drop down lines. |C |

|13 |We are finding the length ok but would prefer to widen it to the inner tramline on a standard tennis court. This would speed up |C |

| |set up too. | |

|14 |The size for a singles court should be 17.98m x 6.4m and for doubles it should be 17.98m x 8.23m. Ref ITF rules of mini tennis: |C |

| | | |

|15 |Orange court players your feelings with this size, do you like the side line to be the singles tram line and for doubles the |C |

| |doubles tram line. | |

| | | |

| |yes | |

|16 |feel for B2 court size is adequate maybe look at makinging iot a narrower court |C |

|17 |I think this is a good size court for the B2-4 game. It has the same relative dimensions as “normal” tennis, which is very |C |

| |important. | |

|18 |Still getting used to this size as it seems quite long but should it specify what happens in singles/doubles. |C |

|19 |I agree with keeping the length of an ‘orange’ court but not its width. An orange court is basically for children to learn on |C |

| |but even though we are vi tennis players, we are adults who are bigger and stronger and as such we need the standard tennis | |

| |court width instead of the narrowed version of the orange court. This would allow for better tennis shots and angles which will| |

| |also contribute to a more exciting game for both players and spectators which is what we want for the future of vi tennis. | |

|20 |The dimensions you have shown is for a doubles orange court, which I would recommend for both singles and doubles. It is much |C |

| |easier to set up as all you have to set out is the base line. | |

|21 |I would the yellow lines to be consider for the other participants |C |

|22 |I would like to see the only orange line as the serve line. It is too restrictive to have orange down lines. |C |

|23 |The idea of narrowing the court is an incredible burden and barrier for the game. I am all for extra length but by narrowing |C |

| |the width you suggest we must play on child-like courts. We wish our game to be as close to real tennis as possible and the | |

| |sheer impracticality of having to lay lines will lead to many abandoning or not able to practice the game. These rules are | |

| |trying to force our game into a sized court that does not exist on any indoor courts around the world, or certainly not in any I| |

| |have ever played on | |

|24 |feel for B2 court size is adequate maybe look at makinging iot a narrower court |C |

|25 |I would be happy with the length of the orange court, which you then serve into a service box and I would be happy to use the |C |

| |existing inner white lines for singles so not making the court slightly narrow. The time spent in putting down new lines has not| |

| |been practical. I also think that the net should be slightly lowered as we are not using the full length of the court. | |

|26 |I think the narrowing of the court for B2/3/4 players is not necessary. The extra lines cause confusion and also require more |C |

| |adaptation of a standard tennis court before a game can be played. | |

|27 |As with B1 there has been some issue on this and this needs to be sorted once and for all. |C |

|28 |Fine, but clarification needed as to the width for singles - i.e. are there separate singles and doubles sidelines, and, if so, |C |

| |is 8.23m the width of the doubles? | |

| |This also applies to the B1 court, but is less important there, as it's generally assumed that 6.1m is the width for singles. | |

| |Net height: there's a bigger issue here than for the B1s, since the ITF rules only specify a range of 0.800-0.914m for the net | |

| |height. A specific standard height for B2-B4 tennis would be far better than this potential inconsistency from competition to | |

| |competition. | |

|29 |This is not the size of a ‘standard’ ITF Orange Court. Before they seek to make rules for others, I would strongly suggest that |C |

| |the IBTA reps take the time to learn what the actual ITF rules and standards are and how they are applied in reality or to | |

| |involve someone in the process who has the relevant knowledge and experience. | |

| | | |

| |The definitive ITF guide to red and orange court setup for | |

| |competition can be found at | |

| |I would suggest that this should be required reading for all those participating in the IBTA process, along with the 2015 ITF | |

| |rules, a copy of which is hosted at | |

| | | |

| |The ITF standards for these courts can be found on page 32 of the 2015 rules and they are as follows : | |

| |• A court, designated “Red” for the purposes of 10 and under tennis competition, shall be a rectangle, between 36 feet (10.97 m)| |

| |and 42 feet (12.80 m) long, and between 14 feet (4.27m) and 20 feet (6.10 m) wide. The net shall be between 31.5 inches (0.800 | |

| |m) and 33.0 inches (0.838m) high at the centre. | |

| |• A court, designated “Orange”, shall be a rectangle, between 58 feet (17.68 m) and 60 feet (18.29 m) long, and between 20 feet | |

| |(6.10 m) and 27 feet (8.23 m) wide. The net shall be between 31.5 inches (0.800 m) and 36.0 inches (0.914m) high at the centre. | |

| |The dimensions given by the IBTA are the outer edges of these ranges. The red dimensions given by IBTA do not match any standard| |

| |red court commonly used in competition; the dimensions for orange court do not match what is generally referred to as an orange | |

| |court in 10U competition (please see the competition layouts in the court marking guide). | |

| |The width dimension given by the IBTA for the orange court is 8.23m which is the full width of a standard court, and yet for | |

| |some reason, people keep insisting on setting up mini orange courts. | |

| |Using the terms ‘standard’ red and ‘standard’ orange has been the source of much confusion, as has the difference in dimensions | |

| |given in the actual IBTA agreement vs the MS Word copy of the IBTA rules distributed by TF/VIAG. | |

| |Original IBTA: | |

| |TF/VIAG version : | |

| |In the UK, coaches understand a ‘standard’ red/orange court to refer to mini red and mini orange courts, both of which are | |

| |usually set out for competition at the lower edges of those ranges. | |

| |Please see Appendix A of the court marking guide linked above for common competition setups, the ones used by UK coaches which | |

| |are commonly referred to as red and orange are those listed under the relevant sections as “Competition Setup A” | |

| |Note that the only place a red court with the dimensions given the IBTA appears is as ‘non tennis court’ setup. | |

| |In the case of the orange court, the width (though not the length) dimension given by the IBTA matches ‘Competition Setup B’ | |

| |also known as ‘Wide Orange’ or ‘Orange 60’. This is an appropriate court size for adult players. The commonly used ‘mini’ | |

| |version with the extra side-lines is not, the nipped in side-lines and lower net are specifically designed to accommodate | |

| |players with physical attributes of 10 year olds (height, strength, etc). The side-lines in | |

| |particular remove entire classes of tactical play from adult players. | |

| |They also introduce a great deal of visual confusion. | |

| |The standard competition court for B2, 3 and 4 adult players should be the wide court denoted in the guide and this should be | |

| |made clear in any rules issued by organising bodies. | |

| |This is the court we used at the NEVITC Open, and it was also used at Cambridge (although not at Leeds). Player feedback from | |

| |these events (and from use of the court in training at various clubs) suggests that the majority of players favour this court | |

| |size. | |

| |It also has the pragmatic advantages that it is much easier and therefore less time consuming to set up – indeed most coaches | |

| |delivering mini orange programs in the UK leave the side-lines out for training for just this reason – and it is cheaper as it | |

| |uses a great deal less masking tape to mark. | |

| |Net height should remain at 90cm in the centre. | |

| |I have consulted widely with coaches, competition organisers and referees outside of the VI game about this issue, and everyone | |

| |I have spoken to, particularly those involved in delivering mini orange programmes, has agreed that this is the court we should | |

| |use. | |

| |For your convenience, here is a model rule that expresses all these things for the Orange court. I will have to see the feedback| |

| |from B1 players about court size before making extensive comment on that. | |

| |“The standard competition court for B2, B3 and B4 players shall be the ‘Wide Orange’ or ‘Orange 60’ court as defined in the ITF | |

| |Publication ‘Marking Red and Orange Courts - A Guidance Manual’, Appendix A, Page 32, Competition Setup B. | |

| |The width of the court shall be 8.23m (the full width of a standard tennis court) the length shall be 17.98m. The net height | |

| |shall be 90cm at the centre. The singles and doubles sidelines shall be as the standard court. The court should be marked in | |

| |accordance with the guidance manual using white masking tape of width at least 50mm” | |

|30 |No comment given |NC |

|31 |No comment given |NC |

|32 |Personally I preferred the original size as there was less area for sight coverage, there was no extra laying out of the court |C |

| |also making it more practical. There were also less lines to visually confuse you when playing. If we are playing on the orange | |

| |court then the narrower width should be adhered to as it then makes the court area to large for sight coverage. The larger court| |

| |size also seems to give people with better vision added advantages. You can try to learn to keep the ball in the narrower width | |

| |but you can't actually make any changes to your level of vision and visual field | |

|33 |Lots of confusion with different tournament choosing to use different measurements! Whatever is agreed and communicated to ALL |C |

| |will take time for players to adapt to. Length of orange court is probably the max for the ball. Important to keep with the | |

| |dimensions of an ITF recognised court. | |

3.1 The Serve

| | | |

| |Feedback | |

|1 |Yes fine |A |

|2 |This needs to be more precise, because some of the players say “ready” and “play” straight after and starting the serve motion. |C |

| |I think would be better if you precise this for “just before the racket meets the ball”. | |

|3 |FINE |A |

|4 |Works well but officials must enforce it more that ‘play’ comes before hitting the ball. |C |

|5 |I think the rules are good |A |

|6 |This works perfectly. |A |

|7 |I've read the rules and they seem fine |A |

|8 |No Comment given |NC |

|9 |No Comment given |NC |

|10 |Agree |A |

|11 |No Comment given |NC |

|12 |Agree |A |

|13 |Agree |A |

|14 |No Comment given |NC |

|15 |No Comment given |NC |

|16 |works fine |A |

|17 |This MUST stay. |A |

|18 |No Comment given |NC |

|19 |Agree |A |

|20 |No change |A |

|21 |I think this rule should remain the same, as I feel it suitable for VI Tennis. |NC |

|22 |No Comment given |NC |

|23 |agreed |A |

|24 |works fine |A |

|25 |Agreed |A |

|26 |Should all players B2 and above not be required to serve over arm? |C |

|27 |This works perfectly |A |

|28 |This works well |A |

|29 |No comment given |NC |

|30 |This works well |A |

|31 |I think B1 players should have to announce what kind of serve they are doing if an under arm for instance as a sighted player |C |

| |would be able to see this and it can affect how the serve goes. | |

|32 |Acceptable |A |

|33 |Agree |A |

3.2 – Volleying

| | | |

| |Feedback | |

|1 |No problems with this |A |

|2 |No comment given |NC |

|3 |B4’s would have a more exciting game, if volleying was permitted. May be this would then be exciting to watch particularly for |C |

| |doubles. | |

|4 |Currently works well but if we introduce a B4 category it may be worth reviewing |C |

|5 |I think the rules are good |C |

|6 |No comment given |NC |

|7 |I've read the rules and they seem fine |A |

|8 |Bounces & Volleying: If B4’s are only to have one bounce (ie same as fully sighted folk) then maybe they should also be allowed |C |

| |to volley (ie no bounce) | |

|9 |Could this be reviewed? |C |

|10 |No comment given |NC |

|11 |Agree |A |

|12 |Agree |A |

|13 |No comment given |NC |

|14 |No comment given |NC |

|15 |No comment given |NC |

|16 |continue with this rule |A |

|17 |I think this rule has to stay in place, as to allow volleying would give an unfair advantage to those with better sight. |A |

|18 |Should it clarify by saying that the ball must bounce at least once |C |

|19 |I disagree. I think volleying will make the game more exciting but only allowing categories below B4 to do so. |C |

|20 |No change |A |

|21 |I believe that no volleying should be allowed. |A |

|22 |No comment given |NC |

|23 |agreed |A |

|24 |continue with this rule |A |

|25 | Agreed |A |

|26 |To bring the game more in line able bodied tennis should volleying not be allowed for B4 players. I feel that B4 players are |C |

| |being discriminated against but only being allowed one bounce and yet not being allowed to volley. This leads to a unlevel | |

| |playing field when competing against B3 players | |

|27 |Agree with this |A |

|28 |Fine. |A |

|29 |No comment given |NC |

|30 |No comment given |NC |

|31 |No comment given |NC |

|32 |I agree with this as players are relying on the sound of the ball bouncing as well as the visual location |A |

|33 |Maybe consider for B4 & B4+ only |C |

3.3 – Blindfolds

| | | |

| |Feedback | |

|1 |Fine |A |

|2 |No comment given |NC |

|3 |No comment |NC |

|4 |This keeps fairness. We need to establish whether the shades can be lifted between points/games etc. |C |

|5 |I think the rules are good |A |

|6 |No comment given |NC |

|7 |I've read the rules and they seem fine, |A |

|8 |No comment given |NC |

|9 |No comment given |NC |

|10 |Agree |A |

|11 |Ok |A |

|12 |Agree |A |

|13 |No comment given |NC |

|14 |Clarification needed on whether you can touch or lift eye shades in-between points |C |

|15 |Eye shade do you thing a player that is wearing eye shades in competition, should have them on from be for stepping on the |C |

| |tennis court, if you need to touch them at any time you should put your hand up for Umpire to check that you put them back | |

| |prolly, and any thing els you can think of. | |

| | | |

| |yes | |

|16 |as in most B1 sports all B1 tennis players should always wear blindfolds as it may encourage cheating |A |

| |B1 players should not be allowed to touch shades during play if they need to touch them they should ask umpire and be asked to | |

| |turn back on play | |

|17 |I’m yet to get involved with the B1 game, so have no comment. |NC |

|18 |No comment given |NC |

|19 |No Comment as not a B1 |NC |

|20 |No change |A |

|21 |Blindfolds should be used for the B1 category players |A |

|22 |No comment given |NC |

|23 |agreed |A |

|24 |as in most B1 sports all B1 tennis players should always wear blindfolds as it may encourage cheating |A |

| |B1 players should not be allowed to touch shades during play if they need to touch them they should ask umpire and be asked to | |

| |turn back on play | |

|25 |Agreed |A |

|26 |No comment given |NC |

|27 |Agreed. We need clarification on when the shades can be lifted for example at the end of a point, at the end of a game or a set.|A |

|28 |Clarification needed: there is no standard paralympic mask, as different sports use different types. I'd suggest not using the |C |

| |goalball ones, as they're far more bulky than is needed for tennis, and cost something like £30 each. Standardisation is | |

| |important, but not urgent. | |

|29 |This needs to be made more specific. Probably by reference to another sport. Most usefully, probably goalball as they have an |C |

| |established standard. In the UK the standard basic goalball eyeshade is a Goalfix Total Blackout Eyeshade (though these are | |

| |regarded as very basic, and many GB players have more expensive | |

| |models). This is what NEVITC require for competition. | |

|30 |Rather not use goalball shades: they are more for protection, and are bulky and hot. Lighter ones would work better for tennis.|D |

|31 | I don’t agree with this though I understand the reasons why it has been introduced. I think it is an impediment on the face |D |

| |for B1 players for those not used to wearing glasses etc and can interfere with the eyes spatial tracking which is nothing to | |

| |do with seeing, but rather like the way the arm and hand are encouraged to be used to locate where the ball is in space. I | |

| |really feel this rule needs to be revised - It’s not fair that genuine B1 players should have to be encumbered because | |

| |of others cheating. | |

|32 |Do not play B1 game but at least this creates the same level of disadvantage |A |

|33 |Agree, ensures equality and fairness |A |

3.4 – Bounces (B1)

| | | |

| |Feedback | |

|1 |Yes |A |

|2 |No comment given |NC |

|3 |FINE |A |

|4 |Three bounces are justified and if we can create a ball with the same pace but higher bounce I foresee a much improved game |A |

|5 |I think the rules are fine |A |

|6 |No comment given |NC |

|7 |I've read the rules and they seem fine |A |

|8 |No comment given |NC |

|9 |No comment given |NC |

|10 |No comment given |NC |

|11 |Agree |A |

|12 |Ok |A |

|13 |Agree |A |

|14 |Agree |A |

|15 |No comment given |NC |

|16 |No comment given |NC |

|17 |I’m yet to get involved with the B1 game, so have no comment. |NC |

|18 |No comment given |NC |

|19 |Agree in so far as B1’s need more bounces than other categories. |A |

|20 |No change |A |

|21 |B 1 players should allowed 3 bounces |A |

|22 |No comment given |NA |

|23 |No comment given |NA |

|24 |No comment given |NA |

|25 |Agreed |A |

|26 |No comment given |NA |

|27 |Agreed |A |

|28 |Fine |A |

|29 |No comment given |NA |

|30 |No comment given |NC |

|31 |No comment given |NC |

|32 |Acceptable |A |

|33 |Yes, definitely |A |

3.5 – Bounces (B2-4)

| | | |

| |Feedback | |

|1 |Fine with number of bounces but concerned about inconsistent classifications particularly at the lower end of B4 |C |

|2 |About the ball bounce, I think it should be a courtesy call from the low vision player to allow the other player the same amount|C |

| |of bounces let say, if B2 ( 3 bounces) plays B4, the B4 (1 bounce) player should be allowed to have 3 bounces, which will make | |

| |the game equal for both players. | |

|3 |OK |A |

|4 |This increases fairness to a certain extent but low level of B2 can never truly compete with a good B3/B4 |C |

|5 |I think the rules are good |A |

|6 |I have recently been classified as a B4 player which means that I now only have 1 bounce. I am relatively new to the game, |C |

| |having only started playing in August 2014. I assumed that I would be a B3 player and have always played with the 2 bounce | |

| |rule. Since being classified I have tried to play with 1 bounce but have found it extremely difficult. I rely on that first | |

| |bounce to locate the ball with the sound. I LOVE playing tennis and how inclusive the game is for all. I play with friends and | |

| |relatives and people who are fully sighted. To assume that I can play at the same level as my sighted peers, I feel, is wrong. | |

| |It takes more time to track and locate the ball. The one bounce rule, I feel, is wrong and places me at a disadvantage. | |

|7 |I've read the rules and they seem fine |A |

|8 |Bounces & Volleying: If B4’s are only to have one bounce (ie same as fully sighted folk) then maybe they should also be allowed |C |

| |to volley (ie no bounce) | |

|9 |No comment given |NC |

|10 |My only critisism is that B4's are only allowed one bounce. With the nature of the classification system meaning that a person |C |

| |could have little vision in one eye but still be classed as a B4 because the other is not as impaired. Situations can occur when| |

| |the ball travels in a direction where the player can only see it with the eye which can potentially see very little. In this | |

| |instance, the player should be reliant on sound to track the balls progress, however, because B4's only get one bounce this is | |

| |not possible. | |

|11 |I played VI tennis for the first time at the 2013 Metro Tournament and because I had not been officially classified I played |C |

| |under B4 rules, but I really struggled with the 1 bounce rule. Could a sub-category of B3+ be considered for future to cover | |

| |players like myself who fall between B3/B4 and allowing them 2 bounces if necessary. | |

|12 |OK |A |

|13 |Agree |A |

|14 |Agree |A |

|15 |No comment given |NC |

|16 |Keep B2’s shall be allowed 3 |C |

| |Maybe make B3’s and B4’s 1 bounce | |

|17 |The number of bounces seems about right. However, it doesn’t do enough to compensate if a poorer sighted player plays a better |C |

| |sighted play, as the extra bounces are rarely useful as the ball is usually past them. I can’t see an easy solution to this, | |

| |just to not have mixed sight categories at competitions. | |

|18 |No comment given |NC |

|19 |Disagree. B2 and B3 should both have 2 bounces (which I thought had been agreed by the draft rules of tennis (UK version) |C |

| |amended 25th September 2013). Agree B4 should have 1 bounce (please see comments at bottom of page on B4’s). | |

|20 |No change |A |

|21 |The rules for specific bounces should remain the same. |A |

|22 |Personally believe all should get 2 bounces but accept majority views |C |

|23 |No comment given |NC |

|24 |Keep B2’s shall be allowed 3 |C |

| |Maybe make B3’s and B4’s 1 bounce | |

|25 |Agreed |A |

|26 |See comments on volleying......... |C |

| |To bring the game more in line able bodied tennis should volleying not be allowed for B4 players. I feel that B4 players are | |

| |being discriminated against but only being allowed one bounce and yet not being allowed to volley. This leads to a unlevel | |

| |playing field when competing against B3 players. | |

|27 |Agreed |A |

|28 |Fine |A |

|29 |The B4 rule is patently ridiculous, forcing a B4 player with visual acuity of (to take a recent real life example) 6/50 to play |C |

| |the same as a player with 6/6 acuity is wrong. It is also exclusionary to a large class (possibly the majority, in fact) of | |

| |people with serious visual impairments. Currently B4 players are stating that they will withdraw from competition as a result of| |

| |this rule being implemented. | |

| |Quite aside from that, having an international rule for B4 players is completely outside the scope of any classification system | |

| |that uses the IBSA classification system as IBSA does not recognise any classification above B3. Athletes with acuity above B3 | |

| |are classed by IBSA as ‘NE’ which is ‘Non Eligible’ and are not allowed to compete internationally under IBSA rules, so no | |

| |system claiming to use IBSA classification has any place in setting rules for B4 players. | |

| |Once again, I would strongly suggest that participants in the IBTA process make themselves familiar with the current existing | |

| |regulations before attempting to implement or change them. | |

| |Information on IBSA classification can be found at | |

| | | |

| |NEVITC will not implement this rule for competition in 2016. | |

|30 |No comment given |NC |

|31 |No comment given |NC |

|32 |As long as the rules are enforced across all categories. There have been instances where B4s have been allowed 2 bounces but no |C |

| |further concessions made to B3s. How is this acceptable to give the advantage to the players categorised as having the most | |

| |sight.? Especially with the orange court being a bigger area to cover | |

|33 |3 bounces for a B2 is appropriate on the longer court. 1 bounce for B4 seems fair when playing against B2 & B3 and most B4’s I |C |

| |have seen manage. B4 is UK only. | |

-----------------------

| |Visually Impaired Tennis Feedback |

| |Prepared for: |

| |Visually Impaired Advisory Group meeting- 27th August 2015 |

| | |

| |Dated: |

| |24/08/2015 |

A = Agreed D = Disagreed

NC = No comment C = Change/comment

-----------------------

|8 / Visually Impaired Tennis Feedback / 24/08/2015 |

|1 / Visually Impaired Tennis Feedback / 24/08/2015 |

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