NORTH ALLEGHENY SENIOR HIGH PHYSICAL EDUCATION



HISTORY

Historical evidence indicates that a game similar to tennis was played in the ancient civilization of the Orient, Rome, Greece, Egypt, and Persia hundreds of years before Christianity. Modern day tennis developed in England and France, where it was popular in the 16th and 17th centuries. Wars and resulting economic and social conditions virtually eradicated the sport in Europe after that.

Major Walter C. Wingfield introduced the modern version of tennis in 1873 in England. It was originally known as lawn tennis. Mary Outerbridge is credited with bringing tennis to America in the mid-1870s by introducing it to the Staten Island Cricket and Baseball Club. The popularity of the sport and increasing numbers of players led in 1880 to the establishment of the United States Lawn Tennis Association (USLTA), which still governs the game today (though they dropped Lawn from their name in the 1970s and now go by USTA).

Tennis began as a lawn sport. Later clay, asphalt, and concrete became more standard surfaces because they could be maintained economically despite heavy public use. A net separates the court. The net is 3 feet high in the center and 3 feet 6 inches high at the net posts. The entire court is 78 feet long and 36 feet wide. The singles court is 27 feet wide. In singles, one player is on each side of the net. In doubles, two players are on each side of the net. Men and women can also play tennis at the same time, known as mixed doubles.

The first tennis tournament was played at Wimbledon in England in 1877. This is the most prestigious and well-known tennis tournament in the world and it is played in early summer. The other important major tournaments include the Australian Open played in Australia’s summer in January, the French Open played in late spring, and the US Open played in late summer.

Tennis enjoyed its greatest surge of interest among the American public during the 1970s. After television began routinely airing tournaments, indoor courts, club memberships, and tennis lessons became sought-after sport commodities. Touring tennis tournaments and media coverage sharpened public interest. During the Korean Olympic Games in 1988, tennis attained full status as an official medal sport.

Tennis appeals to many because it can be played year around, is relatively low in cost, needs only two to four players, is suitable for both sexes and all age groups, and it is truly a game for a lifetime. Another reason for its popularity is easy access to public courts. An estimated 10 to 15 million Americans of all ages play tennis regularly. Children as young as 6 years old can learn to play tennis. In fact, most of today’s superstars began playing at very early ages. Individuals in wheelchairs also play tennis. The United States Tennis Association (USTA), which governs tennis in the US, conducts national championships and has established national rankings for age groups beginning with the 12-year-old-and-under group through the 70-year-old-and-over group. Famous past professional players include Arthur Ashe, Jimmy Connors, John McEnroe, Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi, Billy Jean King, Chris Evert Lloyd, Martina Navratilova, and Stefi Graf. Current popular players include Serena Williams, Venus Williams, Maria Sharapova, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, and Andy Roddick.

SOCIAL SKILLS & ETIQUETTE

Social skills require that you learn the basic courtesies of the court. These include:

• Not interrupting play on other courts by retrieving balls or walking behind players while play is in progress

• Making sure that the receiver is ready before serving

• Replaying points if questions or interruptions occur

• Allowing the receiver to call illegal serves

SAFETY

Tennis is a relatively safe activity. The major concerns should be to maintain adequate distance between each other on racket swinging drills and to arrange hitting drills facing the same direction. Do not throw, hit or swing the racket near any student or person.

RULES

The game starts when one person serves from anywhere behind the baseline to the right of the center mark and to the left of the doubles sideline. The server has two chances to serve legally into the diagonal service court. Failure to serve into the court or making a serving fault results in a point for the opponents. The server continues to alternate serving courts until the game is over, and then the opponent serves. In doubles, one serves every fourth game, with the serve alternating between opponents after each game. The server may not serve until the receiver is ready. The receiver must let the ball bounce once before returning it. An ace is a serve that the receiver cannot play. You may hit the ball out of the air except on a serve.

If the service is legal and returned, game play continues until the ball is hit out of bounds or into the net. The team not making the error scores a point.

A ball landing on or touching a line is good, as is a ball that touches the net during play before falling into the opponents’ playing court.

A game ends when one team scores 4 points or until one team is ahead by 2 points after 3 points have been played. To score, 0 equals love, 1 point equals 15, 2 points equals 30, 3 points equals 40, and 4 points equals game. A score tied at 3 points is called deuce and each point scored thereafter is referred to as add-in (server) or add-out (receiver). A team wins when it scores two add-ins or add-outs in a row. A set consists of six games, but a set must be won by a margin of two games, and a match is the best two out of three sets or three out of five sets.

Let is a term used when a served ball hits the net and falls into the proper court or when a distraction occurs during play. During a let serve the serve is replayed, and during a game the point is replayed.

A team wins a point if the opponent double faults on the serve; does not return the ball before a second bounce; does not return it in-bounds; touches the net or post with their racket, clothing, or person; reaches across the net to return a ball (follow-through may carry across the net); or plays the ball more than once on a side.

The only basic rule change between singles and doubles is that for singles the side boundaries are the inside lines. The alleys are only used in doubles play.

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GRIPS (most common) [pic] [pic]

1. Eastern

• Most common

• Place the hand such that the base knuckle of the index finger is right on the third bevel

• Shake hands with the racket with the dominant hand, “V” formed with thumb and forefinger – running along the straight edge of the racket

• Wrist should be firm/tight

2. Continental

• Also known as the Chopper grip or Hammer grip

• Place the hand such that the base knuckle of the index finger is right on the second bevel

• Naturally obtained when holding the racket as if it were an axe, for chopping

3. Western

• Place the hand such that the base knuckle of the index finger is right on the fifth bevel

• Compared to the Continental grip, the blade has rotated 135 degrees

• This forces the wrist in an uncomfortable twist but allows for the greatest possible spin

READY POSITION

• Feet shoulder width apart with racket out in front of body

• Knees bent with weight on the balls of your feet

• After you hit a shot, be ready to receive a shot, in ready position

FOREHAND

1. Backswing

• Non-dominant shoulder faces the net

• Bring racket back low with weight on back foot

2. Step and Hit

• Transfer weight to front foot

• Contact ball waist height and right at the front foot

• Racket must be flat, straight

3. Follow Through

• Racket finishes over the opposite shoulder

• Get into ready position

BACKHAND

2 Hand Backhand

• For beginning players, place non-dominant hand on the racket above the dominant hand

• Allows for more strength and control

• Dominant shoulder faces the net

• Contact the ball slightly in front of the lead foot

• Hit through the ball and get into ready position

SERVE

1. Toss

• Non-dominant hand tosses the ball with non-dominant foot facing the post

• Toss to 2 0’clock

• Toss high enough so you can fully extend your arm and racket

2. Backswing

• Scratch your back with the racket

• Extend arm and racket fully

3. Contact

• Snap your wrist on contact

4. Follow Through

• Racket ends to side of non-dominant leg and get into ready position

TENNIS COURT DIAGRAM

The surface of most courts is made of cement or concrete, but some courts are made of clay, grass, or other substances. However, all courts have similar characteristics:

Net: A net, standing three feet high, divides the court into two halves. The ball must be hit over the net on each shot.

Baseline: The line running parallel to the net that marks the boundary on the length of the court.

Sidelines: The two lines that run perpendicular to the net and mark the boundary on the width of the court. The sidelines vary for singles and doubles play.

Doubles alleys: The additional area on the sides of the court used in doubles play.

Service line: The line running parallel to the net that marks the end of the two service boxes.

Service box: The area in which a serve must land for play to continue.

Center line: The line running perpendicular to the net that divides the two service boxes.

Center mark: Line dividing the service area into two halves.

TERMS

▪ ACE- a serve hit so well that the opponent can not touch it with the racket

▪ BACKCOURT- the area of the court between the service line and the baseline

▪ DOUBLE FAULT - losing a point by 2 consecutive serves

▪ DOUBLES - a contest played with two people on each team

▪ DROP - a ball hit softly with backspin that just gets over the net

▪ FAULT - a serve that misses the proper service box

▪ GROUNDSTROKES - shot made after the ball has bounced (ex. forehand, backhand)

▪ LET- a serve that hits the top of the net before landing in the service box; you get to serve again

▪ LOB - a high shot, made defensively to regain court positioning of offensively to clear the reach of the opponent at the net

▪ RALLY - consecutive hits over the net with the ball staying in bounds

▪ SINGLES - a contest between one player on each side of the net

▪ SLICE - a shot hit with the backspin on the ball

▪ SMASH - hard over the head shot, most resembles the serve

▪ TOPSPIN - the forward rotation put on the ball by hitting up behind it

▪ USTA - United States Tennis Association

▪ VOLLEY- a shot in which the ball is hit out of the air before it bounces

MISCELLANEOUS

▪ Your wrist should be firm when hitting all basic strokes.

▪ Hitting the ball with topspin gives you more control and makes the ball bounce higher and toward your opponent.

▪ Heavy topspin causes the ball to fall to the court more quickly and slows the ball down.

▪ When hitting a topspin shot, you should take the ball a little later or farther back in your swing.

▪ Slice or backspin causes the ball to spin backward. When a slice ball bounces, the ball stays low.

▪ When hitting a basic forehand shot, the swing should go from low (from the hip) to high (on your follow through).

▪ The most crucial key to a good serve is the ball toss. When tossing the ball in your serve, the ball should be thrown at least two (2) to three (3) inches higher than your highest reach with the racket and the ball should be thrown slightly in front of you.

▪ You should begin each point when serving with two (2) balls in your possession.

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TENNIS

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