TEACHING ADAPTIVE TENNIS | USTA GRANTS | GET INVOLVED
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Adaptive Tennis in Action
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Adaptive Tennis’ goal is to promote and develop recreational tennis opportunities for individuals with differing abilities and circumstances through inclusion, knowledge, and support, and by providing, where needed, adaptive programming, equipment, and teaching techniques.
Tennis benefits both mind and body. Physically, playing tennis helps to improve balance, mobility, agility, strength, fitness, and to burn calories. Mentally, tennis works on one’s focus, concentration, and reactive and problem-solving behaviors. Emotionally it can promote self-confidence, instill feelings of success, relieve stress, and provide social outlets to meet new friends, enhance relationships, or experience great family outings. These benefits are so much more important for those with disabilities, in special life situations, or with special circumstances.
The following areas are under the USTA Adaptive Tennis umbrella:
- Developmental disabilities (learning disabilities, autism, Down Syndrome, intellectual disabilities)
- Physical disabilities (players with prostheses, players in wheelchairs, players undergoing rehabilitation, such as surgery and illness, birth defects, multiple sclerosis, traumatic brain injury, muscular dystrophy, hearing impaired, stroke, etc.)
- Consumers of mental health services (psychiatric needs, emotional needs)
- Environmental disabilities (substance abusers, mentally and physically abused, homeless, HIV positive individuals, etc.)
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Typical
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Adapted
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Site
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A regulation court at a tennis facility
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Indoors in a gymnasium or multi-purpose room; Outdoors on a blacktop area
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Court
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Singles 78’ by 27’
Doubles 78’ by 36’
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Scale court to available space using chalk or plastic "throw down" lines. In gymnasiums lines may already be painted that will work for a scaled court.
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Net
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3- 3.5’ high; permanent fixture
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Portable nets are available in 10’ & 18’ wide models.
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Racquet
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Length: 27"; Weight: 11.5 oz.
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Progression of hand paddle to graduated length racquets (17" to 27").
Weight: less than 8 oz. to 12 oz.
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Ball
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Regular optic yellow
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Bean bags, balloons, beach ball, foam ball; low compression ball, or regular optic yellow.
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