Category: Recreation Tennis

The Junior Team Tennis Scoring System

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With summer upon us it is time for clubs and recreation programs to begin play in the USTA Junior Team Tennis (JTT) program.

The rules are fairly simple. First and foremost, you have to be a junior player at any level. Players are placed on teams of at least 4 players of the same gender and ability.

Most teams hold practices several times a week that may include all players (boys and girls). Once a week, team matches are played that consist of 2 singles and 1 doubles. Play is the best of three sets using no-ad scoring with a tie-break at 6-6. If players split sets they play a 12-point tie-break for the match.

The interesting part of the program is the match scoring. The winner of a match is the team that wins the most games, not necessarily the most matches. Standings for the season are based on the team that has won the most games.

For example, a team can win one match 6-0, 6-0 and lose the other two matches 6-4, 6-3. They will be awarded 26 points, while the other teams earn 24 points. In this case, the team that won only one of the 3 matches came out on top.

The scoring system seems inappropriate for the following reasons:
• Most players are familiar with playing on teams where points are awarded for matches won. If there is a tie in the standings, it would be broken by sets won, and games won. In JTT, the only thing that matters is games won!
• When players are just learning the sport they are forced to learn the JTT scoring system on top of everything else. It seems that a simpler approach will make the sport easier to learn.
• The scoring system puts pressure on players to win every point. Often they are struggling to stand in the proper space and keep track of the score. The pressure of trying to win every point adds an unnecessary burden.
• Players are rewarded for beating their opponents as badly as possible. Is that the message that should be sent to entry level players and intermediate players in a recreation program?
• If the two singles matches are played first and one team wins both matches by a score of 6-3, 6-2 or worse, then the match score is 24-10. It is impossible for the other team to win the team match even if they lose the final match 6-0, 6-0.

The rationale provided by the USTA divisional organizers justifies the scoring system by saying:
• Every game matters – players shouldn’t give up if losing or take it easy if winning.
• A lower skilled player can contribute to the team, even if he/she never wins a match.
• In cases where teams have less than 4 players, you can either play the doubles or two singles. Once two matches are completed, it is possible the match has been decided, i.e. one team won both matches.
While the merits of the scoring system can be debated ad nauseam, league coordinators usually notify parents about the intricacies of the unique scoring system in advance. In other words, most players enter the team match knowing how the winner will be determined.

Despite the oddities of the Junior Team Tennis scoring system, the important thing is that kids are playing tennis.

The Green Dot Ball – A Well-Intended, but Bad Mandate

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This year the USTA mandated that 12U Satellite/Challenger and Junior Team Tennis players had to play with the green dot ball (GDBs) in competition.  The following 10 reasons explain why the GDB should NOT be mandated in USTA junior tennis play. These comments are based on countless hours of discussions with parents and coaches while watching their sons, daughters, and students play with both the GDB and real tennis balls.
1. For many years, some teaching professionals have advocated the use of “dead” tennis balls as a training tool.  As a commercial product, low compression balls  (LCBs) have been in existence for 25-30 years. GDBs are a more recent phenomenon. Many parents view the GDB mandate as a gimmick by the manufacturers to sell more products.

Many years ago the teaching profession informally endorsed LCBs as an excellent teaching tool, along with shorter and lighter racquets, and smaller courts. If the teaching professionals had felt that LCB tournament play would have benefitted the sport, they would have developed LCB junior circuits many years ago. The LCB mandate is the USTA’s way of saying to teaching professionals that they are not knowledgeable about the sport they teach.

2. The quality control for the LCBs does not appear to be as good as it is for real tennis balls, i.e. some balls bounce better than others in match play.

By design, the balls are lighter and not as lively. As a result, they don’t play well in the wind or at temperatures below 50 degrees.

It is common for satellite players, particularly girls, to develop incorrect strategies when they use GDBs. For example, it is common for girls to swing hard on service returns and hit shots that barely clear the net and bounce in the middle of their opponent’s service court. More often than not, the returns do not carry to the service line and go for a winner.

3. In a similar light, satellite players, especially girls, have difficulty putting the GDBs away. They learn that an effective strategy is to hit the ball back and forth down the middle of the court until the other person misses, gets bored and goes home, or they turn 13 and become too old to finish the match. Frequently, these long, pointless rallies feature bad footwork and many poorly executed strokes. It is easier for some beginning players to get by with sloppy strokes and bad strategy when they use GDBs.

4. The LCBs seem to be better suited for players who are physically stronger or more coordinated, i.e. boys. They are more capable of having longer rallies that include spin, pace, placement and side-to-side movement, and reasonable technique. The use of GDBs with strong athletic boys brings back memories of the days when Jimmy Arias, Harold Solomon, and Eddie Dibbs were the top American players.  They were great players, but their style of tennis was so boring that the industry quickly ended the “slow-court experiment” that was in place at the time and began building courts with faster surfaces.

5. Most parents don’t like the GDBs. At the tournaments early in the season they wondered why tournament directors were having their kids play with “dead” balls. Although parents pay for the racquets, balls, and lessons they have been vilified for questioning the GDB mandate.  Many parents regard the ball as a short-term necessary evil that is not worth addressing. Others avoid dealing with the GDB by having their kids play in the 14U division, an option that is not always in the best interest of the player.

6. When given a choice to play with GDBs or real balls, most 12U kids choose to play with real tennis balls.

7. Real tennis balls often bounce too high for shorter boys and girls. LCBs are a great teaching tool that address that challenge, particularly when players are younger or in the early stages of learning.  It is ironic that juniors are taught to use semi-western and western grips to deal with high bouncing balls on the forehand side, yet they are mandated to play with balls that aren’t lively and don’t have a high bounce.

8. GDBs have a low bounce and are not lively. As a result players have to hit a lot of “lunge” groundstrokes. The contact point on many shots is often at a height between the player’s ankles and knees (that is very low for a short 11 year old girl).  These shots are hit less frequently when real tennis balls are used.

The grips of choice (western and semi-western) do not work well for “lunge” or “ankle” groundstrokes.  In short, LCBs eliminate some problems and introduce others which mean they may help some players while hindering others.

9. When younger players, or players who are not as strong, play with GDBs, they may not be rewarded for hitting clean strokes. As well they may not be rewarded for hitting with spin. On the other hand, stronger and more accomplished players can hit GDBs with excessive spin and make the ball dance like a whiffle ball.  For many players, playing tennis with GDBs is a different game than playing with real tennis balls.

10. As players become more accomplished it may be easier to have longer rallies with GDBs than real tennis balls. That is not justification for mandating the use of GDBs in competition. When players can consistently hit with spin, pace, and placement it is time to switch them to the balls they really want to play with – real tennis balls.  GDBs are a wonderful teaching tool, but players should be weaned from them based on their ability, not their birthday.

Over the years, the USTA has done many wonderful things for the sport of tennis, mandating the use of GDBs is not one of them.

 

USTA LCB Mandates now Include Some 12U Players

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Thanks to a mandate of the USTA/Colorado Player Development Committee, 12U players in satellite events must play their tournament matches with the green dot low compression balls (LCBs).   Most teaching professionals agree that LCBs and graduated tennis racquets are valuable teaching tools for some entry level players. For younger players, the shorter and lighter racquets are easier to control. Shorter players may find it easier to hit balls in the hitting zone because the balls travel slower and bounces lower. USTA officials claim this combination helps players develop good footwork and better strokes and learn how to be patient, construct points, and develop strategies.

To date, the limited research on LCBs does not show that graduated racquets or LCBs help players learn the game more quickly; however, anecdotal evidence suggests it makes the learning process more fun and less frustrating. Most will agree that LCBs are a useful teaching tool for some players.

From a business perspective, LCBs are valuable only if players continue to play the sport after their introduction to it. There is no evidence to prove this is the case and some anecdotal evidence suggests LCBs have had no impact on participation.

Highlights from a local early season junior tournament follow:

  • The host facility had a strong 10U instructional program, yet there were not enough entrants for a 10U tournament/play day. This was the case for most of last season.
  • There were eight players in the 12U girls’ satellite event, including two open players from the state’s junior excellence program. All participants had previously played for the past year or more with real tennis balls.
  • The LCBs bounced inconsistently. On multiple occasions, shots that were hit with medium pace to midcourt often did not carry to the baseline.
  • The LCBs performed erratically in the wind and in temperatures below 50 degrees.
  • Because the ball bounced inconsistently, carried a shorter distance, and had a lower trajectory, players frequently had to lunge to hit the ball or hit it at knee level or lower. Frequently, they would push the ball because they were out of position to hit it properly.
  • As well, players began trying to hit the ball short as a means of winning points – a tactic that doesn’t work with real tennis balls.
  • Players who could hit a real tennis ball with spin had difficulty hitting the LCBs with spin.
  • Players tended to over swing on their groundstrokes because they were not able to put the ball away. This is counterproductive to development of good strokes and winning strategies.

The current USTA mandates regarding the use of LCBs for 10U and 12U satellite events are hopefully well intended.  Time will tell if the LCB mandates will “grow the game” or if they will “grow the list of failed USTA mandates.”

USTA Ten and Under Mandate Remains Contentious

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The United States Tennis Association recently announced that it passed rules requiring that 10-and-under tournaments be played using smaller courts and lighter equipment.

Their press release quoted USTA President Lucy Garvin as saying, “We’re very excited about what this change means to the future of tennis in the United States. Competition is an important element of learning and growing the game, and now all children 10 and under will have the proper platform with which to compete.”

In addition, Kurt Kamperman, Chief Executive, Community Tennis, USTA said, “This rule change to the competition format for kids 10 and under is critical to the long-term growth of our sport, and ultimately will help us develop new generations of talented players.”

The press release continued by saying that the change in tournament format by both the USTA and the ITF was reached after weighing the benefits for beginners as well as recurring and high-performing youth players. Studies have found that competition, when conducted in a welcoming environment that allows for multiple play opportunities, enhances kids’ enjoyment of the game. And for aspiring collegiate and professional players, the QuickStart Tennis play format fosters proper technique and enhances strategy, key components to success in competitive play.

Over the years teaching professionals, coaches, and manufacturers have endorsed the notion that multiple play opportunities, short courts, lighter racquets, and quality instruction increase the chances that juniors will enjoy and stay in the game. In fact they have developed short racquets, lighter balls, and have had short court programs in place since the mid-1980s.

The mandate handed down by the USTA was not welcomed by some prominent teaching professionals and many in the industry. The following objections to the 10U ruling are from a variety of sources:
• Some 10-year olds have advanced beyond the short court teaching tools and are playing competitive tennis on a full court. For that reason, an appropriate rule change would have allowed short courts for 10U competitive play rather than mandating them.
• The ruling in counter-productive. Ten-year olds who are already playing on a regular court will avoid the 10Us and play the 12Us.
• This is yet another attempt by the USTA to create a monopoly. They want to take credit for the work of others and try to control all aspects of the industry.
• The ruling has not been put in place for the benefit of the sport, but rather the benefit of increasing USTA power.
• Garvin and the USTA do not support the teaching profession. This is illustrated by her comment “Now all children 10 and under will have the proper platform with which to compete.”
• The USTA has spent hundreds of millions of dollars in the Player Development program, but have had limited success in development of world class players. This rule change illustrates they are not in touch with the sport or the needs of the tennis industry.
• Every USTA President and Board wants to leave their mark on the sport. This mandate is nothing more than that.
• The USTA is schizophrenic in its decision-making. It wasn’t that long ago that the USTA eliminated lower level age division rankings because research had demonstrated that competition was bad for players under 12 years of age. Now they are calling for increased competition at the younger ages.
• Over the past 20 years, clubs have gone out of business and courts have been eliminated at existing facilities. Dedicating space for new junior courts or converting existing courts for 10U play is not a cost effective investment for recreation departments, tennis facilities, or country clubs.
• The U.S. still has not fully recovered from the Great Recession. The USTA, which has not been a articipant in the recession, is not in touch with the challenges facing the industry.
• Similarly, the new ruling creates barriers to entry for new clubs. 10U courts have limited potential for revenue generation.

Even after the decision has been made, this remains a contentious issue between the USTA and some members of the industry. The real question remains, “Will the 10 and under players ultimately be the winner?”

Over the years, the USTA has introduced a number of excellent programs. Time will tell whether the recent 10U mandate will prove to be a “critical driver of long-term growth of the sport” and a generator of “generations of talented players”. In the meantime it is up to the teaching professionals and the industry to track the success of this USTA decision and hold them accountable if it turns out to be another USTA boondoggle.

 

QuickStart Gets Kids in Swing of Tennis

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Recreation is big business. It is important for sporting goods companies, recreation programs, commercial sports facilities, coaches and instructors, and sports physicians to bring new players into their respective sports, make the sport easy to learn, and keep them hooked for life. They are all promoting a healthier form of addiction than being a workaholic, eating too much chocolate cake, or consumption of illegal substances.

Skiers scoffed when short skis were introduced – they were thought to be impure and would prevent skiers from mastering the sport. Tennis players cringed when the oversize Prince racquet was introduced – only little old ladies who played doubles would use them. In time, other sports have followed suit, there are short golf clubs, smaller softballs, and light volleyballs.

Most recreation participants are kids and weekend warriors – they are not the masters of the moguls or tennis players with 130 mph serves. They are the players who benefit from oversized racquets, short skis, and light volleyballs.

On June 19, 2001, the Broomfield Enterprise featured an article entitled, “QuickStart gets kids in Swing of Tennis.” The city recreation program adopted the QuickStart program for select junior programs. In some form, the short court, light balls, shorter racquets, and altered scoring that was recently adopted by the Broomfield recreation group has been the standard for the past 20+ years.

Advantage Broomfield Recreation Department! Advantage tennis! Hopefully the change will serve as encouragement to  more juniors to gain a true appreciation for what a great sport tennis is.