TENNIS ACTIVITY CARD

Want to know how to be a tennisall-star?

Gear UpWhat's all the racket aboutracquets? Well, you can't playtennis without one. If you're buyinga junior racquet, choose the longestone that you can comfortably use.Want more information onselecting a junior racquet? If youweigh more than 85 pounds youshould look for an adult racquet.

When you have a racquet, you'llneed to find a court. Look aroundat school or at parks in yourneighborhood. Then, put on socks(if they're not cotton, they'll helpyou avoid blisters) and sneakerswith good ankle support. Don'tforget the tennis balls!

Games

Fish in the Pond: Try tossing the ball onto yourracquet or into a hula-hoop on the ground to practiceaiming your toss.

Overhead Ball Catch: Toss the ball up like you areabout to serve and catch it just above your head.

Upper & LowerLegs

Heart & Lungs

Arms

Abs

Parts ofthe BodyWorked

Lifetime Fitness Racquet Sports

Two-Handed Alligator Catch: Stretch out your armsstraight in front of you like they are the top andbottom of an alligator's mouth. Have a friend throwthe ball toward you and slap your hands together tocatch it. After each catch, make the alligator's mouth alittle bigger.

Play it SafeTennis is an activity that forces you to turn your bodyquickly in many different directions, so make sure youwarm up and stretch before playing. Wear tennis shoeswith good support to protect your ankles and thick(not cotton) socks that fit well to prevent blisters onyour feet. To prevent hand blisters, keep your racquethandle dry by using sawdust or hand chalk. Alwaysbend your arm when you swing, or else it might startto hurt — a problem known as "tennis elbow." Clipyour toenails and make sure there is extra room inyour shoes, because "tennis toe" can be nasty too!

To protect other players, never throw your racquet ortennis balls, and try to keep loose balls off the courts.Be courteous and keep yourself and others safe bystaying off courts where other people are playing.

When you're outside waiting to play, sit in the shadeand drink lots of water — that way you'll stay cool andwon't get sunburned. While you are playing, take abreak between games or sets to cool off. And you maywant to keep a wet towel around your neck while youwait. Also, you can look and feel cool by wearing acold, wet bandana on your head while you play. Andalways wear sunscreen! Want to read more aboutkeeping your cool or how to protect yourself from thesun? (/bam/safety/cool.html)

How to PlayTennis is a fun activity that two people (a "singles"match) or four people on two separate teams("doubles") can play. You can play with friends at yourlocal tennis courts, or join an organized team. Whenyou start playing tennis, some of the key strokes you

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should learn are: serve, forehand, backhand, two-handed backhand, volley, and smash. But first, checkout these basic skills to get you started!

Holding the Racquet. The racquet handle has eightsides — four are flat and four are angled. Take theracquet handle between your thumb and index fingerof your dominant hand (the one you write with) as ifyou were shaking hands. The knuckle on your indexfinger should be on the top right angle. Then, grip andmake sure it feels comfortable. Separate your third andfourth fingers slightly.

Serving. Hold the ball with the thumb, index finger,and middle finger of your free hand (hand not holdingthe racquet). Extend the arm with the ball just in frontof you and then raise it above your head. Toss the ballgently, so it goes a few inches higher than the fullheight of the racquet extended above your head. Keepyour eye on the ball. Bring the racquet around aboveyour shoulder and hit the ball while it's in the air. Tryto use the same toss every time.

Receiving and Returning the Ball. Stand in the middleof the court and hold the racquet gently with bothhands so you can run in either direction when the ballcomes over the net. When the ball is hit to yourforehand side (e.g., right if you're right-handed), steptoward the ball with your opposite leg and swing! Ifthe ball comes to your backhand side (left if you'reright-handed), go for the ball with your dominant armin front of your chest and your other hand holding theracquet as well. Swing without moving your wrists.

OlogyWondering why tennis balls are so fuzzy? The fuzzincreases the wind resistance, which slows down theball and helps the players to volley (hit the ball backand forth without stopping) longer. Without it, the ballwould fly off the court after every serve! The fuzz alsohelps players control the ball, by keeping it stuck totheir racquet strings for just a little longer when theyhit it.

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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 1600 Clifton Rd. Atlanta, GA 30333, USA

800-CDC-INFO (800-232-4636 ) TTY: (888) 232-6348 - Contact CDC–INFO

Page last reviewed: April 13, 2012Page last updated: April 13, 2012Content source: Division of Population Health, National Center forChronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion

Fun FactsAdvanced players can serve a ball at more than 100miles per hour, making it travel 80 feet across thecourt in less than one second!

The world's first tennis tournament took place inWimbledon, England in 1877.

You might have heard tennis players saying the word"love" a lot around the courts. Unless it's Valentine'sDay, they're probably talking about the score! Intennis, "love" means that your opponent has notscored any points yet and has a score of zero. Also, intennis one point = 15, two points = 30, three points =40, and usually, 4 points = a win!

Related LinksUS Tennis Association (http://www.usta.com/)

(http://www.cdc.gov/Other/disclaimer.html)

College and Junior Tennis(http://www.clgandjrtennis.com/) (http://www.cdc.gov/Other/disclaimer.html)

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