Squad Tennis Competitions

 

o  Squad Tennis is a simple team event for groups of players (teams of 4 work best).

o  Players in a squad should be ranked in order of standard to ensure better standard players from each squad play each other.

o  Players play one singles and one doubles match. So with squads of 4 players you will end up playing a total of 6 matches against your opposing squad (4 singles and 2 doubles).

o  The length of each match can be flexible depending on the time and courts available.

o  The squad that wins the most matches wins.  You can either set this up as a league, one-day event, or just set up squad matches on an ad hoc basis.

o   In the event of a tie at 3 matches each, a ‘tie-break shoot out’ can be played.  A ‘tie-break shoot out’ shall consist of two singles tie-breaks (to 7 points, with 2 clear) which are to be played at the same time followed by a doubles tie-break (to 7 points, with 2 clear) if necessary.  No player may play in more than one tie-break.  Players are to be nominated as follows:

• Tie-break 1 (singles): One of the original players from the 1st/2nd singles match.
• Tie-break 2 (singles): One of the original players from the 3rd/4th singles match.
• Tie-break 3 (doubles): A pairing comprising any two of the other players who have played in the match.

 Resources

o   Squad Tennis Draw Sheet 

 

Tag Team Tennis Leagues

 

Numbers Involved

o   Between 8 to 12 players per court

 

Rules

o   Split the players into 2 teams and nominate a Team Captain for each team.

o   Once organised, each team stands safely behind the forehand tramline on either side of the net.

o   Each Team Captain nominates their first player, who will step on court and play 2 points (1 serve each).

o   After 2 points, the players leave the court and tag, passing the racket(s) to the next nominated players for the next 2 points.

o   Matches should use simple Mini Tennis scoring and can either be run; first to 10 points, or on a timed basis.

o   Other players waiting along the sidelines should be encouraged to shout and cheer for their team during points.

 

Format

o   This activity can either be run as singles or doubles. In the latter case, 2 players from each team are nominated and go on-court to play at once. If you have large numbers, use doubles, so that it reduces the amount of ‘dead time’ for players.

o   This activity can either be run as a one-off activity, or as an on-going league basis, with different teams competing against each other.

o   This activity can be run on a standard tennis court, or indoors/outdoors on Mini Tennis courts.

 

 

Elimination Competitions

 

o   A standard ‘knock-out’ style event, with a consolation draw for players losing in the first round.

o   Elimination Draw Sheet

 

 

Compass Draw Competitions

 

o   Enter all the players entered into the competition in round 1.

o   Seed your top two players at the top and bottom of the draw.

o   Winners of the first round move to the right of the draw and runners-up move left.

o   You can also play consolation matches for runners-up in subsequent rounds if you have sufficient court space.

o   You can modify the scoring to suit the timescale of the competition.

o    Compass Draw Sheet

 

 Hit & Mix Doubles Competitions

 

o   ‘Hit & Mix’ doubles competitions (also known as an American tournament) work on the basis that players play for a fixed period of time or for a certain number of games with one partner against their opposition.

o   The pairings change each round, see below for working out the rotations.

o   This competition format is ideal for social tennis events, but ideally you need multiples of 4 so you can have everyone playing doubles at the same time.

 

Format

1. Split the players – Split the players into 2 groups depending on the competitors this could be male/female or based on ability levels eg. team/ non-team players.

2. Label the courts – Make sure all the players know which court is court 1, 2, 3 etc.

3. Deciding the pairs – The players always play with someone from the other group. This could lead to mixed pairings if you set up male/ female groups.

4. Length of the match – Decide on the length and number of matches. Matches should be a set number of games or points (must be an odd number) or the matches could be timed e.g. 10/20 minutes.

5. Create player cards – Create player cards and hand out so each player knows how they give in their score and where they move after each round (one team have the white cards, the other team have the grey cards). Hit & Mix Competition Cards

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6. Play the first match – After the first match the winners ‘move up a court’ (e.g. If playing on 3 courts: court 2 winners move to court 1, court 3 winners move to court 2 and court 1 winners move to court 3) and separate so the winning pair are playing against each other in the next match. Runners-up stay on the same court and separate.

7. Determining a winner – The competition organiser counts up the scores at the end. The winners are (a) the player from the white card group who has the highest score and (b) the player from the grey card group with the highest score.

8. Hand out the prizes!