Know Your Competition Modes

Before we jump right into our top 5 competition modes for your next tennis club tournament, it’s important to understand the sheer format variety. 

Regardless of the type of game you want to play, it will fall into one of these categories:

• Challenge — This form tends to run for a long time (generally over a year or a season). Here, club members will challenge each other to matches during the period. A pyramid/league table is used for scoring (i.e. losers move down, winners move up).
• Elimination — Traditional knock-out games! The Women’s Tennis Association and ATP use this elimination style. They’re great for prize-money games, but if you have a lot of beginners in your club, they’ll quickly be left out.
• Group — For the social element, group formats are the best. They tend to be popular among club owners who want everyone to have a fair shot.
• Rotation — If you want all your members to play each other, the rotation style is best. It can be a type of group tournament too, depending on how you choose to structure it.
• Team — Whether each team is small or rather large, you can mix it up. If your club has a lot of novices, opting for smaller teams is best. 

Okay, now is a great time to move onto the best part — the top 5 competition modes for your next tennis club tournament! Hopefully, you’ll find a couple of ideas you are yet to try.

Top 5 Competition Modes For Your Next Tennis Club Tournament

#1 The Progressive Knock-Out

While the traditional knock-out is effective (it’s used in the Olympic Games and World Championships after all), it doesn’t give weaker players a chance to play lots of matches.

The progressive knock-out, however, does just that.

Here’s How to Do It:

1. Allocate players however you wish.
2. Winners play winners in various rounds until one player stands unbeaten.
3. Losers play other losers.
4. If a player loses in the first round, they won’t be able to finish in the top half.
5. Players that find themselves losing on the second round will only be able to get to the lowest quarter in the final.

The main advantage here is that you get a full ranking order with a penultimate match while including weaker players. However, it will take more time than a traditional knock-out.

#2 The Compass Draw

A compass draw tennis tournament is divided into 8 sections. Each of them depicts the point of a compass (hence the name). As soon as a player loses a match, they move into a different bracket. 

It’s a fantastic way for junior players to have a taste of what professional competitions are like without having to spend a lot of money.

Here’s How to Do It:

1. Use a reservation suite like Court Reservation to set up the matches.
2. Players talk to each other to set up their match.
3. Each player brings a can of balls to the match. One is used in the match, the unopened one is given to the match-winner in the seeding rounds and the loser in the final draw rounds.
4. Matches are best in 2 out of 3 sets.
5. Once the match is finished, players will enter the scores on the site.
6. The first 4 rounds are “seeding”. Once they’re finished, the final draw is posted.
7. Prizes are given to the winner and runner-up of the main bracket and the consolation bracket.

The main advantage here is that you get a full ranking order with a penultimate match while including weaker players. However, it will take more time than a traditional knock-out.

#3 4 Singles and 1 Double

This is a team tournament type, so you’ll need to set these up beforehand. On the day, you should toss a coin to see which team will be “ABC” or “XYZ”. Then, the captains can give each player in their team a letter.

This competition mode is fantastic for socializing and maintaining morale (especially essential during these still unprecedented times!).

Here’s How to Do It:

1. Set up teams of 2 to 4 players.
2. Do best of 5 matches (i.e. 4 singles and 1 double).
3. The order of play should be: single, single, double, single, single.

#4 The Stop Rotation

This competition mode is fantastic for players of all ages and abilities. It’s another team tournament where players win points for their group as play continues.

Here’s How to Do It:

1. Set up two teams — A and B. Of course, you can give them fun names if you prefer.
2. Place each member of team A across the net from team B.
3. Set a “stop” target (first to 5 points, for example).
4. Shout “go” to start all the matches.
5. First one to reach 5 points (in this case) shouts “stop”.
6. Players move to the court on their left.
7. And it continues until you run out of time!

5 The Leveler

Finally, we have the leveler which can be completed in one day. It helps make everyone equal because stronger players have to win points to beat their opponent.

Here’s How to Do It:

1. Decide on events (i.e. singles or doubles).
2. Ensure all players know you’re running a leveler score system.
3. Decide the leveler score for everyone (best on 0, weakest on 10).
4. Matches are first to 21 points. Play the best of 3 sets.

We’re sure you can’t wait to give these a go! 

References

– http://www.tennisplayandstay.com/competition/formats/formats.aspx

– https://www.allabouttabletennis.com/competition-and-tournament-systems-of-play.html

– http://www.tennisplayandstay.com/competition/elimination/compass-formats.aspx

– http://www.tennisplayandstay.com/competition/hidden-rotation/stop-format.aspx

– https://www.lta.org.uk/globalassets/officiate–volunteer/documents/organiser–official-resources/support-in-organising-tournamnets/how-to-run-internal-club-competitions.pdf

– https://www.compassdraw.com/about.aspx

Snacks abound: what do you want to be serving at your tennis club?

The key to figuring out exactly how to cater for events can also be difficult. Our advice is to determine what kind of event or party you are hosting and adjusting the menu as appropriate.

For example, if you are having a daytime party full of active tennis activities, you’ll want to prioritize healthier, less bloating snacks so that your guests can enjoy both training and your delicious food. 

If you are not planning to do any activities, and are holding a more refined party, the foods you’ll want to serve will, of course, be different. If you are planning a party in the daytime, we would recommend going back to the origins of tennis and serving a delightful, wholesome, and surprisingly filling British Afternoon Tea.

When planning a fancier fiesta in the evening, an evening of canapés would be the port of call. 

As you can maybe tell, our general recommendations tend to revolve around finger food and stuff that can be grazed upon throughout an event, rather than being gorged upon in one go. Your partygoers (being tennis club members), are likely to be relatively active and health-conscious, so giving them the option to control how much they eat on a granular level will be much appreciated.

First, we will consider what you can serve if you are planning a particularly active party, reviewing the healthiest options for this. 

After that, we will move to consider some more refined options you can serve, including canapés and the classic afternoon tea. 

If you have ever wanted to find out what food to bring to a tennis club party, then read on as we provide a comprehensive breakdown of the different options you have! It will be sure to leave all your guests satisfied, and hopefully raving about the delicious spread provided.  

Cheap, cheerful, and chock full of vitamins

So, let’s say you’ve organized or are attending a day of tennis fun at your tennis club. Of course, you want to provide some food, but want to make sure it is healthy and tasty for when people are taking breaks from games.

Here are some great choices for just that occasion:

Raw vegetables

When used as a snack, a raw savory vegetable/fruit is often referred to as a “crudité“. These can take many forms; we would recommend the following:

• Carrots
• Radishes
• Cauliflower
• Cucumber
• Celery
• Bell pepper (red and yellow in particular)

Homemade Hummus

This is one you might not think to make but is delicious. It is also surprisingly simple to do, and if you create the hummus yourself you can control how fatty (or not) you wish to make it! Hummus requires equal parts chickpeas, tahini, and quantities of olive oil and lemon juice adjusted to texture and taste, all blended up together.

You can also incorporate garlic as well but be careful with the quantities of raw garlic used as it can be exceptionally powerful. If you want a bit of garlic in the hummus, it might be worth roasting it first, as that will temper the harsh raw flavor. 

The Afternoon Tea

The afternoon tea. A staple of British high society, and an outstanding afternoon appetite-quencher. 

The key to a great afternoon tea is finger food. First: the sandwiches. Use a mix of white and brown bread. The types of sandwiches we would recommend for this spread is as follows: 

• Ham and mustard (find an English or Dijon mustard for this if you can – serve on white bread)
• Cream cheese, salmon, and dill (mix the diced dill with the cheese, serve on brown bread) 
• Beef and tomato (use thinly sliced peppered beef and even thinly sliced and salted tomato – brown bread and a light dash of mayonnaise is perfect here)
• Cucumber sandwiches – this one is simple, finely sliced cucumber on some lightly buttered white bread.

Cut these sandwiches into small “fingers” (rectangles) and serve with some scones (and clotted cream/jelly) and some fancy potato chips. Small quiches, tarts, and other such baked delights would work brilliantly too. 

Canapes

Here is the perfect food to bring to an evening tennis club party. The small serving size and huge variety in choice works brilliantly for health-conscious folks, and we have curated a couple of healthier canapé options to fit your club’s demographic.

Cucumber crackers with blue cheese and fruit

Combine thick slices of cucumber with blue cheese, and then alternating blueberries and pomegranates on each. This provides a sweet-savory, low-calorie snack that will blow partygoers away.

Smoked salmon, avocado, and pickled radish oatcakes

Take an oatcake (preferably seeded). Top it with some smashed avocado, a slice of delicate smoked salmon, two pickled radish slices and some freshly cracked black pepper. Consider some lemon juice squeezed on top as well. 

References

– https://www.drugs.com/cg/healthy-snacks-for-athletes.html

– https://www.bucklandmanor.co.uk/dining-drinking/afternoon-tea

– https://afternoontea.co.uk/information/what-is-afternoon-tea/

– https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/healthier-canape-ideas

Tennis COVID-19 Guidelines

Court Access and Facility Guidelines

There are so many things to consider about your facility now that COVID-19 has turned the world upside down. While we’re sure you can think of the main ones, we’ve included some lesser-known rules below to help your club flourish.

• Ensure you have a supply of disposable face masks for people who forget to bring one.
• Ensure people stay 6 feet apart and wear face masks when they’re not actively playing on the court.
• Encourage players to monitor their bodies to ensure they’re in the right state to play.
• Do not allow court access to those without the right PPE.
• Display health and safety signage around the courts and facility (see our handy quick-glance checklists below).
• Put hand sanitizing stations throughout your facility.
• Make sure your ventilation system is working effectively (if you’re inside).
• Remove benches to ensure nobody sits too close. Tell players to bring their own chairs.
• Set the limit for people allowed at the club at one time during these times.

Tennis COVID-19 Guidelines — Game Play

• When players change ends, do so on opposite ends of the net. This avoids walking too close to each other.
• Return balls from other courts without touching them. Use the racquets instead.
• One-to-one coaching is ideal.
• Players should bring their own balls to serve.
• Players should not touch their opponent’s balls with their hands.

Equipment Guidelines

In a perfect world, all the players would bring their own equipment and be hunky-dory. However, we’re fully aware that this does not always happen. Below, you’ll find some ways to limit the risk when situations like this occur. 

• Players shouldn’t be touching coaching equipment.
• Players should bring their own racquets. Where this is not possible, the equipment will be thoroughly sanitized before, during, and after use.
• No one, including coaches, should pick up tennis balls without sanitizing their hands or washing them with soap and water.
• Coaches should avoid sharing equipment with other coaches.
• Only the coaches should clean, disinfect, and sanitize the equipment.
• While water should be supplied, players and coaches should bring their own, full water bottles to the court. This limits touching taps and water fountains.
• Players and coaches should bring their own hand sanitizer.

Tennis COVID-19 Guidelines — Administrative Requirements

The coronavirus has brought new and unrelenting challenges to sports venues and clubs like ours (and yours). We’ve found that our admin team has been incredibly stressed and flooded with extra work thanks to the social distancing regulations.

Thankfully, there is a way to combat this. How we hear you ask? By using an online reservation system!

This nifty plugin makes it easy to plan for increased levels of staff, communicate expectations, stagger your court bookings, provide information to all your members, and so much more. All of these things are more important than ever before so we can work together to stop the spread.

During these unprecedented times, your tennis club does have the power to run smoothly!

Health, Safety, and Hygiene Tennis COVID-19 Guidelines

As a tennis club owner, you should be thinking about how to properly regulate hygiene standards and provide the best cleaning possible. The easiest way to do this (in our opinion) is to employ dedicated cleaning staff who are trained in enhanced cleaning.

This will ensure that your facility has:

• Sanitized high contact surfaces.
• Procedures in place for cleaning uniforms and other training fixtures.
• Used EPA registered disinfectants.
• Been cleaned, disinfected, sanitized, and ventilated properly. The ventilation side of things is less important if you’re playing outdoors.
• Followed all CDC guidelines for using COVID-19 disinfectants. 

The Quick-Glance Tennis Covid-19 Guideline Safety Checklists

While everything we’ve discussed so far is incredibly important, you will need something easy-to-digest and eye-catching to put up in your tennis club and around your courts.

So, use the text below to do just that! We’ve set everything out helpfully in three sections — before play, during play, after play — to encourage adherence.

However, you might also want to put a little paragraph about when not to play as well. Something like this will do:

Do not play if you are showing symptoms of COVID-19 or if you have been in contact with a person who tested positive with COVID-19 in the past 2 weeks. 

Before Play

• Wash your hands with soap for 20 seconds (longer if you can). Alternatively, use hand sanitizer if you can’t access soap and water.
• Bring tissues with you.
• When you’re not playing, make sure all facemask conditions and PPE regulations are followed.
• Use your upper sleeve or a tissue to cough or sneeze into.
• Don’t touch the court gates, fences, or benches if possible.
• Bring a water bottle, already full, with you. This ensures you don’t have to touch the water fountain or taps.
• Arrive as near to your timeslot as possible.

During Play

• Don’t touch other players.
• Stay at least six feet apart from other people.
• Hand washing procedures should be followed when touching tennis balls.
• Use your towel and water bottle only.
• Don’t share food.
• Don’t touch the net.
• When you’re changing ends of the court, keep six feet apart.
• If you’re playing doubles, coordinate with them to adhere to social distancing guidelines.
• Make use of hats, towels, headbands, and wristbands to ensure you don’t touch your face with your hands.
• If you’re playing indoors, you may need to wear a mask.
• If you’re not active on the court, wear your mask over your nose and mouth.

After Play

• Don’t congregate after the match is over.
• Don’t participate in other social activities after it’s over.
• Don’t use the locker or changing room. Instead, use the shower at home.
• Wash your hands with soap and water for 20 seconds (or longer) as soon as you come off the court. If this isn’t possible, use hand sanitizer instead.
• Leave the premises as soon as you’re finished playing.

References

– https://www.brunel.ac.uk/life/sport/facilities/Tennis-Safety-Guidelines-Covid-19

– https://www.usta.com/en/home/stay-current/national/usta-statement-on-safety-of-playing-tennis-during-the-covid-19-v.html

– https://www.usta.com/content/dam/usta/2020-pdfs/USTA_COVID19_PlayingTennisSafely_Players_20201111.pdf

– https://www.usta.com/en/home/stay-current/national/playing-tennis-safely–facility-and-programming-recommendations.html