SCIENCE CONCEPT:
- Court surfaces can be made of all types of materials:
two kinds of clay, either red or green clay, grass, wood, and hardcourts
which are the most common in the United States, made of asphalt or
concrete. Hard courts are finished with latex paint mixed with varying
amounts of sand or other hard particles, which give them the gritty feel.
There are no stringent rules concerning the surface of a tennis court.
In the early days of professional tennis, the players brought their own
canvas court from city to city. This canvas was stretched over any
level, hard surfaces. In India, courts are even made from hard packed
cow dung! The court should be level and smooth, but there are not other
specified rules about the surface. All courts have their own playing
characteristics and play 'fast' or 'slow' with either lower or higher
bounces.
STUDENT OBJECTIVE:
- The student will investigate the various types of
surfaces of courts and how they effect the bounce of the ball - making it
either a 'slow' court or a 'fast' court.
OVERVIEW:
- The student will hit the tennis ball on various types of court
surfaces and determine what courts become 'slow' and which courts become
'fast' during play.
TEACHER TEXT:
- Grass courts, wood courts and slick cement or asphalt
courts are the fastest. The lines that border the court - the baselines
and sidelines also affect the play of the ball when it bounces. The paint
that is used to make the lines of the clay court is usually 3 inches
thick and has a real affect on the type of bounce the ball makes.
Two adjacent courts with the same surface can have
individual characteristics that affect one's play. For example, when the
U.S. Open was first played many players reported that the stadium court
at the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadow, New York was
faster than the outside courts. All the courts, however, had the same
cushioned surface.
The surface on which a player competes does have an impact
on their game. At various matches during a year a tennis player may play
on two or three different surfaces. Their are five general types of
court surfaces which can be categorized by
playing features, instead of their methods of construction. Some
surfaces may fall between groups with characteristics of each. These are
the category headings that are most commonly used. 1. Clay-type granular
or composition courts.
2. Hard courts made of cement and asphalt. They are usually plain and
with a painted surface. 3. Cushioned courts which are built with
resilient layer over a base of cement or asphalt. 4. Grass courts and
5. Special indoor surfaces made from synthetic materials.
Remember, each of the court surfaces has its benefits and
downsides. Adjusting to the various surfaces when hitting the ball is
the emphasis of concentration that the player needs to focus on. When
the ball bounces on the court its horizontal speed is usually reduced by
its interaction with the court surface. If the ball slows down a great
deal upon bouncing, the court is slow. A fast court does not affect the
ball's horizontal speed nearly as much.
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PREPARATION TIME:
- 20 minutes.
LESSON TIME:
- 60 - 90 minutes.
TEACHER PREP:
- Gather materials
WORDS TO KNOW:
- 'slow' court
- 'fast' court
- clay court
- hard court
- grass court
- composition court
- cushioned court
- synthetic court (indoor surface)
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