You haven’t played tennis since P.E. in elementary school, but
you’ve been thinking about giving it a shot again.
You haven’t played tennis since P.E. in elementary school, but you’ve been thinking about giving it a shot again. Worried about how to get started? Local tennis junkies weigh in to help beginners feel like they can take their place on a court and not completely humiliate themselves.
Get the Moves Down
The first step in taking up any sport is learning how to play (duh).
Gilroy: Marcus Hughes or Ann Bardrick, both reachable through the Gilroy Tennis Club. Visit www.gilroytennisclub.com.
Morgan Hill: Chris and Jennifer Yoder, available at through the Gilroy Tennis Club or Mike Myers, available through the Gilroy and Morgan Hill Parks & Recreation departments.
Hollister: Eric Fortes at the Ridgemark Tennis Club.
Practice Makes Perfect
Need a place to whack a ball around? The South Valley is a tennis-friendly place.
Gilroy: Las Animas Veterans Park, El Roble Park, Gilroy High School, Gavilan College.
Morgan Hill: Community Park, Live Oak and Sobrato high schools.
Hollister: San Benito High School, Dunn Park, Ridgemark Tennis Club.
Ridgemark Tennis Club’s director, Chris Yoder, recommends taking advantage of backboards, available at all the high schools, Las Animas Veterans Park and Dunn Park. They help beginners get the best practice.
Get Equipped
Aside from the ball and racket, shoes are the most important piece of equipment in tennis, said Gilroy Tennis Club’s president, Eileen Obata. When buying shoes, the shoe box must specifically say that they are for tennis – not running, walking or anything else. Tennis shoes are available at most athletic shops, at Ridgemark Tennis Club and at specialty shops, such as Tennis Anywhere in Los Gatos.
Before beginners take on regular tennis balls, which are lightening fast, training balls are on the market that are good to start with, Yoder said. One kind is oversized and slower, so they are easier to follow. Another is the same size as a regular tennis ball, but it’s pressureless and, therefore, slower. After using the balls for beginners it’s easy to graduate to regular tennis balls.
The lightest, most user-friendly rackets are made of graphite, but beginners can start out with just about anything that’s comfortable. Rackets can range anywhere from $90-$300.
Dress the Part
Shoes: Remember, tennis shoes only!
Hats: Dri-Fit hats are made from special materials that wick away moisture and help keep you cool. Hats are good for keeping sweat, hair and the sun out of a player’s eyes.
Shirts: Regular T-shirts are fine, but many players prefer tops made of specialty material designed to wick away moisture, similar to Dri-Fit hats.
Bottoms: Whether a player is in shorts, a skirt, shorts, tennis dresses or warm-up pants, the most important thing is to have enough room for the extra ball. All players should begin with two balls, Obata said. It’s rude to stop play to chase after a ball that went out of bounds. Instead, players switch to the spare ball. This can be kept in a pocket or in special tennis underwear women wear under their skirt or dress. It’s designed with a special tennis ball pocket. Warm-up pants typically have zippers near the feet holes so they can be unzipped and pulled off over shoes if the weather warms up enough for the shorts worn underneath.
Talk the Talk
Love: Means zero. If the score is Love-Love, it’s zero-zero.
Game: The end of play after someone earns three points.
Set: The end of play after someone wins six gains by a margin of two points at each game.
Match: The end of play after one player has won two out of three sets.
Fault: When the ball hits the net, goes out of bounds, or gets past the other player during a serve.
Ace: When someone hits a serve that the other player has no chance of returning.
Unforced Error: A silly mistake made generally without reason.
Rallying: Two players hitting a ball back and forth.
Ad in: One fault away from winning.
Ad out: One fault away from losing.
Deuce: Means two players are tied.
One thing we can’t explain to you is why 1 point equals 15 after one round of play, 2 points is 30 after the second round and the 3 points is 40 after the third round. We therefore charge our local tennis instructors with this very complicated task.
Join the Club
The Gilroy Tennis Club is the only club in the South Valley. Members include residents from San Jose, Morgan Hill, San Martin, Gilroy and Hollister. Please visit www.gilroytennisclub.com for league, dues and tournament information. Upcoming tennis events include a mixed doubles match on April 14 and a mixed doubles mixer on May 4. Also check out the U.S. Tennis Association’s Web site, www.usta.com, for more tennis information.
