In The Swing Of Things

Competitive wheelchair tennis player Corey Blatchford  (Tennis Canada)

If you're looking for a wheelchair sport that combines fast action and the great outdoors, tennis might be just what you’re looking for.

Wheelchair tennis was started just over three decades ago. In January of 1976, 18-year-old American Brad Parks was injured while taking a warm-up jump in a skiing competition. The accident left him paraplegic.

Parks began investigating what activities were available to wheelchair users. He read an article about Jeff Minnenbraker, an athlete who had been playing tennis in a wheelchair using a chair he’d built himself, and Parks did some experimenting on his own.

Soon afterwards, during a checkup at a hospital, Parks found out that the recreation therapist there was none other than Minnenbraker. Minnenbraker gave Parks some lessons and helped him build a sports wheelchair to improve his mobility on the court.

Parks and Minnenbraker began promoting wheelchair tennis through a series of exhibitions. The sport caught on quickly in California and eventually spread to the rest of the world.

Now, people of all ages play recreationally and competitively, the sport is overseen by national and international federations, and there are hundreds of tournaments around the globe annually. In 1992, wheelchair tennis debuted at the Barcelona Paralympic Games.

It is estimated that 200 to 300 Canadians play the sport, and there is plenty of room for growth. “The two major benefits of wheelchair tennis are social and physical,” says Séverine Tamborero, national coach/manager of wheelchair tennis for Tennis Canada. She says that people enjoy meeting and learning from other players with disabilities, and competitive wheelchair tennis also offers opportunities to travel in Canada and internationally.

The sport pushes players to use their upper-body strength, and chasing after the ball helps improve cardiovascular health and mobility. “Mobility is 80 percent of wheelchair tennis,” says Tamborero. “After that it’s really a question of having a good reaction to the ball, setting yourself up to hit the ball, and then moving back.”

With regular practice, players also develop their strategy skills and learn to outwit their opponents. “It’s really a mind and body experience,” says Tamborero. “It’s really good for someone who wants to be active.”

Wheelchair tennis is played on regular tennis courts using the same racquets and balls as the traditional game. The only change to the rules is that the ball can bounce twice instead of once (the second bounce can be inside or outside court boundaries) before a player returns it to the other side.

To score a point, players hit the ball with their racquet so that it lands in the opponent’s court and the opponent can’t hit it back. There are various ways to lose points, such as using any part of the lower extremities as brakes or stabilizers while turning, stopping, or serving or returning the ball, or not keeping one buttock in contact with the seat when in contact with the ball. In a tournament, the winner of a match is the athlete who wins four sets of six games each.

Players can use tape to fasten the tennis racquet to their hands and ensure a specific grip. A strap/ seatbelt is recommended to protect players from falling out of their chair. “As with any wheelchair sport, the purpose is to be one with the chair,” says Tamborero. “You will use both hands to push the chair, using the palm of your racquet hand. When you let go, at the last part of the push motion, you’re preparing to set yourself up to hit the ball.”

Wheelchair tennis is a fun activity to share with friends and family, since you can play with non-wheelchair users. (Some facilities also offer progressive wheelchair tennis programs for children, played on smaller courts with kid-friendly balls and smaller racquets over mini-nets.)

You can play in your regular wheelchair or rent a tennis chair, which is lighter, at a rehabilitation centre or tennis club. A good racquet costs $200 to $300. Depending on where you play, you may have to pay for a club membership (fees vary), or you can look for free and low-cost public courts. Serious and competitive players will likely want to invest in their own tennis chair ($2,000 to $3,500). It can help improve speed and balance, and allows for faster pivoting.

There are more than 20 wheelchair tennis tournaments in Canada each year, including national and regional championships. The largest is the Canadian Open Wheelchair Tennis Tournament.

To compete in tournaments, a player must have a permanent physical disability that results in a substantial or total loss of function in one or both lower extremities that prevents him or her from covering the tennis court with adequate speed in a traditional game of tennis. Examples of disabilities that meet the criteria include paralysis, amputation, and limb shortening that interferes with functioning. A quadriplegic player is one who meets the criteria for permanent physical disability in at least three extremities.

If you want to take your game to the next level by finding a coach or getting into competitions, Tamborero suggests that you inquire at provincial wheelchair sports associations and rehabilitation centres. “There are many opportunities for serious players, such as training camps, tournaments and travel.”

If you’re ready to get into the swing of things, check out “It’s Your Turn!” (below) to learn how to get started.

Mary Syrett is a freelance writer who lives in Cary, North Carolina. Jaclyn Law is the managing editor of Abilities. For more fitness articles, please visit www.abilities.ca.