Blind & adaptive tennis
READY-YES-PLAY
Sound-adapted tennis is a real, competitive, and international sport. Adaptations are made to the size of the court, the audible foam ball, and to the number of bounces players are allowed. Very few coaches in Houston specialize in blind and low vision tennis, but Coach Bec offers free clinics in Houston, as well as offering private lessons. Loss of sight, doesn't mean loss of vision. If your sight has gone or is limited, there are still so many possibilities out there for you! Call Bec for more information and for details on upcoming free clinics.
The equipment
What makes the game work
Bec brings all of it. You need court shoes and nothing else.
A ball you can hear
A foam ball with a rattle sealed inside. It moves slower, bounces higher, and tells you where it is the whole way.
Lines you can feel
Raised tactile tape along every line, so you can find your position with a foot instead of a guess.
A court that fits the game
A badminton-sized court with a lower net. Shorter distances, longer rallies, more tennis.
Sound cues, not shouted instructions
Clear verbal signals for serve and score, agreed with you before you start. Guides and family are coached too.
Classifications
Four classes, one sport
Players are grouped by functional vision so that matches are fair. Bec coaches all four, and will help you work out where you sit.
B1
No functional vision
Three bounces allowed. Players wear eyeshades so the class is equal.
B2
Very low vision
Three bounces allowed, played on the smallest court.
B3
Low vision
Two bounces allowed, on a slightly larger court.
B4
Partial sight
One bounce, closest to the standard game.
Also coached here
Wheelchair and standing adaptive tennis
Two bounces, the same court, and chair skills coached alongside strokes. Homer Ford Tennis Center has accessible courts and space to work, and Bec teaches there weekly. Standing adaptive players — limb difference, amputation, neurological conditions — are welcome in every program on this site.
Getting started
What the first session looks like
- Talk first. Ten minutes off court about what you can see, what you want, and what has gone badly with coaches before.
- Walk the court. Feel the lines, the net, the service box. Orientation before tennis.
- Rally on day one. Nobody leaves a first session without having hit a ball back.
Bring your questions, not your equipment
Bec has the balls, the tape, and the time. Sliding-scale pricing is available and you never have to explain why.