Tennis Regular Season

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Regular Season

Practice Regulations 

Practice Regulations.

Practice Regulations - When School is in Session - Individual Sports 

• Eight-Hour Practice Rule – School districts shall adopt policies limiting extracurricular activities from the beginning of the school week through the end of the school week (excluding holidays) by limiting practice outside the school day to a maximum of eight hours per school week per activity.

Practice Regulations - OUTSIDE THE SCHOOL YEAR - INDIVIDUAL SPORTS 

Practice regulations for sports that practice outside of the school year are as follows- 

• The maximum length of any single practice session is three hours. 
• Student-athletes shall not engage in more than five hours of practice activities on those days during which more than one practice is conducted. 
• Schools shall not schedule more than one practice on consecutive days and student-athletes shall not participate in multiple practices on consecutive days. Exception: Volleyball. 
• On days when more than one practice is conducted, there shall be, at a minimum, two hours of rest/recovery time between the end of one practice and the beginning of the next practice.
• What counts towards practice time? Actual on-court practice, sport specific skill instruction, mandatory conditioning, water breaks and rest breaks.
• What doesn’t count? Meetings, weight training*, film study, injury treatment and voluntary conditioning. *Cannot be done during the two-hour rest between the two practices.

Sundays. A League participant school shall not participate in any athletic contest or conduct any practice, or teach any plays, formations, or skills on Sunday.

• Violation. Any showing of films to, or meetings of athletes for the purpose of instructions or reviewing of plays, formations, or skills in any sport will be construed as a violation.
• Coaches Sunday Meetings. This does not prevent coaches from meeting on Sunday or from viewing films or planning an instructional program, provided that no athletes are involved in this meeting.

Contest Scheduling Rules

Contest Scheduling Rules.

The following section combines State Law, State Board of Education regulations, and UIL rules regarding scheduling and participation in a contest.    

• One contest per school week: According to State Board of Education mandates, students may only participate on one day per activity during the school week. School districts shall ensure no more than one contest or performance per activity is scheduled per student. 
• *Exception: Tournaments and post-season competition may be scheduled as an exception to the school week limit. As well, district varsity contests postponed by weather or public disaster, provided that they are rescheduled and played on the next available date, other than Sunday, on which another district match is not scheduled.  Junior varsity, freshman and junior high teams may not play postponed matches as an exception.
  • Junior varsity, freshman and junior high teams may not play postponed matches as an exception. 
  • District varsity games that are postponed by weather or public disaster, and not played on the next available date, shall be rescheduled and played on a date determined by the District Executive Committee, but may not be made up as an exception to the school week limitation.
• TEA and Participation: The Texas Education Agency defines participation as being involved with the activity, traveling with the team, or sitting on the bench. Example:  On a Tuesday night, the student’s name is on the scorebook but she remains on the bench and does not actually enter the game.  This counts as participation for TEA but not UIL, this student would not be able to participate again until after school on Friday, per TEA regulations.
• UIL and Participation: UIL defines participation if a student athlete actually entered the contest as a player. In the example above, the contest does not count as one of the allowable games as determined by UIL policy.

Definitions:

• Calendar week means 12:01 a.m. on Sunday through midnight on Saturday. 
• School week means the week beginning at 12:01 a.m. on the first instructional day of a calendar week and ends at the close of instruction on the last instructional day of the calendar week, excluding holidays. 
• Post-district play means competition in UIL playoff series or contests such as bi-district, area, regional, etc.

Allowable Contests

Number of Tennis Tournaments Allowed (team tennis plus individual tennis)
No student or team representing a member school shall participate in more than eight tournaments (total for tennis and team tennis combined) during the school year, excluding one district tennis tournament, the regional tournaments and the state tournament. Note: The team tennis district tournament counts as one of the eight allowable tournaments if school time is lost.

Scrimmage
For the purposes of UIL Team Tennis and Individual Tennis there is no such thing as a scrimmage. Any competition between students of different schools is a match and must be counted as such. Therefore, subject to the one match per school week limitation and all eligibility rules.

Divisions

Conferences
Participating schools shall be divided into conferences according to UIL spring meet alignments.

Divisions:

• There shall be the following boys' and girls' divisions in the respective conferences:
  • High school boys' singles and doubles
  • High school girls' singles and doubles
  • Mixed doubles
• Entries: At the district meet each school may enter two boys’ singles and two girls’ singles, two boys’ doubles teams and two girls’ doubles teams, and two mixed doubles teams.
• Girls’ and boys’ team restrictions: No girls’ team shall compete against boys’ teams and vice versa.

Tennis Regulations

Official Rules
The United States Tennis Association rules shall be used in all League matches with exceptions as noted in this section.

Weather Cancellation or Continuation
A tournament postponed or canceled by weather is considered a tournament when all semi-final matches have been completed. The remaining matches may be played at a later date (preferably Monday or Tuesday of the next week) without it counting as another tournament, provided there is no loss of school time. When all semi-final matches have not been completed, the tournament director has three options:

• The tournament may be canceled and not count as a tournament for the individual or the school.
• The tournament may be continued, provided there is no additional loss of schooltime.
• The tournament may be continued with loss of school time and shall count as two tournaments.

Awards
High school participants may receive a trophy, medal, patch or other symbolic award for participating in an invitational athletic contest, if it is given by the organization conducting the contest or competition.

Videotaping/Filming
Non-Conference and District Contest

• Videotaping/Filming by Schools: It is a violation to film or videotape a non-conference or district athletic contest in which your school or team is not competing unless prior consent of the two schools involved has been obtained.
• A school does not have to obtain permission to film or tape a NON-CONFERENCE OR DISTRICT contest in which it is competing. However, the film or videotape shall not be utilized until after the contest has been completed.
• Films and videotapes become the property of the school doing the filming unless by district rule or by consent of the schools involved in the contest.
• Videotaping/Filming by Individuals: Any individual (other than the officially designated school camera) taping or filming must have prior permission from the schools involved in the contest and may not obstruct the view of other spectators of the contest.
• Commercial Uses: Use of the films or tapes for commercial purposes must be approved by all schools involved in the contest.

Number of Matches and Sets

In all boys’ and girls’ matches in the district, regional and state contests, the best two out of three sets shall determine the winners. A contestant or team shall not play more than three matches per day and there shall be a minimum of one hour’s rest for a team or player between the close of one match and the beginning of another. This rule shall apply only to contests which count on League standing for individual tennis or mixed doubles.

Participation Limits

A boy or girl shall not be allowed to compete in both singles and doubles or mixed doubles, or in both doubles and mixed doubles for spring meet tennis. This rule shall apply only to contests which count on League standing.

Coaching 

​Number of Coaches Allowed
A maximum of 3 coaches may coach the team during a team match.

Appropriate Timing of Coaching
Coaches are allowed to coach between points and in breaks of play.

Protocols of Coaches On Court

• Coaches may coach from on court but must be at or around the net post or bench area (specifically between the net post and half way down the service box). Only one coach may be on any one court at a time.
• Coaches should refrain from moving around during points and distracting players and/or disrupting continuous play.
• Coaches may move from court to court as long as it is between points and does not disrupt continuous play on any court.

Protocols of Coaches Off Court

• No coaching is allowed when inside the court area unless at or around the net post or bench area.
• Coaching is allowed if the coach is outside the court area as long as it is between points, in any breaks of play, and does not interfere with continuous play on any court.
• Coaches may encourage their kids while on court. Coaches are responsible for proper court etiquette.

Opposing Players

• Coaches shall not initiate conversation with an opposing player.
• Coaches shall not inject themselves in any on court problem unless the opposing coach is also present.
• Players shall not initiate conversation with an opposing coach.