This system was built on my many years of experience as a junior and college tennis player.  I competitively played tennis throughout high school, college and beyond.  Over the years, I have participated in tournaments in the role of competitor, club pro and director of tennis, club owner, tournament director, referee, event planner, and a father of junior and adult tennis players.  I have also personally worked with over 100 sectional and nationally ranked junior players.
 
 Many players use tournaments as their primary conduit for testing their skill set and playing against other players who will challenge them to improve..  Players of all ages and skill levels expect to enter a tournament to prove themselves, improve their game, and feel that the entire experience was worth the time and money it took to play.
 
 Unfortunately, I began to realize long ago that the majority of tournaments and organized tennis events do not speak to those desired areas, and instead limit the amount of development a player can receive from tournament play..  That is a significant problem-after all, when I used to enter tournaments as a competitive player, one of the primary reasons I entered was to improve my skill level, but what I usually got instead was frustration.  
 
 During my teenage years and early twenties, I played in 200 to 300 collegiate and tournament matches per year.  I found that most matches were simply not challenging; therefore, they were not a productive investment of my time and money, and they did not lead to any significant improvement in my game.
 
 I still continued to play in as many tournaments as I could, driving as much as three to four hours one way in order to participate.  

     The tournament director has the right to move a player to a different level if necessary for the players development and the quality of the draw (good matches for all players).


LEVEL I
~  Usually ages 6 to 11 years old, and/or individuals who have limited or no tennis tournament and match play experience. 
~  Should know how to keep score most of the time.
~  Expected to call out loud the game score before serving each point.
~  Know the boundaries of the lines for singles play and call out loud if the ball lands out on their side of the net.
~  Able to make 30 to 50 percent of their serves in the appropriate box.
~  Able to rally 2 or more times over the net in a practice session.  
~  Know how to start a match by spinning the racquet and choosing options.
~  This level may use a modified ball and court.  Check with the tournament director for more information.

LEVEL II
~  Usually ages 8 to 13, and/or someone who has had some success in Level I by winning some flights.
~  Able to keep track of the score and call lines on their side of the net by verbally calling out loud or make a physical gesture (i.e. Pointing after the ball lands out).
~  Basic understanding of the rules of tennis and tennis etiquette.  Able to make 50 percent or more of their serves in the appropriate box.
~  Able to rally 4 or more times over the net in a practice session.
~  This level may use a modified ball and court.  Check with the tournament director for more information.

LEVEL III
~  Usually ages 9 to 16, and/or someone who has had some success in Level II by winning some flights.
~  May be on or have participated on the middle school or a freshman tennis team at a high school level.
~  May have played in school matches and/or other tournaments.
~  Can volley at the net, execute overheads, lobs, and can change the speed of the ball by design.

LEVEL IV
~  Usually ages 10 to 17, and/or someone who has had some success in Level III by winning some flights.
~  May play or have participated on a middle school and/or high school tennis team and/or other tournaments.
~  Working on and implementing spin of the ball and two-shot combination plays in match play.
~  Beginning to direct the flow of the point and developing some weapons, able to concentrate for longer periods of time and winning points against stronger opponents.

LEVEL V
~  Players must be 12 to 18, and/or someone who has had  success in level IV by winning flights.
~  May play or have participated on a high school varsity tennis team in the past 12 months.
~  May play or have played in 3 or more USTA junior tournaments.

OPEN LEVEL
~  Players must be 12 to 18, and/or someone who has had success in level V by winning flights.