Remember the Beltloops are for the scout doing their best to learn about the sport or academic activity, and by putting the new techniques to practice with fellow scouts, in their community, or working with an adult.

1. Explain the rules of tennis to your leader or adult partner.

2. Spend at least 30 minutes practicing tennis skills.

3. Participate in a tennis game.

Scoring

• The object of the game of tennis is to hit the ball back and forth over the net within the boundary lines. A point is lost if a player misses the ball, or if he hits it into the net, out of bounds, or after more than one bounce.

• A game consists of at least four points. The player who scores the first point gets "15"; the opponent gets "0," which in tennis is called love. A player who wins two points receives a score of "30"; three points equal "40"; and four points equal "game."

• Always say the server's score first (i.e., if the server scores the first point, the score is "15 - love"; if the server loses the first point, the score is "love - 15").

• Deuce means the score is tied 40 - 40. When the server wins the point after deuce, it is called advantage in. When the receiver wins the point after deuce, it is called advantage out.

• A set is complete when one player has won at least six games and is ahead by two games. If the game score reaches 6 - 6 (also called 6 - all), a tiebreaker game may be played.

• A match is complete when one of the players wins two out of three sets (or three out of five sets in men's championship play).

Playing

• To start a game, the server stands behind the baseline (the line farthest from the net at either end of the court) and serves the ball into the opposite service court. (Service courts are the two marked-off boxes closest to the net on both sides of the net.) The server has two chances for each serve.

• Double Fault is the loss of a point if the server fails to put either of the two serves into the proper service court.

• The receiver has to return the ball over the net on the first bounce and within the boundary lines.

• The same person serves for an entire game. The first serve is always from the right court to the opponent's right court. The next serve is from the left court to the opponent's left court, and so on, alternating courts after each point.

• Players change sides, from one side of the court to the other, whenever the game score adds up to an odd number so that neither player is favored by wind, sun or other factors.