How to Stop Bad Behavior on a Tennis Court

Bad sportsmanship makes an event less enjoyable for everyone participating. In addition, bad sportsmanship often leads to distraction and poor performance on the court. In a game such as tennis, where so much of the success depends upon focus and concentration, bad behavior creates unnecessary distractions and more unforced errors. If you are in charge of managing a tennis league or court, there are several steps you can take to stop bad behavior on your court.

Instructions

  1. How to Stop Bad Behavior on a Tennis Court

    • 1

      Require participants in a tennis league to sign an agreement that they will abide by all league conduct rules. Listing rules and expectations for participants is helpful in communicating your expectations for participants. Having participants sign an agreement form removes some excuses for unacceptable behavior.

    • 2

      Suspend repeat offenders. If violators are suspended for repeat violations of the league's conduct policy, this will positively influence their future behavior and warn other participants in the league. Forcing repeat offenders to forfeit matches and pay fines are other alternatives.

    • 3

      Reward good behavior. One of the best deterrents you can provide to bad behavior is to reward good behavior. Provide those with a track record of good behavior with preference in schedule times and scheduling locations. If you operate multiple courts and a league with multiple time periods, giving participants with good behavior records the best courts and the best times is a tangible way of rewarding good behavior.

    • 4

      Ban repeat offenders from participating in post-season play, tournaments or in next year's league. This is the strongest response to bad behavior, so it is best saved for repeated and flagrant offenders. An extreme move such as this makes everyone's behavior improve because it removes the offender's negative influence.