Tennis Outlet FAQ’s: Tennis Uniforms and Equipment

Each year we receive new calls from athletic directors and middle school, high school, and college coaches across the US inquiring about our team tennis uniforms and equipment. We proudly serve the junior tennis community, providing everything from custom team uniforms, to ball machines, to nets and racquets. With more than a decade of experience, we have what you need, or we can get it.

Most of the coaches we serve come back year after year because they get best in industry service from an equipment provider who specializes in tennis. Unlike some of our competitors, we focus specifically on the needs of coaches, parents, and those who play tennis in school.

Many of the questions we answer are the same each year, so we thought we would take a moment to answer some of the more common questions in this post.

What Teams Do You Serve?

We serve tennis teams at every level from middle school to college.

What Types Of Custom Team Uniforms Do You Offer?

We provide custom team uniforms that feature either custom embroidery or screen printing. Although the process for each of these options is very similar, for embroidered items there is an additional charge of $7 per item. This cost is added to clothing item costs. In addition, if you would like to digitize your logo for use later on, we can do this with a simple one time set up fee of just $60.

For screen printing, it depends on how many colors you would like to have on the print, and the number of items ordered. For specific questions please feel free to call us for a direct quote.

In order to get custom team tennis wear, just follow the process below:

1. Choose the item you would like customized.
2. Choose the custom design and or logo for your team.
3. Choose the size of the logo or print and its placement (where on the uniform it should go).
4. Contact us at 1-806-687-4112 to place your order.

Please note we ask for a minimum order of 12 items for a custom order, whether it’s for screen printing or custom embroidered uniforms.

Do you do custom team stores?

Yes, we are happy to set up custom team stores for coaches and AD’s we serve. In some cases, a team store is set up in situations where the budget does not allow the school to provide the uniforms or equipment. Other situations where we might set up a custom team store include:

• Parents want the opportunity to show support for the school by purchasing school logo wear
• The parents want their child to have an additional tennis uniform
• Or the school wants to use the team store as a fundraising tool

In order to set up a custom team store, the coach will select a group of items in each category (uniform top, bottom, bag, etc.) that his players are allowed to choose from. Once the coach has selected the items they want their team to be able to choose from, we create a custom link. The link is then live for a set window of time to allow for completion of the process. The player and/or parents sit down and pick the items they like from the available options. The parents then pay for the uniforms at checkout.

Can We Do Fund A Raiser Through Team Stores?

Yes, we can help with fundraising through the custom team stores. In the setup process above, we will add a specific amount to each item and then the total fundraising amount collected over the uniform totals will be credited back to the school.

What Type Of Net Do I Need For My Location?

We get questions about the durability of nets in cold weather and snowy situations from Athletic Directors and coaches in the Northern United States. Tennis Outlet proudly carries Edwards nets with vinyl or polyester headbands to accommodate courts in a wide variety of climates. Usually, nets with polyester headbands are better in very cold climates, and nets with vinyl headbands are better in warmer climates.

What Type Of Racquet Is Best For Young Players?

This question, along with questions about nets, usually comes from multi-sport coaches or ADs looking to buy equipment for their juniors teams. Because they are not specifically a tennis team coach, they look for some guidance on the best types of equipment to purchase for their school. For specific answers to these questions, please see our thorough articles on each topic.

Have another question? We’d love to hear from you. Give us a call and let us help you get the answers you need.

Ultimate Guide to Tennis Nets for Schools

Selecting a net for your tennis court doesn’t have to be confusing, although the lack of clarity of standards in nets can sometimes make apples to apples comparisons difficult. We can, however, turn to the International Tennis Federation or ITF for guidance about certain standards. We will highlight these in each section below. Here, we’d like to provide you with a quick guide to nets to help you decide which net will be best for you and your school team.

The good news is there are only a few factors that need consideration when deciding on nets for your school’s court. Because climate can have an impact on the longevity of a net, it does weigh into these decisions.

We carry or can get a full line of nets in our store, but our focus here is on nets made by one of the industry’s best net makers. Edwards has a rich history of making nets for tennis courts going back to 1884. We proudly feature them on our site. However, if you have other interest, please call our store so we can find the right net for you.

So, let’s begin with the three primary factors you should consider when deciding on a net. They are net size, type of headband, and braiding. Let’s take a look at each one in order.

Size of the Net

Usually, it’s best to practice on the same courts on which your teams will have tournaments. Most US schools utilize the hard doubles court (with singles court lines drawn inside the doubles sidelines). The standards set forth by the ITF mentioned above are that doubles courts shall be 36’ wide and that the posts supporting the net shall be 3’ outside of the sidelines. This gives us a net length of 42’. The standard for height is 3’6” at the post. In order to be consistent with the ITF regulations, the net must maintain 3’ in the center (sag of 6” or less).

As it is the most common size in use for schools across the United States, we focus on selling 42’ nets.

Type of Headband

Tennis headbands can be polyester, canvas, or vinyl. Each of the different types of material performs better in certain conditions and on certain court types. They break down as follows:

• Vinyl headbands are better for use on clay or soft courts. Dirt from the clay can stick to canvas and polyester headbands and be difficult to clean. However, vinyl headbands do not perform as well in cold weather situations. They are more prone to crack and break down, shortening their useful life on the court.
• Canvas headbands hold up and last longer in cold weather, but they are less ideal on soft courts. They absorb dirt and grime from the court and can be difficult to clean.
• Polyester headbands are a good middle choice for both soft and hard courts, as they can hold up better than vinyl in cold weather, and are easier to clean than canvas on a soft court.

Since most schools have hard courts, keeping the headband clean is less of an issue. With this in mind, climate is a factor worth considering.

So, canvas and polyester headbands are better in colder climates. Vinyl headbands begin to crack and show wear much earlier than their polyester counterparts. However, in warmer climates, it is more common to see vinyl headbands in use by schools.

Net Body and Braiding

Three factors for consideration surrounding the net body itself are the braiding, the size of the cord and the number of rows of extra stitching at the top of the net. The best nets are made of polyethylene and polyester. These materials enable the net to resist weathering caused by the sun’s UV radiation.

• Braided cord nets are preferred over twisted cord because the braided nets are stronger, last longer and absorb more energy. By absorbing more energy, the ball has less bounce off the net.
• Cords come in various sizes ranging from 2mm to 3.5mm. Larger cords are more durable and have a longer life. The nets we sell and recommend come in 3mm and 3.5mm sizes.
• Some nets come with between 4 and 7 rows of extra stitching at the top of the net. This extra stitching provides extra protection for the part of the net that gets the most wear and tear. Both our Edwards 40LS and 30LS have five rows of double center mesh netting.

So thicker cords, with extra rows of protection at the top, are the most durable and will provide the longest life. The top of the line Edwards nets we carry come with a 5-year limited warranty.

We take great pride in helping our customers assess these factors and make an informed decision about what type of net will best serve their needs.

Have questions? We have answers. Call 806-687-4112 today and let our skilled staff help you.