FAQ

| | | | | | FAQ | |

		? Frequently Asked Questions



		Q - Am I too late to join the BMTA? A - No. You can join at any time. Q - Is the BMTA for men and women? A - Yes, it is mixed. Q - Are there any age limits? A - None whatsoever. Q - What is the cost to become a member? A - Absolutely nothing. Q - Do I have to be a musician? A - Although the BMTA has been set up for musicians, friends of current members are welcome. Often, taking a few lessons on the Bavarian nose flute will be enough to get you in. Q - Do I have to live in Bristol to become a member? A - No, but as most of the members do, you will have to be prepared to travel to Bristol to play your matches unless you can persuade every player you play against to travel to your neck of the woods. (unlikely!?) Q - I don't have a computer - will I need one? A - Not much of a problem. You can challenge other players by phone instead of email (and be challenged by phone) but will only be able to see the current ladder table results by visiting this website. Q - Do I need a tennis racket? A - Do I have to answer that? A friend of mine bought a new racket the other day for £7 and he seemed happy with it. You can always upgrade at a later date. For tips on buying your first racket, visit the Improve your Playing page. Q - Surely it will be too cold to play in the winter!? A - Perhaps on very cold and wet days, but it will lovely and warm in the indoor courts. See ' Where To Play' for details. You can also play in the evenings as these places are usually open until about 10pm. Q- Isn't it really expensive to play indoors? A - Not really. If, for example, you play at Clifton College Sports Ground, the cost would be approximately £4 after splitting the cost with the person you play. Q - Is the challenge ladder for singles only? A - At the moment there is only a singles challenge ladder. A doubles ladder may be introduced at a later date. Q - Why not have separate challenge ladders for men and women? A - The idea is that regardless of sex or age, a good game of tennis is quite likely if you challenge players who have a similar ranking to yourself. Q - I know there's a ladder but are there any tournaments? A- Yes. See the Tournaments page for more information. Q - Who do I play? A - You can play whoever you choose to challenge regardless what division you and your opponent are in. Have a look at the BMTA Challenge Ladder Rules for all the information you will need. You will also play your tournament opponents - details of these matches will be emailed to you. Q - How do I contact the other members to arrange my matches? A - If you are a member, click on "Request Member List" from the homepage (left hand side) and enter your email address. The most up-to-date list will be emailed to you immediately. Q - What is the minimum amount I can play? A - Players that have not played a single match in two months risk losing their membership. Q - What's the most I can play? A - For ladder matches, a maximum of two matches per week can be played. See the BMTA Ladder Rules for more about this. Q - Is it possible to win the BMTA Challenge ladder? A - No. The ladder is an ongoing competition that gives players a ranking based on their match results. These rankings are used to split the players into two divisions for the BMTA tournaments. It is always good fun to try and get to the top of the ladder and stay there! Q - How do I get to play in a tournament? A - All members get the chance to play in two tournaments a year - The BMTA WIMBLEDON Tournament and the BMTA AUSTRALIAN OPEN Tournament. Both of these tournaments have two divisions (Division 1 and Division 2). Which division you compete in depends on which division you are in on the ladder when the tournaments commence. Q - Will I have to play in the tournaments? A - No. You can just play in the ladder if you wish - just opt out of any tournament by email when you are invited to play in one. Q - Do I have to wear any special clothes to play? A - You can wear whatever you want although some sports/tennis centres may require shoes without black soles. (Although not advised, you would probably get away with it if your shoes are white on top). Q- I need some help with my playing. Who do you recommend for private lessons? A - Why not try the BMTA coach. Friendly, one-to-one tuition for complete beginners through to advanced players. Q - I don't know many of the members - how do I know who would be a good player for me to challenge? A - The match results can be reached from the homepage or from the BMTA Challenge Ladder page - these are very useful for getting an idea of a player's level. Also, you could email a member and enquire about their level before you challenge them. Q - I have a question that is not answered here. What can you do to help? A - Send me an email and I will update this page with the answer. www.bmta.info