Sound guides blind tennis players

The state-supported campus in Fremont is one of three American schools for the blind that recently began teaching adapted tennis, which was invented in Japan in the 1980s. A nonprofit group called Tennis Serves is working to promote the sport throughout the U.S. Players use a foam ball filled with metal beads that rattle on impact, allowing them to locate the ball when it hits the ground or racket. Once served, they have to return the ball before it bounces three times.

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  1. In this photo taken Oct. 16, 2012, Austin Benavidez, who is blind, practices his tennis serve using an oversized ball filled with ball bearings at the California School for the Blind in Fremont, Calif
  2. In this photo taken Oct. 16, 2012, Austin Benavidez, who is blind, returns a volley using an oversized ball filled with ball bearings at the California School for the Blind in Fremont, Calif. Students
  3. In this photo taken Oct. 16, 2012, an oversized tennis ball filled with ball bearings is displayed at the California School for the Blind in Fremont, Calif. Students at the school are learning to play

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1 - 3 of 3
PrevNext
  1. In this photo taken Oct. 16, 2012, Austin Benavidez, who is blind, practices his tennis serve using an oversized ball filled with ball bearings at the California School for the Blind in Fremont, Calif
  2. In this photo taken Oct. 16, 2012, Austin Benavidez, who is blind, returns a volley using an oversized ball filled with ball bearings at the California School for the Blind in Fremont, Calif. Students
  3. In this photo taken Oct. 16, 2012, an oversized tennis ball filled with ball bearings is displayed at the California School for the Blind in Fremont, Calif. Students at the school are learning to play