Definitions:

1. All-weather cushioned surface: A sports surface that in a relatively short time period following wet weather, is ready for play. Typically, these surfaces are installed or applied onto a hard court pavement (asphalt or concrete). In geographic areas where winter conditions exist, the courts are ready for play once the snow or ice has thawed. No "dry out" time period, days or weeks, is required as with clay or fast dry or other granular type surfaces.

2. Playing characteristics and playability: Refers to the how a surface affects the ball bounce, speed and deflection, as well as, how a player's footing with regards to starting and stopping (traction and slip) is affected. A surface with consistent playing characteristics and playability provides accurate and predictable ball bounces and allows players to use every shot in their repertoire. Consistent playing characteristics and playability also means that as players begin to chase a shot or attempt to plant their feet, the surface provides accurate and controlled steps beneath the players feet.

3. Traditional acrylic cushion coating products: These products are simply an acrylic latex emulsion fortified with ground tire rubber granules. Acrylic cushion systems provide minimal cushion for players, and perform to their optimum levels when the surface temperatures are high. Thus a player needs to be playing during the hottest part of a sunny day to realize the cushion factor these surfaces provide.

4. Traditional soft courts: These are clay or fast dry, granular surfaces. These surfaces create a situation whereby players must learn to slide to play on these courts. These surfaces provide inconsistent playing characteristics and playability because the granular material piles up in areas of heavy play as a player slides to chase a ball or slides to stop. These surfaces create situations where players could potentially injure themselves due to sliding or slipping and falling.

5. Traditional Soft Court Maintenance: Refers to the time and money related to keeping a traditional soft court (fast dry or clay type, granular surfaces) in proper playing condition. This maintenance includes daily watering, grooming and rolling, in addition to weekly, monthly and annual conditioning efforts to attempt to keep the surface from hardening, as well as the yearly replacement of "dead" material which has lost it's effectiveness.

6. Synthetic, Sand-filled Grass Systems: These are derivatives of astro-turf type products. They are a synthetic grass with sand imbedded to create a sliding situation, in an attempt to mimic traditional soft courts. These products provide no real cushion value for the player. They require maintenance as the traditional soft courts do, and as the court ages and is used, the areas of most use wear out, requiring replacement. When sections are replaced, the court has new areas with different color, quality and performance as compared to older sections. Additionally, if warranty work is required, the court owner pays the expense for labor to repair the court and the material is typically a prorated expense as well.

7. Synthetic sand-filled grass sealed with acrylic products: Systems whereby after synthetic grass is filled with sand, acrylic products are applied creating a non-sliding hard court surface, or so called "cushion" surface. While these systems may cover cracked courts, the cushion or Shock Absortion Value is minimal. Although
these systems are refered to as "cushion" playing surfaces, there are no known International Tennis Federation Shock Absorption Values. Longevity and durability are not known.

8. Plastic Grid: These are products originally developed for use in restroom or locker room facilities to keep athletes feet above bacteria and moisture. These systems have been adapted to sports surface situations, but were not designed and developed to be sports surfaces. They are extremely hard, very slippery when wet and do not provide the appropriate friction necessary to create proper ball performance.

9. Traditional repair or reconstruction methods: These are methods used by the industry to attempt to repair cracks to existing asphalt or concrete hard court pavement. These methods vary from filling cracks and reapplying an acrylic recreational coating product to overlayment with either new asphalt or concrete to total demolition and reconstruction. Because most of these methods require materials to be directly adhered to existing cracks, the repaired areas will crack from the same conditions that caused the original cracks and so they are not a solution. Also, if the method or repair is patching of one manner or another, the court develops a patchwork quilt look where colors do not match. Additionally, once these repairs have been made, the courts are still hard and unforgiving.