COEUR d'ALENE - Balls bounced, rackets swung and wheels rolled Thursday on the Lake City High School tennis courts.

Varsity Tennis Coach Tim Scott, a double-amputee who plays tennis from a rolling chair himself, had four of his able-bodied players complete the day's two-hour practice while seated in wheelchairs.

"It's an entirely new perspective," said 14-year-old incoming freshman Kyler Little.

Scott, 54, has coached tennis at Lake City for five years. He has also coached youth league teams in the area. He views his disability as an advantage.

"I have a very unique opportunity to motivate people with the way I'm made," he said.

Putting the players in chairs provided a cultural experience, Scott said, but there were also some skills they could especially hone while maneuvering on wheels.

"They can see the importance of preparation. They have to anticipate a little quicker," Scott said.

That's what gave incoming senior Matt Finney, 17, the most trouble. He quickly learned he had to pay even more attention to the ball than he normally does.

"It slows you down," said Jordan Cates, 15.

Dylan Thomas, another incoming senior, said playing while in the chair wasn't easy, but it was fun.

"I have a newfound respect for our coach," said Thomas, 18.

Scott borrowed some wheelchairs from a friend, and brought an extra chair of his own to Thursday's practice session.

Before losing his left leg and arm in March 1990, Scott was athletic, but he had never played tennis.

He began playing 11 years ago, really diving in after moving to Coeur d'Alene from Colorado.

"For me, it wasn't about overcoming what I had lost, it was about rediscovering my abilities," he said.

He considers himself self-taught. He went to a lot of United States Tennis Association conventions and watched a lot of tennis on television.

Through the years, he has spoken to numerous USTA professionals about coaching.

"I have probably 40- to- 50 instructional DVDs. I still watch DVDs to keep up with the game," he said.

While living in Colorado, Scott, who is not a veteran, served as sports director for a veterans organization.

The veterans played wheelchair softball and basketball, and were just beginning to play tennis at the time Scott moved to Coeur d'Alene.

"When I got here, I started wanting to reach out to other people in wheelchairs," Scott said.

He began running a local "one-up/one-down" tennis league. For two years, Scott coordinated the games which consisted of doubles matches with one player in a chair and the other standing.

"Then I decided to go ahead and start coaching tennis for kids," he said. Scott, a husband and father of five, became an adult coordinator for a Coeur d'Alene Tennis Association youth team named the Spin Doctors. With Scott guiding them, the Spin Doctors went undefeated for two years.

He later started his own junior league, Northwest Competitive, which attracted many of the top tennis players from local high schools. One year, one of the Northwest Competitive league teams qualified for regionals and went to play in Eugene, Ore.

Scott competed himself last weekend, with able-bodied adults in a men's doubles tournament at Whitworth University.

After running youth leagues for several years and taking time to recover from a fall, it was the first time in six years Scott had played competitively. He plans to compete more in the future.

"I'm a person of faith. I believe if you're going to live, you've got to fight, if given the privilege and opportunity," Scott said.