Seven seconds of heaven Make sure you have a bucket of “seven seconds of heaven.” (That’s any bubble gum that loses its sugar in seven seconds!) This game gives new beginners instant success.

Sharks and minnows This is a great game for ending a group lesson and for developing eye-hand coordination. Sharks are the catchers and minnows are the hitters.

How to get kids hooked on tennis 1. When a child is 4 years old, parents should take him out on the courts, driveway or to the park and throw him a few balls.

Treats for the sweet-spot Empty tennis cans make a great container for treats like popcorn, Dum-Dum suckers, bubble gum, wrist bands, chapstick or whatever at the end of any group session, camp or clinic. Take a knife and slit the plastic top.

Beach ball groundstrokes Find a partner with blue eyes. Find a partner with pigtails.

Stick it to ‘em Velcro pads have lots of uses: 1. Serving arm warm-up – In a private or semi-private lesson before serving, each of us puts a Velcro pad on the non-dominant hand.

Ball blasts Cut an old tennis ball in half, fill with a spoonful of flour and reseal ball with glue. During a group lesson on the serve, tease the students that you can blow up a ball with your serve.

Stop and squash As my Little Tennis students move from hitting stationary groundstrokes to hitting on the move, I find it is difficult to get them to stop and set their feet. They invariably either run into the ball or spin around as they move through it.

Make a save Students in the 5- to 7-year-old group will sometimes miss striking the ball entirely. One way that I have found to reduce the frustration of these young students when they swing and miss a ball is to play the "make a save" game.

	Next 1 >>