Time:
60 minutes
Equipment:
Foam or low pressure balls, racquets, tail balls, spots, teaching cable, inflatable targets and small nets
1. Welcome/roll call (3 min.)
2. Warm-up
Follow the leader (5 min.)
Children follow a coach around the court, changing their type of movement according to the leader, who may:
- Walk fast or run
- Walk backward
- High step or march
- Jump or gallop
- Side shuffle or skip
- Dog walk (on all fours, facing down)
Slow stretches (2 min.)
Do the following stretches slowly six times each, counting aloud to keep the class in sync:
- Roll neck left and then right
- Circle arms forward and backward
- Reach hands to the sky and then to the toes
- Windmill toe touches -- alternate reaching the left hand to the right foot and the right hand to the left foot
3. Motor skills
Catching and throwing skills (5 min.)
Pair each child with a parent-coach who will:
1. Roll the ball to the left and right so the child has to track it, trap it and roll it back
2. Toss tail balls for each child to catch after two bounces. Children toss underhand back to the parent. After repeated success, children catch the ball after one bounce
Walk the dog (5 min.)
Divide the children into teams for a relay. Have one child at a time on each team push a ball with his or her racquet from the baseline to the net and back. They may also go along the lines of the court.
4. Racquet skills
Demonstration (5 min.)
1. Demonstrate and have the class shadow the forehand skills learned previously.
2. Demonstrate and have the class shadow the forehand volley, beginning at contact point in front of the body and punching forward.
Forehand volley progression (10-15 min.)
Place spots to position children in correct volleying position at the stationary balls or the net for the following:
1. Children give the coach a "high five" (hand to hand)
2. Children give the coach a high five using a racquet (racquet to hand)
3. Children, starting with the racquet at contact point and tapping forward, hit a forehand volley using a stationary ball on the teaching cable. A parent-coach steadies the ball between taps
4. Parents gently swing the ball to the children and catch it between hits as children prepare to hit again
5. At the net, children get an underhand toss to volley over the net
Forehand volley target relay (5 min.)
Divide the children into two lines facing the net. Instructors toss balls to each child, one at a time. Children volley to a target (e.g., back to the instructor, inflatable targets or hula hoops) and return to the back of the line. Count the number of targets hit by each team after a specified time to determine the winner, or set a goal to reach.
5. Final game/wrap-up/homework
Parts of the court test (5 min.)
Whenever you use a line or part of the court, be sure to tell the children what it is. To test their knowledge, line them up along the fence. Direct the children to walk, jog or run to the part of the court you call out, including the baseline, service line, T, singles and doubles sidelines, net, net strap, net post and fences.
Practice suggestions:
- Balance a ball on the racquet while walking and running backward and forward
- Walk the dog
- Forehand volley with parent tossing the ball and catching the return
