Time:
60 minutes
Equipment:
Tail balls, foam or low pressure balls, balloons or beach balls, racquets, beanbags, spots, teaching cable and small nets
1. Welcome/roll call (3 min.)
2. Warm-up
Follow the leader (5 min.)
Children must imitate the leader's movement as they travel around the court:
- Walking
- Jogging
- High stepping
- Side shuffling
- Galloping
- Bunny hopping
Slow stretches (2 min.)
Do the following stretches six times each, counting aloud to keep the class in sync:
- Roll neck left and then right
- Circle arms forward and backward
- Raise hands to sky and bend down to touch toes
- Trunk twists with arms spread like an airplane
3. Motor skills
Crocodile River (5 min.)
Each child should stand across the doubles alley (Crocodile River) from a parent-coach. The river is full of crocodiles that will eat anything that falls in. The object is to safely pass a beanbag from coach to student, racquet to racquet, across the alley. Set goals for the number of safe handoffs.
Catch and throw (5 min.)
An instructor or parent-coach is positioned at the net and the children take turns on the service line. The instructor rolls or bounces a tail ball to either side of the child, who runs, catches and rolls, tosses or throws the ball back to the instructor. After several successful trials, the child catches the ball and throws it (overhand) over the net.
- Children may have to move closer to the net to complete this exercise.
- Split into groups to give the children more chances.
4. Racquet skills
Balloon (or beach ball) bump-ups (10 min.)
1. Children bump up balloons with a racquet as parents count for them
2. Parents hit a balloon back and forth with the children, counting as they hit
3. Children are in doubles-team formation on a small court. The coach plays with two children at a time, keeping one balloon in play and counting as they hit gently over the net. Parents help to rotate children into hitting positions
Demonstration (5 min.)
1. Demonstrate and have the class shadow the backhand skills learned previously.
2. Demonstrate and have the class shadow the backhand volley, beginning at contact point in front of the body and punching forward.
Volley progression (10 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 backhand 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
Backhand volley target relay (10 min.)
Divide the children into two lines facing the net. Coaches toss balls to each child, one at a time. Children volley the ball back over the net and run to the end of the line. The first team to get 10 or 15 over the net wins the relay. The winning team takes a step further back from the net and the relay is repeated.
5. Wrap-up/homework (2 min.)
Practice suggestions:
Backhand volleys with a balloon
Bump-ups with a balloon
Forehand groundstroke with parent dropping or tossing a ball
