Time:
60 minutes
Equipment:
Racquets, low pressure balls, ball in sock aids, spots and small nets
1. Welcome/roll call (3 min.)
2. Warm-up
Team around the world (5-10 min.)
Two lines are formed at the service line facing each other across the net. The first child begins with a drop-hit over the net to the first person on the opposite side. After hitting, each child moves to the end of their respective line. The object is to accumulate the highest consecutive total of hits.
- Since this is used as a warm-up drill, the goal is ball and body control.
Slow stretches (3 min.)
Have the students count aloud during the following stretches:
- Neck rolls -- roll your head six times to the left and six times to the right
- Swing both arms -- do six rotations to the left and six rotations to the right
- Roll dominant wrist -- do six rotations to the left and six rotations to the right
- Ready, set, stretch -- in starter’s block position, extend the right leg, then the left leg and hold each for six counts
- Windmill toe touches -- alternate touching the right hand to the left foot and the left hand to the right foot for a total of 12 touches
3. Motor skills
Ball pickup relay (5 min.)
Place three racquets equidistant between the relay team and the net -- one racquet on the baseline, one on the service line and one at the net. Place two balls for each child and parent on the racquet at the baseline. Children, or parents and children alternately, take a ball from the racquet at the baseline and run to place it on the first racquet. They return to the baseline to pick up another ball, bring it to the racquet at the net and return to tag the next person in line. The relay can be run in reverse to return all the balls to the baseline.
4.Racquet skills
Shot of the day – serve (10 min.)
1. Demonstrate the full serve with full follow-through. Have the children hold a ball and shadow a throw, then shadow throws with a racquet in the hand.
2. Use a tennis ball in a tube sock as a teaching aid. With the ball tied in the toe of the sock, hold the open end of the sock and pretend to throw. (The ball drops behind the student’s back and loops before coming over the head as the racquet will on the serve.)
3. Demonstrate the toss when applied with the service motion. Practice a few tosses, noting where they land in front of the children.
Serve for score (5-10 min.)
Two pupils stand as a doubles team across a small net from an assistant coach. Pupils alternate serving until they have had two each, then new players rotate in. The goal is to serve with good form so the coach does not have to move to catch the ball. The coach can score each serve on a 1 to 10 scale, according to form and control. Each serve can be scored separately or points can be accumulated.
5. Playing skills
Around the world (10 min.)
Use a small court or short court for beginning players. Divide them into two teams lined up single file behind the playing court. The first child in each line steps into the court and an assistant coach starts the game with a drop feed. If the child returns the ball successfully, he or she runs around the court to the end of the other line while the ball is being played by the child across the net. Children who miss a specified number of times (once or twice) sit out so the field is eventually trimmed to one.
Cooperative round-robin tournaments (15-20 min.)
Using a round-robin format, tournaments can be played where nobody is eliminated. For example, each pair plays a cooperative game trying to hit the highest number of successful groundstrokes in two minutes. Scores are recorded and a rotation is made so each child plays with every other child. After all rounds are concluded, scores can be totaled to determine the order of finish.
6. Review (3 min.)
Thank everyone for participating. Explain the next lesson series (e.g., Little Tennis or another junior program) and let them know they can enroll with their friends and classmates.
