Time:
60 minutes
Equipment:
Racquets, low pressure balls, spots, teaching cables, small nets and inflatable targets1. Welcome/roll call (3 min.)
2. Warm-up
Run the lines (5-10 min.)
Pupils line up at the baseline and doubles sideline. The pattern is as follows:
- forward along the doubles sideline to the net,
- sidestep across to the singles sideline,
- backward along the singles sideline to the service line,
- sidestep across the service line almost to the T,
- up the center service line to the net,
- sidestep to just across the center service line,
- backward along the center service line to the service line,
- sidestep to the singles sideline,
- up to the net,
- sidestep to the doubles sideline,
- backward along the doubles sideline
- and sidestep across to the center hash mark.
Walk or jog the lines once and then run the pattern.
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
Parts of the court test (5 min.)
To test children’s memory of parts of the court, 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. To get them running, ask them to go touch a particular line or court part and then return to the fence.
4. Racquet skills
Shot of the day – groundstrokes with footwork (5 min.)
Demonstrate and have the class shadow the groundstrokes using the same basic grip, ready position and turn/step/hit sequence. Now include tracking footwork: sidestepping or shuffling before doing the pivot turn/step/hit sequence (e.g., "shuffle, shuffle, turn, step, hit"). Continue to stress the correct backswing, forward swing, contact point in front of the body and follow-through.
Groundstroke tracking progression on dangling balls (10 min.)
Hang up to five dangling balls on each teaching cable (see diagram, Page 163). Line up all pupils at one end of the cable. In ready position, they sidestep to the first ball, pivot turn, step and hit, then continue to sidestep and hit each ball in the line. Children hit a stationary ball, steadied by a parent-coach before the next child comes through.
- Place spots to correctly position kids at each ball. Stress contact point in front.
5. Playing skills
No-net tennis (5 min.)
Parent-coaches toss balls wide for the children to track and then pivot, step and hit. The child tries to hit the ball back to the coach so it can be caught. The ball likely will not stay in play as well as in previous versions of no-net tennis.
- Have an instructor and student demonstrate before the class begins hitting.
- To keep balls from being sprayed, parent-coaches should have their backs to the fence.
- Allow children to play freely, but gradually stress basics learned in previous forms of no-net tennis.
Small-net tennis (10 min.)
A good ratio for this game is one assistant or parent-coach who can control the ball well to four or six students. The coach stands across the small net from a singles player and hits gently, but wide enough so the child must track the ball with sidesteps to return it. Let each child hit at least five balls during each turn.
- A parent-coach can help keep waiting children occupied at a safe distance.
6. Final game/review/homework
Target tennis (5-10 min.)
Set up four inflatable targets on one side of the full-size net: one in the deuce service box and another directly behind the box, and one in the ad box and another directly behind the box. Children set up as doubles teams across the net from the targets and assistant coach. The coach alternates feeds to the doubles team until both have hit four balls -- one at each of the targets. Students receive 1 point for each successful groundstroke over the net and another 4 points for each target hit.
- Keep a running total of their score or individual scores.
- Have a parent-coach control the doubles teams waiting to play at a safe distance.
- Set up two targets on each short court and have the children play singles.
Practice suggestions: (3 min.)
- Parents should practice with their children, and everyone should warm-up before playing:
- Bump-up tennis with a bounce, alternating hits with a partner
- Bump-ups without a bounce, alternating hits with a partner
- Wall tennis -- stress footwork
- No-net tennis -- move the child from side to side, stressing ready position and footwork with gentle "bumping" hits
