Tennis is a perfect sport for children; it’s fun, it’s good exercise and it’s relatively safe to play compared to slightly rougher ‘contact’ sports like rugby and football. Children who play tennis will see a marked improvement in their agility, coordination, flexibility, speed, and strength, as well as more psychological characteristics such as cooperation, discipline, and problem solving. In addition to playing matches, there are many smaller games that you can play with your budding tennis stars to ensure they are on top of their game and give them a greater understanding of the fundamentals, basic rules, and benefits of being able to play tennis.
count the blows
Focusing on teaching kids to accurately hit backhand and forehand groundstrokes, this is a great game for those who want to focus on single shots. The boys form a line behind the baseline, and one player at a time moves just inside the baseline toward center court. From the opposite side of the net, hit or throw the ball over the net to the player’s forehand or backhand side and have them hit it to your side of the net. See which player can hit the ball in play the most times in a row.
hit and run
This game prepares children for long plays during matches and is appropriate for school-age children who have some experience of the game. It is another game in which you only need a court, a ball and a racket, which makes it easy to practice free tennis. Have one student at a time line up in the center of the court between the baseline and the service line, and from the opposite side of the net, alternate hitting balls between two opposite corners so the kids have to run to hit the ball. and then immediately run back to the middle. See which player can hit the most balls in a row before shooting.
cell
Requiring at least four students, this is a great game to focus on accuracy for young players. The boys line up at one end of the court, with the coach feeding from the other side of the net. Each child has a certain number of opportunities (depending on his or her skill level) to hit a forehand or backhand on the doubles court. If they get one, they are safe; if not, they are in jail and go to the other end of the court to try to catch a ball hit by another player. If they make a catch, they go free and the player whose shot they caught takes their place in jail. When there is only one player left, try to make three shots that don’t get caught, before missing three. If they are successful, they win the game. If someone catches one of your shots, it’s a jailbreak: everyone is free and a new round begins.
Worldwide
One of the most popular games played in schools and children’s tennis clubs, it involves a larger group, with half the children lining up on one baseline and half on the other. The coach passes a ball to one of the boys at the front of the line, who must hit it over the net to the singles court and then run to the end of the line at the other baseline. The child in front of the other row must do the same, and the rally continues, with each player returning the ball and then running around the court to join the end of the opposite row. If a player misses the ball, he loses a life; he starts his sons in 1, 3 or 5 lives, depending on the difficulty level. When they have lost all their life, they are out. Once there are only two players left, they no longer run around the net: they simply play points against each other until a victor emerges.
With these games and more, you can develop your students’ fitness, speed, strength, and understanding of the game, helping them along their journey to becoming well-rounded players as they reach their teens and years. adult. Of course, there is no substitute for real matches, so make sure they get plenty of practice in-game as well; however, these simple and fun drills and games will ensure that your students stay on top of the attributes needed to maintain a high quality of play and develop skills that they can then transfer to their in-game tennis game.
