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Soft tennis · Basic · b5

Count the rally

Park or court 15 min 2 players Yard or lane, hall or court

Ready when: Fed forehands (b4) self-check met.

Start a session

What you are learning

Keeping a rally going: hitting the ball back and forth with a partner as many times as you can, with any stroke. Steady, high-over-the-net shots win more points than hard ones.

Words on this card Forehand, Rally, Baseline
Forehand
Hitting the ball on your racket-hand side, or on the other side.
Rally
Hitting the ball back and forth.
Baseline
The back line of the court, the line that ends the service boxes, and the small mark in the middle of the baseline.

Set up

Soft balls.

Weather: dry, low wind

The base setup for soft tennis

Show it first for the one teaching

  1. Stand at the service line, both of you, and hit gently with short swings.
  2. Aim high over the net, so the ball lands in the middle of the other side.
  3. Step back to the baseline and do the same with longer swings.

Your part while they practise

Count aloud; restart quickly.

Step by step

  1. Keep the ball going, any stroke; play the backhand side with the same face.
  2. Short rally first: both at the service line, compact strokes.
  3. Then from the baseline.
  4. Aim short rather than into the net.

How much: 5 rallies 15 min a session 3 days a week

Say one thing Pick one line from "What you will see" for today and say only that.

The game: Beat your rally

Count the hits in a row over the net; beat your best.

Who plays: 2 together, against their own best.

How to play, turn by turn
Turns
  1. One player starts with an easy drop-and-hit
  2. Count every hit that goes over the net and lands in
  3. The rally ends on a miss. 5 rallies
Fair play
A grown-up plays only backhands.
Points
1 point for each hit in the best rally.
Fouls
The count stops
  • The ball lands out
  • Two bounces before the hit
  • A hard hit meant to win the point
Winning
Beat your best rally.
Stars
  1. 6 points for 1 star
  2. 12 points for 2 stars
  3. 20 points for 3 stars

Easier or harder

Easier

One bounce allowed on your side twice.

Harder

Only forehands, from the baseline.

What you will see, and what to say

  • balls into the net Higher over the netUp and over.
  • too many cues One thing at a timePick one.

Self-check

20

A rally of 20 between two.

Fitness for this

Warm up first: how to warm up, at workonfitness.com. For strength and stretching, its exercise library shows each exercise step by step, with an easier version.

This card trains consistency, the backhand side too.

awiseathlete.com/sports/soft-tennis/soft-tennis-b5