Balloons and big balls first
Ready when: nothing; for children of about 5 to 7, before Grip, ready position and bat control (b1).
What you are learning
The first steps for young children, before a real bat: keeping a slow balloon in the air with the hands, passing a big ball over a "net" of chairs, then hitting a foam ball with a light paddle after one bounce, with each hand.
Words on this card Bat
- Bat
- The racket; the wooden part is the blade, the sticky surface the rubber.
Set up
A balloon; a beach ball or foam ball; light paddles; a row of chairs or a sofa back as a high net.
Weather: clear floor
Show it first for the one teaching
- Keep a balloon up with the palm, then the back of the hand.
- Throw a beach ball over the chairs to the child, who catches it and throws it back.
- Drop a foam ball, let it bounce once and hit it with the paddle over the chairs.
Your part while they practise
Play with the child; count.
Step by step
- Keep the balloon up with the palm, then the back of the hand, then kneeling and sitting.
- Pass a beach ball by hand over the chairs.
- Hit a foam ball with a paddle after one bounce, right hand and left hand.
How much: 3 rounds 10 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: Over the chairs
Hit the ball back and forth over the chairs and count the hits before it touches the floor twice.
Who plays: the child and a grown-up, together against their best.
How to play, turn by turn
- Turns
- Stand either side of the chairs
- Hit the foam ball over after one bounce
- Count the hits until a miss
- 5 tries; swap hands for the last 2
- Fair play
- The grown-up sends every ball to the child's hitting side.
- Points
- 1 point for each hit over the chairs in your best try.
- Fouls
- The count stops
- Two bounces before the hit
- Catching the ball
- Hitting it under the chairs
- Winning
- Beat your best.
- 3 points for 1 star
- 6 points for 2 stars
- 10 points for 3 stars
Easier or harder
A bigger, slower balloon.
Hit the ball against a wall from 3 m, left and right.
What you will see, and what to say
- the child uses one hand only
Now the other hand
Both hands. - the child chases wildly
Wait, then hit
Let it come.
Self-check
10 balloon touches in a row; 5 hits over the chairs.
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 hand-eye, both sides, first rallies.
Basic is done when the child meets the self-checks on b1 to b4.
awiseathlete.com/sports/table-tennis/table-tennis-b5