Hand-to-hand and hit-over games
Ready when: Racket and ball control games (b1) started.
What you are learning
Sending the ball over a net to a partner: first by throwing and catching, then hitting a thrown ball, then racket to racket. Moving the feet so the ball arrives at your side, not at your body, is the habit that matters.
Words on this card Forehand, Rally
- Forehand
- Hitting on your racket-hand side; on the other side; with both hands on the racket.
- Rally
- Hitting the ball back and forth.
Show it first for the one teaching
- Throw the ball underarm over the rope; the child catches after one bounce.
- Throw to the child's forehand side; the child steps so the ball is beside them, then hits it back.
- Hit gently racket to racket inside a wide channel of cones.
Your part while they practise
Feed gently or throw underarm.
Step by step
- Throw and catch over the net.
- You throw; the child hits with the racket, moving the feet so the ball comes to the forehand side.
- Then racket to racket in a wide channel.
How much: 30 hits 10 min a session 4 days a week
Say one thing Pick one line from "What you will see" for today and say only that.
The game: Keep it going
Rally over the rope with any number of bounces; count the hits.
Who plays: 2 together against their best.
How to play, turn by turn
- Turns
- Start with an easy underarm hit
- Hit back and forth inside the channel; any number of bounces
- Count the hits until it stops
- 5 rallies
- Fair play
- A grown-up plays with one bounce only.
- Points
- 1 point for each hit in the best rally.
- Fouls
- The count stops
- The ball goes outside the channel
- Catching the ball
- The ball goes under the rope
- Winning
- Beat your best rally.
- 4 points for 1 star
- 8 points for 2 stars
- 15 points for 3 stars
Easier or harder
A wider channel.
Stand further back.
What you will see, and what to say
- the child stands square to the net
Stand sideways, racket back
Side-on. - the contact is late
Hit it in front of your body
Meet it early.
Self-check
5 racket-to-racket hits in a row over the net.
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 tracking, rallying.
awiseathlete.com/sports/tennis/tennis-b2