Mini court game and serve
Ready when: Wall tennis and aiming (b3) started.
What you are learning
Starting a point with a serve and playing a real game on a small court. First a bounce serve (let the ball bounce, then hit across), then serving at cones in the box, then the overarm serve: toss high and just in front, full swing, weight forward.
Words on this card Mini court, Baseline, Rally, Serve, Toss, Fault, Deep, Set
- Mini court
- A small court for young children, about 11 m by 5.5 m.
- Baseline
- The back line of the court, the line that ends the service boxes, and the box the serve must land in.
- Rally
- Hitting the ball back and forth.
- Serve
- The shot that starts a point; a serve hit after a bounce; from below the waist; from above the head after a toss.
- Toss
- Throwing the ball up for the serve.
- Fault
- A serve that misses the box; the second try.
- Deep
- A ball that lands near the baseline, or one that lands near the net.
- Set
- A group of games; a format where everyone plays everyone.
Show it first for the one teaching
- Bounce serve: drop the ball, let it bounce, swing back at waist height and hit it diagonally into the box.
- Put cones in the corners of the box and aim for them.
- Overarm serve: toss the ball high and just in front, swing up and over it, weight moving forward.
Your part while they practise
Referee; keep the score simple.
Step by step
- A bounce serve: let it bounce, swing back at waist height, aim across.
- Then serve at cones in the corners of the service box.
- Then an overarm serve: toss high and just in front, full swing, weight forward.
- Then play a first-to-four game.
How much: 20 serves and 3 games 15 min a session 2 days a week
Say one thing Pick one line from "What you will see" for today and say only that.
The game: Round robin
Short games of first to 4 points; everyone plays everyone.
Who plays: 2 to 4 players; you referee.
How to play, turn by turn
- Turns
- One player serves all the points of a game, then the serve changes
- Serve diagonally into the box; two tries
- Rally until someone misses; first to 4 points wins the game
- Everyone plays everyone once
- Fair play
- A grown-up serves underarm only.
- Points
- 1 point for each point won; a game won counts 1 win.
- Fouls
- The point goes to the other player
- Two faults (both serves miss the box)
- Serving from inside the baseline
- Two bounces before the hit
- Winning
- The most games won in the round robin.
- 1 wins for 1 star
- 2 wins for 2 stars
- 3 wins for 3 stars
Easier or harder
Underarm serve.
Overarm serve to the corners.
What you will see, and what to say
- the toss is wild
Toss it up in front
Straight up. - the child hits and stands still
Hit and move
Back to the middle.
Self-check
5 serves in out of 10 and a first-to-four game played to the end.
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 serving, rules, scoring.
awiseathlete.com/sports/tennis/tennis-b4