- Check the space and the kit.
- Get your child's attention first.
- Show it from two sides.
- Say one thing only.
- End on one that works.
Put the phone down where you can see it. Tap Next with your thumb, or use the arrow keys.
Is the space marked?
- A net line (knee height for beginners)
- A service box
- A target square on the wall
- A baseline
A tape court; a rope net; soft balls.
Three minutes to get warm.
Easy jogging on the spot, then arms and legs. How to warm up well is explained at workonfitness.com.
- 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.
Show it once from the front and once from the side, slowly. Then let your child try.
- 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
Toss it up in front
Round robin
The rules
Short games of first to 4 points; everyone plays everyone.
- 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
- Win
- The most games won in the round robin.
- 1
- 2
- 3
5 serves in out of 10 and a first-to-four game played to the end.
End on one that works. If it was hard today, finish with the easier version.
Well played.
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