Tennis Keep Up and Collect 'Em

Skill: Jump, Run, Throw
Time Required: 15
Activity Type: Physical
Group Size: Large Group, Medium Group, Pair, Small Group
Age Group: 9 - 12yrs, 13+ yrs
Play area: Gymnasium (large indoor space), Outdoor - Field
Safety Considerations: Remove any safety hazards and obstacles from the activity area.
Remind participants to be aware of their surroundings and to keep their head up.
Equipment: Tennis Racquets
Tennis Balls
Hoops
Beanbags/other items
Objective:
One participant will play keep up with their tennis racquet and tennis ball, and the other participants in their group will collect their team's items.
Other Skills:
Coordination
Set up:
Divide participants into teams of 3 participants each. Have each team come up with their team name, or name them team A, team B and so on.
One participant will start as the "keeper upper" and the other participants will be the "collectors".
Set up an area with the same number of different coloured beanbags (each team will be a colour). If there are not enough different colours, then tape a piece of paper or object to the beanbags to signify which team they belong to. Or one team could collect beanbags, another could collect tennis balls and another birdies and so on.
Place a hoop for each team in front of the items teams are collecting.
Step by Step:
1. The goal for each team is to collect the most beanbags/items at the end of the time, or to be the first to collect 10 (or another number) of beanbags.
2. All of the keeper uppers will stand behind their team's hoop with the tennis racquet and tennis ball.
3. When the activity begins, that participant will play keep up with their tennis ball by hitting it in the air repeatedly with their racquet.
4. Before the activity, give participants a chance to practice playing keep up.
5. Participants hold the racquet so that the flat side is facing up and down. The key is to hit the tennis ball in the centre of the racquet and to control it with little hits (for younger participants, could use beanbags instead of tennis balls).
6. When the keeper upper is hitting the tennis ball the other two participants will be collecting their team's beanbags/items.
7. They can only collect one at a time.
8. When they get a beanbag/item they have to run and put it in their hoop.
9. When a participant puts the third beanbag in the hoop, they switch places and become the keeper upper and the keeper upper becomes a collector.
10. When the sixth beanbag is in the hoop, those participants switch positions. Feel free to use any number of beanbags for when participants switch.
11. If/when the keeper upper drops the tennis ball or misses it, they have to yell "Stop Team A" (they will say their team name). All of the collectors on that team have to freeze where they are and do 5 jumping jacks. When the keeper upper hits the ball again, they can resume running and collecting.
12. Optional; after a participant has dropped the tennis ball 5 times, they automatically switch positions with a collector.
13. If they do not tell their team to stop when they drop the ball, then that team is either eliminated for that round or has to take all their beanbags from their hoop and back in the field and start again.
Variations:
One participant will be the keeper upper, one will be the collector and the other participant will be the thief. Whenever their keeper upper is keeping up the tennis ball, the thief can steal items from the other teams' hoops and put them back in the field (they can steal one at a time).
Have two participants be the keeper uppers. When one participant drops the ball, the other will be the next keeper upper and so on.
Use beanbags instead of tennis balls for the keeper uppers. They have to flip the beanbag and catch it again on their racquet.
Sources: Developed for the Leisure Information Network.