Tennis Server

Skill: Strike, Throw
Time Required: 20
Activity Type: Physical
Group Size: Individual, Large Group, Medium Group, Small Group
Age Group: 6 - 9yrs, 9 - 12yrs, 13+ yrs
Play area: Gymnasium (large indoor space), Outdoor - Field
Safety Considerations: Ensure no participants are standing near or behind the area the participants are hitting the tennis balls.
Equipment: Pylons
Hoops
Tennis Balls
Tennis Racquets
Ropes
Objective:
Participants hit and serve their tennis ball trying to knock down or hit an object that is in a diagonal quadrant to them.
Other Skills:
Coordination
Set up:
Please see the attached document for an example of the set up.
Set up an area with four quadrants using rope or rows of pylons. The bottom right is quadrant A, bottom left is quadrant B, top left is quadrant C and top right is quadrant D.
At one end place a rope or pylons for the serving line. Place another rope in front of the serving line, this is the line that participants have to hit their ball past (optional to not have this line).
Beyond that line place pylons and/or hoops as targets.
Divide participants into 2 groups.
Step by Step:
1. Allow participants to practice serving the tennis ball.
2. Hold the tennis racquet in their dominant hand and the tennis ball in their other hand. They throw the tennis ball in the air and then hit it with the centre of their racquet.
3. Participants can practice serving the ball against a wall, to a partner or to an open space.
4. Tennis Server Game:
5. The goal for each group is to serve their tennis ball to the quadrant that is diagonal to them. The group at quadrant A (QA) serves to quadrant C (QC), and the group at QB serves to QD.
6. The goal for each group is to serve their ball and knock down the pylons and/or have the tennis ball bounce in or land in a hoop.
7. Every time a pylon is knocked down or a tennis ball bounces in a hoop, they are removed from that quadrant.
8. Each group will have a bucket of tennis balls near the line.
9. One participant at a time for each group will serve to their diagonal quadrant. Each participant gets 3 serves, and then the next participant goes.
10. If a group runs out of tennis balls, then the leader will pause the game, and groups will retrieve all the tennis balls they have served.
11. The team to knock down all pylons or have the ball bounce in all the hoops first, wins.
12. Or the team to knock down a pre-determined number of pylons and/or have the ball land in a pre-determined number of hoops wins.
13. Or the team to knock down the most pylons and/or have the most balls bounce in the hoops at the end of a set time wins.
14. For the next round, have group switch quadrants. If they were at QA for the first round, then they go to QB for the next round.
Variations:
Make the serving line as close to the targets as leader(s) deems appropriate for the skill level of the participants.
Have four teams, and two teams will serve from the same quadrant. A participant from one group will serve 1 or 2 tennis balls, then a participant from the other group will serve 1 or 2 tennis balls and so on. The team to knock down the most targets in their quadrant wins.
Don't have quadrants. Participants will serve from behind the serving line and try to hit any pylon and have the ball land in any hoop.
Sources: Developed for the Leisure Information Network.
Attachments: Download