Movement  skills/concepts

Bouncing, balancing, and striking a ball with a bat/racquet, space awareness, (levels and pathways), and relationships.

Set-up

• Racquets, padder tennis bats, small balls/balloons, hoops.
• In a defined hard area, children spread out with a ball and racquet/bat each.

Activity

• put your racquet on the ground and pick it up
• balance the ball on one side of the racquet
• balance the ball and move around
• without changing grip, balance the ball on the other side of the racquet
• hit the ball up to head height with palm up/down, then alternating palm up/down
• try the above with the other hand
• hit the ball up moving forwards/backward/sideways/along specified lines and in a circle
• hit the ball up 10 times without letting it hit the ground
• using the racquet bounce the ball on the ground standing still/running

In pairs, who can …?

• drop the ball and hit it a short distance for your partner to catch
• drop the ball and hit it to bounce to your partner
• hit the ball backward and forwards with a partner
• find a wall and take alternate hits against it
• hit the ball backward and forwards over a net/bench/rope
• continue the above while facing side on to the direction of your hit
• continue the above alternating forehand and backhand

Variations

Vary the type of implement: Try different racquets, bats, balls, and shuttlecocks, modifying activities to suit.