Tennis Kids LEARN TO PLAY
A skilled tennis coach understands the significance of fostering an environment where children perceive the game as an enjoyable experience rather than a rigorous training regimen. They adeptly design drills and engaging games that seamlessly integrate the fundamentals of tennis, making learning an effortless and enjoyable process for the child.
Introduce your children to the world of tennis and allow them to reap the remarkable benefits of sports. At Jun Tennis Academy, our experienced coaches specialize in imparting the fundamental principles of tennis to children in a manner that is both entertaining and immersive. Through a variety of engaging drills and enjoyable games, your child remains actively involved while continuously absorbing essential tennis skills.
Recognizing that each child progresses at their own pace when learning the sport, our experienced tennis coaches are dedicated to providing unwavering support tailored to individual needs. Committed to navigating your child through the uncertainties of mastering a new sport, our coaches prioritize fostering a positive mental outlook. Our aim is to instill essential traits such as discipline and perseverance, cultivating a resilient mindset during their formative years.
Rest assured, we comprehend the responsibilities associated with coaching children and are committed to guiding them in the right direction. Your child will benefit from our dedicated personal attention, as we maintain a deliberate focus on catering to a limited number of students in both personal and group settings. We strongly encourage open communication with parents, as it not only fosters a deeper understanding of your child's journey but also facilitates a stronger connection with our coaching approach and philosophy.
Below of some examples of the drills we use during our kid tennis lessons
Dodge Ball
Gather at least one kid and have them stand on the opposite side of the net from you. Gently hit the balls to the other side using your racket as the kids try and avoid getting hit by the ball. This game is an exercise for quick reaction and movement practice.
Sending and Receiving Game
To set up the game you will need to place 5 cones on each side of the court. The first variation of the game is played with the coach on one side of the net and the kids on the other. Each side takes a turn tossing the ball to the other side keeping it inside the bounds. Each ball that remains in bounds gets placed on a cone and the side who gets the first 5 balls on the cones wins the game. The next variation is played with two kids, one on each side of the net. They toss the ball just like the first variation except for this time they will try and hit a cone for a point. The next variation of this game is played with one child tossing the ball to the other side where that child will hit the ball with the racket and the last variation of the game will end with both players using a racket.
Tennis Four Square
You will be using a tennis ball and racket instead of a handball. The four squares should be numbered from 1 to 4 clockwise so that the numbers are diagonal from each other i.e. the number 1 and 4 will be diagonal. The server will be the player standing in the highest numbered square and he/she must serve to the lowest numbered square. The receiver must allow the ball to bounce inbounds once before hitting the ball to the square of their choice. When a ball bounces out of bounds that player is eliminated until there is only one person left on the playing field. You can mix it up a bit by starting the kids with tossing the tennis ball before using the rackets and you can start from the lowest to the highest number if you wish. You can also rotate the kids around the squares when they get hit to keep them in the game. This is great for an eye-hand coordination exercise and balance.
Ball Balance
Holding the racket out in front of the child’s body, they can practice balancing the ball on top of the racket. They should start by standing still and then gradually building up a pace of walking as fast as they can without dropping the ball. Practice exercises such as squats and touches without dropping the ball. This game will help to build wrist strength and coordination as well as balance and eye-hand coordination.
Up and Down
Much like ball balance, this game is played the same except this time the ball must be bounced up from the racket while walking around the court. Practice squats and touches while bouncing the ball and then switch it up by dribbling from your waist to the floor just like dribbling a basketball. Run around the court dribbling the tennis ball without losing it to avoid getting eliminated. This is another game that will also help with wrist strength and balance while practicing eye-hand coordination.
Partner Ball Pass
Each player will take a turn tossing the ball from their racket to their partner’s racket without letting it hit the floor. This game is not meant for hitting the ball but rather tossing it back and forth with the racket between the players. For smaller children, or for those who have difficulty keeping the ball on the racket, you can use a bean bag in the place of the ball. Not only is this a team-building exercise but it is also perfect for balance and coordination.
Squash Ball
Using a racket one player will roll the ball to the other like they would do in mini golf. The other player will then stop the ball and squash it with their racket. They will take turns rolling and squashing while exercising eye-hand coordination and testing their reflexes.
Royal Court
This is not only a good game to test their eye-hand coordination, but it will help them learn specific tennis footwork, it will test their attention skills, and it’s a great anticipation game. Line the kids up on the opposite side of the net from the coach with their rackets on the ground beside them. They will wait with anticipation for their names to be called as the coach will call them one at a time when it’s their turn. The coach will hit the ball over the net as he calls out a name. The child who is called must wait for the ball to bounce once and then catch it. When the ball is caught properly, the child must place the ball on their racket and the first person who collects 5 balls wins. For a challenge, the coach can hit the ball high or low, fast or slow.
Toss and Catch
Give each player a cone and have them to stand on the opposite side of the net from the coach. Once everyone is in position, the coach, standing on the opposite side of the net should toss the ball over and after it bounces once the kids should catch it in the cone. This is great training just before they begin to use the racket. Once they are comfortable with the game, the kids can take turns tossing the ball over the net for the others to catch in the cone. That’s a good way for them to learn the concept of serving the ball.
Chopsticks
Each child needs two rackets, one in each hand, and the idea is to catch the ball between the two rackets before throwing it back to their partner with the “chopsticks.”
This challenges hand-eye coordination and helps children to get a good feeling for how the ball interacts with the racket.
The two players stand about 3m apart, and you can make it competitive by seeing how many catches each team can make in a minute.
If you want to take it a bit further, you can turn it into a little tennis match, where each dropped ball counts as a point to the other player.
The better the players get at this, the more they can simulate actual tennis shots by turning the body as they would with a real tennis shot.
It’s a very simple kids tennis game, but Chopsticks really helps build racket and body control that’s important moving forward in tennis.
BOUNCE AND HIT
This tennis game for kids really helps them focus in on what’s happening not only when they hit the ball, but also when their opponents hit the ball.
Players play cooperatively in the service boxes, trying to build the rally.
When the ball bounces on their opponent’s side of the court, each player should shout “bounce,” and when their opponent hits the ball, they should shout “hit.”
This helps players to concentrate on the ball at all times, rather than just when they’re hitting the it.
You can do this for a minute, extending the amount of time to make it more challenging.
You can also take it back to the baseline and add other elements such as the ball having to clear the service line.