Top tennis tips from the experts at Derby City School Sports Partnership.
First of all, get everyone warmed up with one of these 2 fun activities.
1. ‘Travel and Balance’
Get the children to travel around a selected space. They must stay within the space and avoid any contact with other children. On the teacher’s command, children must travel in a variety of ways using fundamental movement skills:
- Run
- Skip
- Hop
- Jump
- Side step
2. Mr Freeze
On the teacher’s call of ‘freeze’, children should balance in a variety of ways:
- Two feet
- One foot
- Two feet and one hand
- Two feet and two hands
Top 5 tennis tips for the players:
- On court, try and stay on the balls of your feet at all times to maintain balance and to allow you to change position and direction easily.
- When hitting the ball, stand sideways on to it. This allows you to follow through the shot as you play it.
- Work WITH a partner and get used to “rallying” – setting a record of the number of times you can send the ball backwards and forwards over the net. This way you will perfect your shot-making and build your confidence, before moving on to being more competitive.
- Try to position yourself at the back of the court and if you can, return there after each shot you play. This allows you to see the whole court and judge where the ball is going to land before moving towards it to play your shot.
- When trying to win points, try to play the ball into open spaces of the court to make it difficult for your opponent to get to it – but be careful to keep the ball in the court!
Top 5 tennis tips for teachers:
- Attend an LTA Mini Tennis and / or Inclusive Tennis training workshop (you can find out when and where these are running via your local SSP or Regional LTA Officer).
- Use the training and equipment received to set up a lunchtime or after school club to engage players into trying the sport.
- Enter your local SSP Mini Tennis Red and Mini Tennis Orange events so you have something to work towards.
- Where possible work with Yr 3 upwards (Yr 2 if you can!) as local events start with Mini Tennis Red which is aimed at Yr 3 and 4.
- Establish a link with your local Tennis Club / Centre so players have an exit route beyond School Sport if they wish to continue playing.
Did you know:
Last year, Wimbledon supporters ate 23 tonnes of strawberries – which amounts to over 2 million individual berries – served with over 7,000 litres of fresh cream! A punnet of no less than 10 strawberries with cream cost £1.70 in 1993, compared to £2.50 in 2015. For more facts visit their FAQs.
Did you follow the Tennis on TV? Wimbledon have a Primary Education Programme with guides to Tennis and the History of the sport – take a look here.
For Tennis Resources please take a look at our extensive range.
With thanks to Derby City School Sport Partnership for providing their top tips. DCSSP works closely with primary, secondary and special schools in order to develop opportunities in PE and Sport for young people in Derby. The School Sport Partnership is hosted and employed by Derby County Community Trust and work collectively to maximise the positive impact that high quality PE, School Sport and Physical Activity can have on young people.
