Title
Learn to Swing a Tennis Racquet for Groundstrokes
Age Level
8 - 10 years
Purpose
PE
Number of Students
20 - 25
B E F O R E YO U S TA R T
EQUIPMENT
• 10-12 x 21” Racquet
• 36’ court lines
• Red felt balls (orange if more
• 6-9 kick balls
developed)
• 15” Big Spots
• 3 cones
R E C O M M E N DAT I O N S
SAFETY
• Level playing area
• Adequate safe space
• Check for debris
• No bags or bottles on court
THINGS TO REMEMBER
Emphasize
1) Swinging from low to high
2) “Scooping” the ball
3) Praise “follow through”
GROUP TENNIS LESSON PLANS
L E S S O N O F T H E DAY
Under-handed Toss of Kickball
Swing Racquet for Forehand
(5 Minutes)
• Pair children across net from each other
• Demonstrate placing palm under kick ball then
tossing underhand to partner across net to
develop swinging motion
•
•
•
•
•
Swing Racquet for Backhand
(10 Minutes)
Students line up at cone to wait their turn
Similar to Forehand.
Student holds racquet close to ground
• Students line up at cone to wait turn
• Child holds racquet with two hands
• Teacher tosses ball to backhand side in front
Teacher tosses ball in front of student
Student moves forward to hit ball and swing up
Objective is to hit ball to the Big Spot on the
other side of the net
• Child then moves to end of line at the next cone
Instructor demonstrates hitting the ball high
and hard. Ask children if this is good in baseball
or softball. If they answer “yes” or “it’s a home
run,” explain that it is not good in tennis, as the
ball may be hit out of play.
of student
• Student moves forward to hit ball and swing up
• Child moves on to the next cone
Encourage students with praise when a stroke
is hit well.
C O N C LU S I O N
Explain that since the balls hit
the ground, the strokes are called
‘groundstrokes.’ Then ask if anyone
knows how to play volleyball and what
happens when the ball hits the ground
in volleyball. Acknowledge that the point
is lost. Explain that at the next lesson
they tell students to volley, which, just
like in volleyball, the ball is not to hit the
ground before they hit it. Tell students
that tennis has a volley stroke, and similar
to volleyball, the ball does not hit the
ground before it is hit.
GROUP TENNIS LESSON PLANS