Fun drills for teaching tennis fundamentals for juniors
Fun games and drills designed for juniors learning how to play tennis is a great way to teach the basics. Some tennis fundamentals for juniors, such as the volley, shot selection and consistency, are today’s topic, along with some drills to get kids started off right. The earlier a child starts to swing a racquet, and develop a love for the game, the better! So, let’s get going with some fun drills.
Hungry Hippo – learning the volley
One of the best ways to introduce kids to striking the ball is by learning how to volley. “Hungry Hippo” is a fun game for a group of young kids. First, the coach should demonstrate the correct volley technique, explaining that it’s like give the ball a ‘high five’ and never letting it pass beyond their ear.
It’s best to start them with the forehand volley, and then teach them the backhand. If you are teaching older kids, you should demonstrate the continental (or ‘hand shake’) grip. Their free hand should be placed at the racquet’s throat to guide it.
In “Hungry Hippo”, kids line up along the net, while the coach hand-feeds the ball to each player. In doing this, the coach can see that each child is attentive, alert and in ‘ready position’.
If a player misses a feed, they lose a limb to the Hippo. The first limb to go is their non-hitting hand, the second is their leg, whereby they must get down on one knee, the third is their other leg, which will have them kneeling on the ground. Finally, the last mistake will result in them being eaten by the Hippo. (Uh, oh!) However, if a child has lost a limb but successfully returns the shot from their compromised position, they can ‘regrow’ their lost limb and stay in the game. The last player standing who hasn’t been eaten by the hippo wins the game.
Shot and Bounce Selection - strategy
While technique and fitness are indispensable tennis fundamentals for juniors, another essential is to understand what shot to hit and when. The pros call it shot selection. Top players instinctively know which is the best shot to hit in any play situation. Some kids know this intuitively, while others must learn it through drills, practice and match play.
A good drill for learning shot and bounce selection has two players working together. One player throws a ball to their partner who has a racquet in their hand ready to hit a shot. The player throwing the ball will be calling out a shot (such as forehand, backhand or volley) and a number. The shot they call out as they throw the ball will be the shot the player must hit, e.g. forehand. The number they call out will represent how many times the ball can bounce before the player can catch it e.g. 2.
If the thrower calls out “backhand one” and their partner hits a backhand over the net and it bounces once before the thrower catches it, then the pairing receives one point.
If there are multiple kids playing, then the players can split up into pairs and compete against each other. The pair that reaches seven points first wins.
Hula Hoops - Consistency
Hula Hoops works on shot consistency and accuracy. Being a player who can repeatedly hit a ball over the net many, many times without missing, is a player who will win a lot of matches! Learning to be consistent is one of the key tennis fundamentals for juniors. It is more important than pace. Not to say that learning how to hit the ball hard in competitive matches is not important. It’s just that being able to do so over and over again is key to winning.
For this drill, kids pair up and rally against their partners on a modified court, using modified balls, nets, racquets and court sizes that depend upon the child’s age and level. Place hula-hoops on the court as targets. Every time a player wins a rally they will win a point, and every time a player hits a shot and it lands in one of the hoops they will receive a point. The player can hit a shot and win a point during the rally by landing the ball inside a hoop.
Don’t forget to teach the correct hitting technique while doing this drill. Encourage players to brush up on the ball, low to high, and to always get back to ready position with their feet moving and ready to split-step before again moving to the ball.
Summary
There are several other tennis fundamentals for juniors that are necessary in developing a player’s complete game for competition, including stroke development, learning the various type of serves, managing fitness and optimizing the player’s nutritional needs. However, it is also important for the parents and the child’s coach to provide the right environment for learning. A fun level of intensity and excitement are very important, as well as plenty of encouragement that builds the child’s sense of accomplishment. Compared to most sports tennis is tricky to learn, so the more the junior feels they are improving, the more fun and enjoyment they’ll have on the tennis court.
