Tennis Lesson 1 . . . . . Beginner level

Lesson Setup

Facility

  • A clear area large enough to safely accommodate the group

    Equipment

  • One tennis ball per person
  • One tennis racket per person

    Performance Goals

    Students will:
  • grip a tennis racket
  • meet the ball on the center of the strings
  • develop a firm wrist and forearm and
  • get and return their own equipment

    Cognitive Goals

    Students will:
  • start developing concentration
  • learn what a tennis error is

    Lesson Safety

  • Practicing partners should have a minimum of 20 feet between them and other students.
  • Students must learn to follow court courtesies as explained at the beginning of this chapter.

    Warm-Up

    Students will:
    1. Jog around the playing area while carrying a tennis racket in the waiting position
    2. Move from left to right, with body facing net, using crossover steps-repeat several times
    3. Pivot to the right, step forward with the left foot while turning right, bring up the racket for the forehand, reverse directions and feet for a backhand, and end with the racket in the waiting position-repeat several times
    4. Complete stretches

    Motivation

    Tennis is a great leisure-time activity and one of the few sports students will learn in school that they'll have free and easy access to as an adult. Tell students that there are many local community tennis courts available to them without cost. The other advantage of playing tennis is that one doesn't need a whole bunch of players to get together for a game. All that's needed is one other person, and if a student can't find that, she can practice by herself, she can go to a wall, or, if her family belongs to a tennis club or is willing to get her private lessons, she will have access to a ball machine or a tennis pro for a workout. The United States Tennis Association (USTA) runs many local leagues at every skill level, so there are many opportunities for all kinds of people to compete. Of course, if students haven't watched Wimbledon, the U.S. Open, the French Open, or any other tennis tournament, they might not already know that the greats in this game, just like any other game, make a lot of money. There is a very profitable competitive tour for them.

    Lesson Sequence

    1. Before beginning any use of the tennis racket, teach court courtesy and safety rules.
    2. Teach, demonstrate, and check the proper tennis grip for the forehand.
    3. Teach, demonstrate, and allow practice of using the racket (with a forehand grip) to bounce the ball to the ground shown in figure 10.2
      4. Give the students a few minutes to do this.
      Ask if anyone can keep it under control 10 times.
    4. Call students back in:
      5. Demonstrate bouncing the ball to the ground using the center of the racket strings to meet the ball with a forehand grip, then, without changing the grip, use the other side of the strings to do the same in the air.
      Ask if anyone is able to control the ball on this side of the strings 10 times.
    5. After students practice and are able to control the ball off the racket, tapping 10 times to the ground and 10 times to the air, bring them to the wall (figure 10.3):
    6. Demonstrate the same controlled bounces, now directed at the wall.
      7. Have students begin from one arm's length and racket distance away, using their forehand side.
      Encourage the same moderation of just meeting and blocking the ball with a firm wrist-no swing at all.
      Aim to control 10 times, but don't let students stay on this for more than a few minutes: It is difficult if they do not stay close to the wall and use a simple block. If they try to swing, there will be lots of wild balls and frustration.
    7. With a student, demonstrate the following, as shown in figure 10.4
      8. Place a ball on the ground five feet from the student, then stand five feet from the ball, too. Using the same type of block, with a slight upward follow through, meet the ball so it travels slightly upward and forward and drops to the target (the ball) on the ground. Ask your partner, on the ball's rise, to block the ball back, making sure not to drop the racket head and not to hit it down, but to block it with a slight upward follow-through. Show the class how the two of you can reach out with your racket, get the strings behind the ball, and block it back after it bounces off the ground:
      Demonstrate consecutive hits, counting each tap as you go.
      Use a volley to block the ball when your practice partner hits the ball further than the target on the ground.
    8. Allow the students to set up and practice the game.
    9. Encourage consecutive contacts with a slight upward follow-through after each bounce, meeting the ball on the rise. If the partner loses control and hits the ball a little long, encourage using the volley to meet it and hit it back so the ball stays in play. Make it into a contest:
      10. Who can get to 10 first?
      Who can get the highest number of consecutive taps without an error?

    Review

  • Ask if anyone can show the class a proper grip.
  • Ask what part of the racket should meet the ball, and whether the player's eyes should see it meet.
  • Discuss which is better-a limp, dangling wrist and racket or a firm wrist and forearm with the racket head up.
  • Review where a right-handed player meets the ball for a forehand-on the right or on the left-and where he meets a backhand.
  • Discuss whether it's legal to allow the ball to bounce twice before hitting it.

    Assessment

  • Observe each group's ball control. If 90 percent of the class can control the ball in this close control drill for 10 consecutive taps, then the group is ready to move on to the next lesson. If not, repeat all aspects of this lesson, leaving the most time for the partner work.

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