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TennisOne Lessons 
Teaching Younger Juniors, Part III Introduction to stroke games David Brouwer Have you ever been on the court with a group of 4-6 year olds and found yourself checking the time every 10 minutes wondering when class was going to be over? If so, you're not alone. These youngsters can demand all of your energy and it can really be a challenge to keep their attention. In this article, I'll introduce you to some more of my favorite stroke games to play with this age group. My hope is that you'll find, as I have, that the less you teach them, the more they learn. Through a few simple concepts and a lot of enthusiasm from you, the coach, these kids will be rallying the ball in no time and loving the game of tennis! Stroke production concepts with Little Stars I have found that a few simple concepts are all that I've needed to get a 4-6 year old to strike the ball well. The first of these is the backscratch. Even though I know that modern technique is all about finishes by the waist, over the head, and everywhere else, I teach my Little Stars that their racquet needs to go so far over their shoulder that it hits them in the back when their done. This way, at least they have a reference point for their follow through on the forehand and the backhand. It also allows me to have a common language with the other coaches as well as make some funnies from time to time. For instance, if little Katie isn't finishing her strokes, I'll say "is your backscratch still on spring break? Is it in Mexico?" Believe me, if you were four, you'd laugh.
The other thing that the backscratch does is that it gets their hand to relax and decelerate after the ball is gone. In other words, their knuckles roll so that they are facing in towards their cheek when the backscratch is complete. This allows them to swing fast and then I know that when they're older, their racquet speed will be high. The second concept I use is calling the colors. Many depressurized balls come in different colors and I always have the kids scream out the color of the ball that they're hitting right when they strike it. This, of course, gets them to track the ball completely and gives them another reference that's much more specific than simply "watch the ball, Emily." The third concept I use is swing speed. I have heard so many coaches tell little kids to "slow down" or "shorten up that swing." Personally, and this is just my opinion, but that drives me nuts! How many times have you heard a soccer coach yell "kick it softer!" or a baseball coach scream "don't swing so hard?" My point is that if we're going to teach young players how to spin the ball and how to play today's power game, it has to start at the youngest levels by allowing them to swing fast at the ball. Eventually, this swing speed pays off as they get older and they learn that they have to impart spin on the ball to keep it in. Stroke Production Games for Little Stars
1 - Goldmine: Form two lines on the service line (two teams). Set an empty hopper on the opposite side of the net across from each team. Tubes work well, too as they take a little less time to fill up than the hopper. That hopper is their "goldmine." The first player in line comes forward and the coach tosses them a specified number of balls (4). However many balls they get over the net is how many balls they get to run over and put into their "goldmine." The first team to fill their goldmine wins the game. This game is great because it's team oriented, the kids get to hit a lot of balls, and when they're not hitting, they're moving around the court picking up. 2 - Castle (not shown): For volleys or ground strokes. Line all the kids up parallel to the net on poly spots. The player to the farthest left is the king or queen of the castle. Next to them is the knight, then the prince or princess, etc... until the last player who is the swamp scrubber or the jester. If they make their volley or groundstroke, they're safe and they retain their spot. If they miss, they go down to the last spot and scrub out the swamp and everyone else moves up a spot giving you a new king of the castle. This game takes a bit of getting used to as you'll get a new swamp scrubber and the line will move quite often. However, once you introduce it to the kids, they love it! You can also play the "snooze you lose" version where you try to trick the kids into missing and becoming the swamp scrubber.
3 - White House: This game is a variation of Castle, but instead you name the players the President, vice president, secretary of state, and the lawnmower. The kids try to stay out of the Lawnmower spot! 4 - Kentucky Derby: Form two teams on the service line. On the opposite side of the net, set up a "race track" of poly spots (15 in all making a circle around the court). Set each teams "horse" (a tube or cone or ball can) on the first spot on the "race track." First player on each team comes out and hits 4 balls. If they make all 4, they hustle around and advance their teams' horse to the next spot. If they miss any one of the 4, they simply go to the back of the line. Race to see which team advances their horse all the way around the racetrack first. 5 - Horse or pig: Just like basketball, set up three lanes in the service box using spots or cones. Kids call out if they will hit their shot to 1, 2, or 3. If they make it, their opponent must hit it to that same target area. If the opponent misses, they get an "h" if they make it, their safe. If the first hitter misses the target area they called, their opponent gets to call an area and hit first.
If this game is too hard for the youngest players, you can make the target areas much larger. This works well if it's fed by the coach or self-fed by the little stars. 6 - Tennis buddies (skyscrapers for the tie - not shown): First of all, a skyscraper is an overhead. Form two lines on the service line. Determine target areas on the opposite side of the net (alley is worth 3, service box is worth 2, back court is worth 1. Or, if they're real beginners, over the net is 1, inside the service box is 2 and in the backcourt is 3). Have the first two players from each team come up and hit a specified number of balls (4) and keep track of the number of points they score. If at the end of each of their turns, they're tied, they can win a bonus point for their team by making a skyscraper. Play games to a specified number of points. Conclusion All of these games have been very popular in my little stars classes. One of the real keys is to call the games by name and get the kids to know how the game works. This creates familiarity, comfort, and confidence with the kids and allows your classes to flow smoother as well. Stay tuned for next months article where I'll introduce you to some more of my favorite stroke games for Little Stars. Your comments are welcome. Let us know what you think about David Brouwer's article by emailing us here at TennisOne.
David was voted the USPTA Michigan Professional of the year in 2002 and has won two USPTA Outstanding Education awards. David has been a speaker at the USPTA Midwest and National conventions and is the Director of the West Michigan Tennis Academy. David coaches USTA league players of all levels and finds great joy in coaching strategy and tactics to build smarter tennis players. |
David Brouwer, USPTA is the Director of Tennis for three major health clubs in Grand Rapids, MI.