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Introduction
With multi-directional patterns and swift movements, tennis is a great physical activity for young kids who want to stay fit while having some fun. Not only this, but tennis can also help young kids develop skills like agility, coordination, team building, and player development over time.
So if you are thinking of getting your child enrolled in a tennis program then here are some tennis games that can enhance your child's skill. They will also make it fun for your child to learn tennis.
So, let's get started!
Tennis Drills : Fun Tennis Games for Kids
1. Chopsticks
As the name suggests, under this exercise, 2 tennis rackets are considered to be chopsticks that help to enhance their coordination and racket-playing skills. The idea behind this exercise is to use two rackets, each in one hand, like a chopstick, and first catch the ball before throwing it back.
Each player can stand about 3 meters apart and count the number of catches made per minute by each team. You can also make the competition tough by counting each dropped ball as a point to the opposite player. The entire exercise will help in enhancing the hand-eye coordination of the child and build their racket and body control.
2. Hungry Crocodile/ Dodge Ball
Under this activity, the kids can line up by the net and the tennis coach will stand on the opposite side. The coach will then send tennis balls from the other side. Now here the idea is for the kids to concentrate and hit the balls one by one.
However, each time a kid loses a ball, they lose a limb to the crocodile. Then they lose a leg and have to go down on just one knee and so on. With each shot won, the kids regain a limb and the last person who is not entirely eaten by the crocodile wins.
3. Partner Ball Pass
This is a quite simple exercise under which kids play in teams of two or more. In this exercise, all they have to do is toss the ball from their racket to another player's racket. The aim of this exercise is not to let the ball touch the ground.
This is a very good form of team-building exercise that helps the kids learn how to play well in teams and coordinate with each other.
4. Squash Ball
Squash ball is an ideal game for kids between 4 to 6 years of age that helps develop hand-eye coordination of the kids and improve their reflexes. Under this exercise, the kids can pair up and take turns to shot the ball to their partner by hitting it with the racket.
However, their partner doesn't have to hit the ball back but instead squash it on the ground with the racket.
5. Hit and Catch
As the name itself suggests, under this type of exercise kids are first divided into pairs. One kid in the pair will play using only their hands whereas the other one with play with the racket. The one with the racket throws the ball to another player who catches it with the hands.
The exercise aims to help the kid using the racket understand the importance of targeting and improving their aim. This further improves coordination and kids can swap their positions after 15 to 20 minutes.
6. Twister
Another fun game that can help the kids learn tennis is twister. In this fun game, the players rally from the back of the court. Meanwhile, the coach can call out different commands that tell the kids about how they should hit the ball like “right foot only”, “left foot only”, “both feet on the floor”, etc.
This allows the players to think tactically and learn how to make swift multi-directional movements which are much needed in tennis.
7. Ball Balance
As the name itself suggests, a ball balance is a simple game of balance. In this game, the child will hold the racket in front of his body and practice balancing the ball on top of it.
Initially, they can stand still, and then later on they may try walking faster without dropping the ball. To make the exercise more challenging, the kid can even practice exercises like squats without dropping the ball. This exercise will help to enhance balance, hand eye coordination as well as build wrist strength in the kids.
Conclusion
Thus, these are the different types of exercise that you can incorporate into your child’s tennis learning sessions. Unlike the usual tennis sessions. these exercises are not monotonous and help the child learn tennis in a fun and engaging way.
The most important thing to take care of is that your child should first love the game before learning it. It is only when they are taught in a fun and engaging environment that they will get the motivation to learn tennis.
Good Luck!