3 Monkeys

Props to my BFF Kim Ozmon at Rock Hill Tennis Center for teaching me this game. No one knows how it got its name - the number, I get, but the monkeys?? So feel free to update the name if you are not a monkey fan.

This is an activity that rewards consistency. Here's how we played it together. You will see that it is easily updated to complement most any skill you are working on with your students. I find it works best with my older and more advanced beginners who are actually able to rally.

Let's say we are working on cross-court shots. Two players take up positions at the baseline cross court from each other. One hand- or bounce-feeds the first ball. Players must hit first three rallies cross court. Once this is completed successfully, anything goes and players play out the point.

Progression:
Increase the number of rallies required before 'anything goes' - 5 Monkeys, 7 Monkeys, 9, etc.

Variations: rather than cross court shots, you could try

• Straight ahead
• Topspin
• Slice
• Moonball
• Volley
• Backhand

. . . you get the idea. Endless variety coupled with increasing the difficulty by adding to the number of shots required means you can adapt this simple game to just about any lesson plan.