Black Hole

Building on the Tap Up activity, here's another drill that encourages your students to direct and place the ball. This game is best with advanced beginners and up who are able to rally. I first saw this game in a PTR Kids Tennis handbook.

Each side of the court is divided into 4 boxes: the two service boxes, plus the two halves of the back court. Players play out a short tiebreaker, first to 5. Rather than reward the winner, this game gives an equalizer to the loser as follows: the losing player chooses one of his/her own four boxes to be blacked out. In other words, none of the opponent's balls may land in the blacked out box.

Players play another breaker. If the same player loses, he/she may add a second blacked out box. Any time a player with any number of blacked out boxes wins, all blacked out boxes are cleared and full court is played. Blacked out boxes do not effect serve.

You may find some throw down spots handy in this activity to mark the various boxes as they are blacked out.