Fixit

With these two handy, I can fix just about anything
that does not involve a tennis racquet

Ever notice how analyzing sports is so easy when you are on the sidelines, but not so easy when you are out there playing? Fixit is an activity to bridge the two experiences. The goal is for players to observe and learn from the mistakes of others and translate that knowledge to their own games. Great for odd numbers of players. At its simplest it can be managed by all but the youngest beginners.

Players on court playing out singles or doubles points. Leftover players in line at net post. Players at net post replace player making error. When point is over, first player in line at net post gives their opinion on what just transpired to end the point - error, winner, etc. Extra credit for depth of observation. For example if point ended on an error, ball hit wide, what caused the ball to be hit wide and what is the solution? Footwork? Point of contact? Positioning? Once they have rendered their opinion, they are free to rotate in and next point is played out.

Variation
Give the player making the error a chance to express what he/she thinks caused the error. It is often illuminating to hear the different viewpoints between players and observers.