Tennis Jacks

Jacks game pieces

Thank you again to all the great children's games out there that can be easily adapted to tennis. This one may be a stretch - how many kids today have any idea what 'jacks' is, much less how to play it? So parents and grandparents reading this: buff up your jacks skills! If you have no idea how to play jacks, here's a video of the real thing.

For the tennis version, it is basically a variation on the self-rally. Players toss the ball into the air, let it bounce, tap it up once with their racquet, then catch it in their non-racquet hand. This is a 'onesie'. Once this is accomplished, they repeat, tapping it up twice in a row for a 'twosie'. Continue with successively longer rallies. Player who can achieve the most 'ups' wins.

Variation
Play with a partner! You do the tap-ups, partner does the catching.

Adapted from USTA's Learn To Rally And Play booklet