Center Field

photo from here

Thanks to George Estes for this drill. George is a fellow teaching pro at Cayce Tennis and Fitness Center. His students are mostly adults, but this drill will work for junior advanced beginners and up when working on lobs and doubles. Perfect for when you have five or six players but don't want anyone standing idle.

Four players take regular doubles position on court. Fifth/sixth players stand behind baseline. These baseline players' only job is to play any lobs or feed lobs to start point.  If you only have five, coach is sixth player behind baseline, starting each point with a lob. If six, one of the two lob/baseline players starts the point with a lob.

Scoring strategy of your choice. First to X, best two out of three works well for most court drills.

Tusker Tag

Another fun warm-up variation on tag from the Quebec PE site: Tusker Tag. Best for large groups.

Players pair up. All pairs must hold hands or wrists. One pair is designated Tusker. If you have an uneven number of players, include single player as one of the Tuskers also. Give Tusker team a ball. Commence playing 'tag'. Tusker team tries to tag other pairs with ball. Note they are touching other players with the ball still in hand, not throwing ball at them. When tagged, pair is frozen in place and must raise the hands they are holding up into a bridge shape. They may be unfrozen if any other unfrozen pair runs underneath their 'bridge'.

If any hands/wrists become disconnected, that pair is automatically frozen also.

Object is to tag/freeze all players.

Make this game harder by gradually shrinking the playing space. For example, start by using the entire end of court. Then shrink to back court only. Then to service box. Then alley. Any players stepping outside of boundaries are frozen.

Tennis Checkers

Thanks Martyn Collins for tipping me to this site. Lots of fun game ideas here. They call this game Ultimate Sponge Ball so look for that title if you want to see the original instructions. Looking at the game diagram I am reminded of the game of checkers, so pardon my name change. I am a little unclear on a couple of the rules so I am clarifying them on the fly here. Best with groups, good for warm-up.

Divide group into two even teams. If you are playing this on the tennis court, perfect - each time stakes out one end of court. Object of the game is to be the first team to move the ball behind other team's baseline.

• Ball can only be moved by throwing/catching. Players may not run, walk, or otherwise move with the ball. Players who do not have the ball may change positions including moving around net to opponent's end of court when on offense and taking up defensive positions when not.
• Defending team may not move to interfere with a thrown ball - no batting out of the air, jumping up and down, etc. Defender must remain one arm's length plus one racquet length away from opponents. Note this is approximate distance one should be from ball at point of contact.
• Dropped ball or ball thrown out of bounds results in a change of possession. Original game did not say where change of possession should take place, so I am arbitrarily saying baseline of other team.

Here's how I envision this game working: game commences with one player tossing a ball to another teammate to advance the ball toward the opponent's baseline. All players are able to change positions except the person who has the ball. So let's say Player A has the ball. She waits until one of her teammates is ready (Player B), then throws it to them. Player B now must decide which teammate to throw the ball to, standing in place and waiting until her teammates have rearranged themselves and are ready to receive the ball. In the meantime, the defending team can also move around relative to the offense's movements as long as they stay appropriate distance from any player. Defense can play zone or man-to-man, whichever they think will be most effective. So this game should be very dynamic and have kids moving around constantly to either advance or defend their positions.

First team to 7 wins, best two out of three.

If this is too difficult, allow one bounce or use a bigger ball.

Double Trouble

Double Trouble originally was a ball machine drill suggested in TennisPro Magazine by Inaki Balzola, PTR's International Director. It's a great doubles drill for large groups. Players should be able to rally.

One player is at ad side baseline; coach is at same baseline on deuce side. All other players are at the net post. Coach feeds first ball to first player waiting at net post. This player volleys the ball back toward the coach. Coach feeds second ball cross court; same player must run and volley toward player waiting at baseline.

Player at baseline lobs this volley over net player. Net player runs down the lob, returns it with a lob of their own, goes to end of player line. Note baseline player does not have to play this ball. Coach then stars the process all over again with next player waiting in line.

Continue for a set time or until X amount of lobs have been hit by either player; then rotate a different player into the baseline position.

Variation
Eliminate first fed volley; volleying player only gets one ball fed before baseline player returns it with a lob.

Spiders and Snakes

So apparently the 1973 Skylab
mission has a tennis connection

This is what I deserve for Googling 'snake tennis drill'. . . but this one is a cute idea from . Good for groups of 4-6 or more. Players should be able to rally.
www.ncacoach.org

Two players are designated 'spiders' and are stationed at the net. All others ('snakes') are lined up at the opposite baseline. Snakes play against the two Spiders one vs. two. Coach feeds first ball to Snake #1. Snake #1 cannot lob the first ball. Players play out the point. If Snake wins, Snake moves up to T and gets second ball fed. If Snake wins second point, he/she takes place of one of the Spiders, who now is one of the Snakes. When game is over, Snakes pick up all balls.

Original instructions did not specify which Spider is replaced by Snake who won 2 points in a row. Suggest the Spider who made the error is the one who is now a Snake.

50 Ball Rally

I attended a PTR 11-17 certification this workshop and came away with some great drill ideas. This one is from Ashlee Creen, girls tennis coach at Brookland Cayce High School. Great for large groups, but you can make it work with as few as 4 players. Players should be able to volley and rally. No special equipment needed.

Divide players into two teams. Each team selects one player as their King or Queen. King/Queen takes up position at net. All other players on their team are at the opposite baseline. One at a time, they rally straight ahead relay fashion (baseline player hits one ball, then goes to end of line so next player can hit next ball). First team to 50 rallies, wins.

Variations

• If they miss, they don't necessarily have to start over at zero - that is completely up to you. 
• Switching out King/Queen - you can do this after each round of 50, or devise some method of having them switch during play. For example, if net player mis-plays a ball, they have to switch with whomever they were playing against. 
• Limit to specific shots, such as players must hit only backhands, or net player must hit volleys. 

This game generated a high level of enthusiasm, camaraderie and competition. I will def be trying it soon with my own students.

Group Of

Group Of is a warm-up activity best for medium to large groups. It is similar to Musical Chairs without the music.

Scatter racquets around the tennis court. Give each player one tennis ball. Players move about the court. Leader calls out a number. Players must form a group of that size around one of the racquets as soon as possible, and place their ball on the racquet, forming their 'group'. So for example if the leader calls out '3', all players must form a group of three players/balls at one of the racquets. Any players unable to form a group may perform a challenge activity such as jumping jacks, chicken dance, touchdown dance, donkey kicks, something silly but not demeaning.

Players must select a different racquet location each round to avoid having them hang out at a single location the whole time.

Variations

• Players must move around the court in a designated fashion such as running, skipping, hopping, etc.
• Players have a designated amount of time to form their group.

Dragon's Gold

Dragon's Gold is a warm-up adapted from ThePhysicalEducator.com. Good for large groups of any
age. You will need a tennis ball and some cones or spots, enough for each player.

Create a large circle with the cones or spots. Divide players into equal teams of 2-3 players each. Each player stands near a spot or cone that is their home base. Teams do not have to stand next to each other - players on a single team can be scattered around the circle.

One player is designated the Dragon and is given a tennis ball (the 'gold') to place on the ground in the middle of the circle. Teams take turn trying to steal the Dragon's gold and return to their base without getting tagged. Dragon's job is to protect the gold by tagging players before they can return to their base. Tagged players must freeze. If all players on a team are tagged before they collect the gold, they return to their bases and it is another team's turn. Play continues until one team successfully captures the gold. If no one can capture the gold, once all teams have had a chance, designate a new Dragon.

Guard the Cone

Guard the Cone is another warm-up adapted from ThePhysicalEducator.com. Good for larger groups of any age and ability.

Players form a large circle. You may find placing spots around the perimeter will help keep the players a safe distance away/keep the circle from shrinking as play commences. Place a cone, perhaps with a ball on top, in the center. One player is designated as Guard. It is his/her job to keep the circle players from hitting the cone. Circle players take turns tossing one ball underhand trying to hit the cone. Note only ONE ball is in play.

If the guard accidentally hits the cone, no harm, no foul.

First player to hit cone becomes the new guard.

Nod and Go

Nod and Go is another variation on circle activities, good for large groups of any ability. You will need some throw-down spots, enough for one each player.

Players form a large circle with one player in the middle. Place a spot next to each player in the outer circle. Explain there is no running in this game, only walking for safety purposes. Players change places with each other by first indicating with a nod that they agree to exchange places. Player in the middle is looking for an opportunity to walk over and take any empty spot. Since there is one fewer spot than the number of players, there should always be one player without a spot/in the middle.

Variations

• Players communicate using methods other than nods such as wink, clap, pat leg, etc.
• Remove more spots so that more players are in the middle at the same time.

Adapted from ThePhysicalEducator.com

Empty Bucket

Empty Bucket is a simple warm-up perfect for large groups of any ability.

Place a bucket or hopper in the middle of the court, filled with tennis balls. Designate one player to stand near the bucket. This is the Bucket Boss. All other players are scattered around the court. Bucket Boss empties bucket one ball at a time. Other players replace balls into bucket, again, one ball at a time. Goal is to not allow the Bucket Boss to empty the bucket.

Play for a designated amount of time, then switch Bosses.

Adapted from ThePhysicalEducator.com

Ten Trips

Ten Trips will work on your students' tossing and targeting skills. Great for large groups of any ability.

Have players form a large circle, at least 3 feet apart from each other. One player tosses a ball to each of the others in order. Catching player toss it back. Goal is to have a successful toss/catch to each player without drops. Once all have been tossed to, that is one point. Play continues until 10 points have been earned, then a new player is designated as tosser.

Update: we tried this recently and 10 points is too long for a single tosser. Consider have tosser change after shorter rounds such as one single successful round.

Adapted from ThePhysicalEducator.com 

Caterpillar Riot

I love everything about this game, including the name! Good for large groups of any ability, probably

better for the younger set as it has a definite 'silly' factor. You will need some props including hoops and 'treasure'. The treasure can be any items that can be easily picked up and carried by the players. Tennis balls are perfect for this.

Divide players into two teams. Each player should have a hoop to stand in. Hoops should be touching. Teams compete to move around the court, collecting treasure. Teams move as follows: last player in hoop line steps into hoop with player in front of him. He then passes his empty hoop forward to first player in line, who places hoop on ground and steps into it. Then all players move forward one hoop.

Team collecting the most treasure either in a given time period or when all treasure has been collected, is the winner.

If you don't have hoops available, use spots. Players must stand on spots/cannot leave spots to move to or collect treasure.

Adapted from ThePhysicalEducator.com

2 Strikes

Thanks Coach William Vazquez for this drill which was originally posted here.

Two player start as King or Queen or Champ or whatever you want to call them. They are at the net. All other players are divided into two groups and are challenging the King/Queen from the baseline at ad or deuce. Challengers bounce feed; no lobs/lobs do not earn any points. One chance at the feed.

When King/Queen loses 2 points, they are out and join the line of challengers. Points lost do not have to be consecutive. The player they lost the second point to is the new King/Queen. New King/Queen has 3 seconds to run over and take their position at net. First King/Queen to earn 10 points from clean winners is the winner.

Variation
If you have a smaller group you can make this one on one as opposed to having two lines playing.

My Picks

My Favorite Tennis Games

View more lists from Lissa Johnston

Tennis Infinity

Thanks again to our friends +PhysEdGames for inspiring this tennis activity. Perfect for large groups, festivals, PE classes, etc. You will need some stickers or clothes pins to track scores.

Distribute your players among your courts. Best if your courts are next to each other to speed up court rotation times. Extra players are stationed at the ends of the courts. This screen shot pertains to a school gym but it translates easily to tennis courts IMO.

At timed intervals, Coach stops play and calls a rotation. All players move one position to left or right depending on Coach's instructions. Every rotation should move one of the excess players at the ends onto court, so no one is left standing out too long.

Players play out points. At the end of each rotation, player with most points won gets one sticker or clothes pin to represent that he/she 'won' during that rotation. At end of activity, player with most stickers/pins, wins.

Barnyard

The Internet is truly a beautiful thing - an embarrassment of information riches! Sorting through my Twitter connections recently, I came across +PhysEdGames. If you follow my blog or tweets, you know lots of my tennis game ideas are modified children's games. Barnyard is one that is ripe for conversion. The video reminded me of the old Red Rover game from my childhood lo those many years ago when dinosaurs roamed the earth.

Barnyard's roots being in a PE class setting, it is a natural for large groups. But I can also see how we can use it in a tennis clinic with a smaller group.

One player is designated the Farmer and is at the net. Across the net at the baseline are all other players. They have been broken into different groups, designated by various farm animal names such as Duck, Cow, Goose, Goat, etc. Coach or Farmer calls out an animal. That animal or a player from that group of animals comes forward. Coach feeds ball; player hits. If he/she gets ball safely by Farmer at net, they earn one point for themselves or their animal group, and back into group they go. However if they miss or if Farmer picks off their ball at the net, they are 'out' and must trot over to far baseline.

What happens here is up to you. You can either task them with catching a ball to free themselves and return to the hitting group, or have them pick up X number of balls and deposit them into the hopper before getting back into hitting group.

First player or group to 7 points wins and is the new Farmer. If it is a group that wins, let them figure out who gets to be the next Farmer.

42

This is a great game for large groups/summer camps. I found it on a YouTube video by coach Rob Carvajal Jr. It is part of an adult format he uses that is similar to a boot camp or cardio class, lots of fitness components plus some live ball play. The live ball format is where we get to the 42.

42 is basically a variation on King of the Court where one player or team is designated the champ and all others are challengers. In Coach Rob's version, the challenger must earn 4 points before the champs earn 2 points. If they do so, they are the new champs. Coach feeds first ball to challengers, then live play proceeds. Since the players may take a while to get their 4 points, the fitness stations come in handy to keep the other players busy while they are waiting to play in.

Bucket Head

These make great lightweight
inexpensive 'buckets'

Bucket Head is probably familiar to many of you. It is an old standby at tennis carnivals, play days, camps, and other activities where there are large groups of inexperienced players. You will need some lightweight buckets or bucket-like items (like a cardboard box!). Two will do if you play this as a team activity. If you have more than two buckets, you can play this with smaller teams/groups.

One player from each team is designated as Bucket Head and takes up a position at the baseline. They hold their bucket on top of their head. All other teammates are across the court at the other baseline. Each takes turns trying to bounce feed a ball so that Bucket Head can catch it in their bucket on top of their head. The team with the most balls in their bucket wins.

Take care that balls are cleared out from under Bucket Head's feet. If this is too difficult, Bucket Head can hold bucket out in front of them rather than on their head. Or, designate a coach or parent as the Bucket Head and younger players can just focus on their bounce feeds.

Rally Masters

Rally Masters is similar to other activities seen here to help players develop consistency. The evolve9 version is set up in an event format with timed round robin rounds playing tiebreaks. They readily admit this can get confusing, keeping track of both the rallies and the tiebreak scores. So I am going to simplify it here and eliminate the tiebreak component. You will need some extra stuff to keep track of rallies and score for this activity, so have some clothes pins and extra balls on hand. Prefer the balls be a different color or type than those being used for play.

Organize players ahead of time into a round robin format. Each round will last 10 minutes. Points may only be scored once a minimum number of rallies is completed. First point requires 2 rallies to be completed. Second point requires 3 rallies. Third point requires 4 rallies, and so on.  First ball of each point is bounce fed from baseline.

It is important that there are simple and highly visible scorekeeping methods available, especially for younger players. They must keep track of how many rallies are required as well as what the current score is. Consider using on-court scorekeepers (the flip kind or the tower kind, either are fine). If those are not available, use clothes pins. As for keeping track of how many rallies are needed per point, consider placing balls at the center of the court against the net. That way both players can easily see them, and just add a ball after each point. Ideally you will have different colored balls available for this purpose so that the players don't accidentally pick up and use a ball that should remain at the net for  tracking the number of rallies.

Winning players are those who achieve the highest rally of the day.