Overload

Yikes! If the racquets get this full, maybe break into
two or three smaller groups!

Summer tennis camps are just around the corner. Quality coaches are organizing lesson plans like mad. If they're not, they're the OTHER coaches who are using the same tired dead ball feeding drills, finishing camp with a half-hearted game of Dog Pound. After hours of dead ball feeds, the campers think Dog Pound is the best thing since yellow tennis balls, and who can blame them? I Can. Don't Be That Coach! Get Googling for some fresh tennis activities - like Overload.

My boss encourages us to combine quality fundamentals with fresh new on-court activities. He led a summer camp refresher training session for all summer camp instructors last week. Overload was one of the many gems he shared with us. He didn't have a name for it so as usual I am taking the liberty. Great for all ages and abilities; a good icebreaker; and all you need is players, racquets, and one ball per player.

Players form a circle facing inward. Each player balances one ball in the middle of their racquet strings. Coach either begins activity or designates starter. Starter passes his/her ball to next player. That player now has two balls on his/her racquet. Repeat around circle. Number of balls will accumulate, making the pass more challenging with each player. Goal is to make it all the way around the circle without dropping any balls.

Will there be some dropped balls? Probably. Will everyone be rooting for everyone else to succeed? Probably. If any balls are dropped, have the players retrieve, put back on racquet and pass them singly. This should be light-hearted, not punishment.

Once all balls have made it to the final player, and just when all think the game is over, have them keep passing so that the players who began the game with only one or two balls to pass now have to 'feel the pain' of the players farther along in the circle to had to manage more balls. Go all the way around again with the total number of balls.

For a conclusion to this activity with a little flair, coach or last player can fling all balls accumulated onto their racquet into the air.

Around the World

Around the World is a dribbling challenge perfect for warm-ups. It is simple and easy to customize. The goal is to be able to dribble a complete circle around an object. Youngest players can dribble using 'bounce, catch' with their hands and a ball, no racquets needed. Dribbling can be done as 'downs', 'ups', 'self-rally', or some combination.

Variations

• Have a single object such as a cone or spot. All players take turn dribbling around that item.
• Have multiple objects; each player moves from item to item, dribbling around each in a complete circle. 
• Divide group into teams. Each player dribbles around item relay-style. First team to finish, wins. 

Awards Categories

Summertime means summer camps, and no camp is complete without awards on the last day! It is important that each camper receives an award of some sort. Sometimes it is a challenge to come up with appropriate awards that are fun and unique. Here are a few awards I have given in the past. Do you have any to add to this list?

The Obvious
Most Improved
Undefeated
Camp Champ
Hot Shot
Speedster

Less Obvious
Kings and Queens - this is a great category, infinite ways to customize based on your camp activities. For example you could have a King or Queen of popular games ('Jailbreak King') or shots (Overhead Queen) or activities (Ball Pick-up King) or lunch snack (Popsicle Queen) or whatever comes to mind.
Scorekeeper - some students have a real knack for keeping track of the score. Some don't. :)

All-Around
Mr./Ms. Cool
Sportsmanship
Trooper - good for anyone overcoming adversity - sunburn, skinned knee, blisters, etc.
Netiquette

Attire
This is meant to be light-hearted, or for when you just can't think of any more unique awards - Best Hat, Best Shirt, etc. Be careful with this one. Kids are so sensitive about peers, clothing, etc. I usually use it if they have worn something especially colorful or wacky just for fun.

Personalized
Best Lefty
Best Righty

Thank You, Jeeves

Thank You, Jeeves is a serve warm-up. You will need at least four players.

Pair players into teams of two. Place four balls on the ground on each side of court. Points are not played out so you can put them wherever you want as long as they are on the same location on both sides of court so as not to give one team an advantage. You want them some difference from traditional serving position. Suggest in alley near service line, at T, at net, etc.

First player from each team serves; server then runs to get a ball from their own team's pile and give it to the next server. First team to run out of balls wins. Notice they are not playing out points, just serving and then running to the ball pile and back.

Best two out of three wins. While speed is important, it is also important for playeres to maintain good quality technique here. Note the points are not played out. Just serve and go.

Variations

• Increase the number of players on each team. Even numbers preferred but if not possible, the team with the extra player will just have to serve quicker!
• Change # of balls
• Change location of where balls are stored on court

Update:

I used Thank You, Jeeves recently in two different small groups, with only two players each. It worked GREAT as a serve warm-up and I will def be using it again in future. Here's my tweak for uber small groups: the two players compete to see who can earn 7 points first (one point for each correct serve). Earning points for each good serve motivates them to hit quality serves. Played it once on each half of court so both players have a chance to win. By the time they finished two rounds they were def warmed up and ready for some match play. I also insisted they say 'Thank you, Jeeves' each time they were handed a ball. They got a huge kick out of that.

Simon Says

Simon Says is a great prospect for adapting to tennis because it is so flexible. I have seen several different variations. I encourage you to come up with your own and share them with me. Here's the one I like best.

Best for young beginners. You will need some cones or spots. Place them at equal intervals along the sidelines 1-2 feet apart.

Players stand at baseline. Coach is off court or across court. Coach gives directions to players, preceding each command with 'Simon Says'. Example:

• Simon Says hit a forehand
• Simon Says hit a backhand
• Simon Says show me Ready Position
• Simon Says do a Split Step

Note the commands do not have to be tennis related - ask for jumping jacks, balance on one foot, clap hands three times, whatever. Use your imagination. If they are doing tennis strokes, no racquets necessary, just do shadow swings.

Each time the player(s) perform the correct command, they advance one spot toward the net (hence the need for the spots/cones).  First player to net wins. So far so good, but if you know this game, you also know this rule: Coach may sometimes try to trick the players by giving a command without first saying 'Simon Says'. If players do the command anyway, the penalty is to return to the baseline. So Coaches, once you get going, start firing commands quickly to test your players' listening skills.

Smash It Or Send It

I learned this dribbling variation from one of my students. He is 5. I was showing him the various ways to dribble a ball (ups, downs, self-rallies) and he came up with this one on his own. And I let him! He was obsessed with it and had completed 53 rallies before his dad had to drag him off the court. Love when that happens!

Basically this is a series of 'down's (bouncing the ball against the court with the racquet) without those pesky rules of only one bounce per hit. He Smashed It, tracking it as it was bouncing, and Smashed It again when he judged it to be the proper time. If it started to get too low, he tapped it from underneath (an 'up' - the Send It option) instead to give it more height. Very bright fellow.

So loosen up the rules on the dribbing and let your students Find A Way to engage with racquet and ball. See how many rallies they can get this way. As long as ball is not rolling, keep Smashing and Sending.

Here's a video of my student demonstrating his Smashing skills.

Net Monster

I stole this game from Steve Ghelardini. He was on the court next to me at a recent Junior Tennis

JTL has been running summer youth tennis leagues for
a looooooong time in the Columbia SC area

League (JTL) Jamboree at the Lexington County (SC) Tennis Complex. We were all tasked with running a fun tennis activity on our courts. We had a different group of players rotating through every 20 minutes.

Steve's activity was a variation on the tennis drill evergreen Jail Break/Dogpound. I have taken the liberty of renaming it because Steve was indeed a Net Monster and really made this game a challenge, especially for the higher level players.

Coach stands near the net feeding balls to players at the baseline. Player must hit safely to remain in hitting line. Players not hitting safely cross to other end of court, put down racquets, and try to regain their place in the hitting line by catching a hit ball in air. Last remaining player in hitting line hitting safely, wins.

About now you are thinking, how is this different from Jail Break/Dogpound? It's different because Steve took an active role as feeder, intercepting any balls he had a play on at the net. So the hitters had to get their balls by Steve which was no easy feat - Steve is a Net Monster.

C'mon, coaches - you know you are itching to hit those easy balls when you are playing Jail Break. So go ahead!