Mini Tennis in the Service Box
Small-court tennis games, about the size of a service box, using soft low-bounce balls. Students practice controlled forehands and backhands, early racket preparation, and turning sideways before contact.
How to play
- Use cones to mark courts about 16 × 13 ft on each side of portable nets or ropes at 2.5 ft; put one pair on each court, or groups of three that rotate every point if space is short.
- For 3 minutes, with no opponent, each student drops the ball and hits a forehand toward the net, turning the shoulders sideways before the swing.
- For 5 minutes, cooperative rally: the pair tries for 10 hits in a row after one bounce; once they get it, one partner may only use the backhand.
- For 10 minutes, play to 7 points with an underhand serve: you win the point if the ball bounces twice on the other side or the opponent hits it out.
- After each game, winners rotate one court to the right and the other players one court to the left.
- Finish with 4 minutes: each student explains what their feet do before hitting and demonstrates it for their partner.
Rules
- Always hit the ball after one bounce, never as a volley.
- Before swinging, check that the student on the next court is not in your swing space.
- Serve underhand from behind the back line of the small court.
- Collect loose balls at the end of the point, not during play.
Variations
Easier
Allow two bounces and use a short-handled racket.
Standard
16 × 13 ft court, one bounce, and games to 7.
Harder
Volleys are allowed, but a point counts only if won with a shot that lands in the back half.
Adaptations
- Limited mobility: wheelchair users get two bounces, as in wheelchair tennis, and the court is narrowed.
- Hearing impairment: signal the start and end of each game with an agreed arm gesture.
- Lower skill level: start by hitting balls the partner tosses underhand from 10 ft.
Learning goals
- Hit controlled forehands and backhands after one bounce.
- Turn sideways and prepare the racket before contact.
- Choose where to place the ball to win the point.
Equipment for a class of 25
- rackets: 25
- soft balls: 20
- portable net: 6
- cones: 48
Teacher tip
Soft low-bounce balls are essential; regular tennis balls bounce too high for the small court. Watch above all for early racket preparation, which is what improves control the most.
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