Pelotari Hands: Finger, Wrist and Air-Strike Warm-Up

A warm-up built for hand pelota: it gets fingers, wrists, shoulders and the striking motion ready before playing against a fronton wall. It helps prevent hand soreness and has students arrive at the game with their arm prepared.

How to play

1. Easy jog around the wall court with forward and backward arm circles (2 min).
2. Hand mobility in pairs: open and close fingers, wrist rotations and light slaps on a partner's palm, building up force gradually (2 min).
3. Air strike: each student tosses their ball up and hits it with a cupped palm, alternating right and left; count how many controlled hits in a row (3 min).
4. Soft wall: three meters from the wall, light underhand and volley hits with each hand, no power (3 min).

Rules

• Hit with a cupped palm and fingers together, never with your fingertips.
• Build force gradually: the first hits should sound soft.
• If your fingers or wrist hurt, stop and tell the teacher; nobody plays through hand pain.
• Each pair keeps its own section of wall so balls don't cross.

Variations

Adaptations

• Visual impairment: use a bell ball and hit closer to the wall, with a partner calling the bounce.
• Injured hand: work only with the other hand and replace the injured side's hits with gentle unloaded mobility.
• Limited mobility: hit from a seated position facing the wall at a shorter distance, with short tosses.

Learning goals

• Gradually activate fingers, wrists and shoulders before hand pelota.
• Adjust hand position to strike without pain.
• Use both hands with basic control.

Equipment for a class of 25

• tennis balls: 15

Teacher tip

Old tennis balls are perfect: ask a local tennis club for the ones they throw out. The classic mistake is hitting hard from minute one; insist it should sound soft at first.

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