Traveling Sideline-to-Sideline Rally

Partners face each other and rally with rackets and a soft ball while both shuffle sideways together from one side of the court to the other. Students work on hitting on the move, lateral footwork, and staying in sync with a partner.

How to play

1. Make pairs with a racket each and a soft ball; partners stand on two parallel cone lines about 13 ft apart, across the width of the court, facing each other (2 min).
2. Stationary rally with one bounce in the middle to dial in distance and power (3 min).
3. Traveling rally: after each hit, both partners take one side step to the right, so they move across the court together while rallying until the last cone (4 min).
4. At the end, they come back the other way with side steps to the left; each full trip without a miss earns the pair 1 point.
5. Challenge: the pair chooses to make the trip with a bounce or without one; no-bounce trips are worth 2 points (4 min).

Rules

• Move with side shuffles, without crossing your feet.
• If the ball drops, the pair continues from where they are.
• Safety: all pairs travel in the same direction, and wait until the pair ahead is 10 ft along before starting.
• Hits should be soft and aimed at your partner.

Variations

Adaptations

• Limited mobility: the student stays in place while the partner moves around them in a half circle.
• Visual impairment: use a bell ball and have the partner say 'coming' before each hit.
• Lower skill level: walk forward instead of sideways.

Learning goals

• Hit the ball while the body is moving.
• Move sideways without losing balance.
• Match the rhythm of a partner.

Equipment for a class of 25

• rackets: 25
• soft balls: 13
• cones: 16

Teacher tip

Stagger each pair's start so they don't bunch up at the end of the court. The usual mistake is hitting sideways without turning the body: ask students to keep facing their partner.

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