Try a tennis warm-up

You’ll need

Tennis balls

To watch in full screen, double click the video

Before you begin

Use the safety checklist to help you plan and risk assess your activity. Additional help to carry out your risk assessment, including examples, can be found here. Don’t forget to make sure all young people and adults involved in the activity know how to take part safely.
Watch the video above to see how you can deliver this session.

Bounce and drop

Everyone should get into pairs, and stand facing each other about half a metre apart.
Using both hands, everyone should hold a tennis ball out in front of their body and slightly to the right.
As a group, count down from three to initiate a rhythm: ‘Three, two, one, drop’.
On ‘drop’, everyone should drop their ball and aim to catch their partner’s ball after one bounce.

Lunge and pass

Everyone should line up at one end of the meeting space.
The aim is to travel across the entire length of the space by lunging forward, passing the tennis ball under their front leg from one hand to another, and repeating until they reach the other side.
Once they have reached the other side, everyone should find a new partner and repeat the ‘bounce and drop’ game above.

Reflection

This activity gave everyone a chance to be active while learning some skills and techniques to improve their tennis abilities. Did everyone enjoy the new game? What kinds of skills did people need? How did people feel the first time someone threw a ball at them? They may have been a bit scared or nervous at first - did this change as they carried on playing? Does everyone feel more confident in their catching and throwing skills?

Safety

All activities must be safely managed. You must complete a thorough risk assessment and take appropriate steps to reduce risk. Use the safety checklist to help you plan and risk assess your activity. Always get approval for the activity, and have suitable supervision and an InTouch process.

Active games: The game area should be free of hazards. Explain the rules of the game clearly and have a clear way to communicate that the game must stop when needed. Take a look at our guidance on running active games safely.
Dark: Provide some light, so the environment isn’t completely dark. Everyone must be able to see others and move around the area safely.
Outdoor activities: You must have permission to use the location. Always check the weather forecast, and inform parents and carers of any change in venue.