| Even the Kids Love Tennis! | | | | Baby hits, mama hits and papa hits |
| The sport of tennis is gaining popularity amongst | | | | When teaching tennis drills to your beginner players, |
| younger players, even those as young as 4 or 5 years | | | | look for drills that teach different skills such as the |
| old. When teaching tennis drills to kids, make sure to | | | | amount of power put into each hit. This drill, called |
| select drills that are simple yet focus on the underlying | | | | Goldilocks and the Three Balls, has players introduced |
| fundamentals of the game. If the fundamentals are | | | | to the concept of soft hits, medium hits and hard hits. |
| taught properly at a young age, younger players have | | | | First, demonstrate the "baby hit" by hitting the ball very |
| a much better chance of remembering their basic skills | | | | softly, the "mama hit" by hitting the ball to the middle of |
| throughout their lives. The following tennis drills are a | | | | the court, and the "papa hit" by hitting the ball full court. |
| great way to put the fun back in the fundamentals of | | | | Next, have players line up at center court on the |
| the game! | | | | baseline with the coach on the opposite side of the |
| When teaching tennis drills to kids, always make sure | | | | net. Lob the ball towards players one at a time and as |
| to fully explain the drill first before attempting it, and | | | | the ball is in mid-air call out which type of hit you'd like |
| allow players a chance to ask questions before | | | | the player to use: baby, mama, or papa. This fun drill |
| beginning to avoid any mishaps or injury that may | | | | has kids learning how to control the amount of power |
| occur. Keep a close eye on your players and their | | | | put into each hit. |
| balls as they practice, since errant balls can cause | | | | Finally, we have a fun drill introduces the concept of |
| twisted ankles if stepped on. | | | | the forehand hit by having kids hold the racquet like a |
| Through the Hoop | | | | softball bat. Once again, have your players line up on |
| First, we have a drill known as Through the Hoop, | | | | the baseline at center court with the coach on the |
| since it requires a hula-hoop or other large | | | | other side of the net. |
| circle-shaped object. Have the players stand in a line | | | | The coach lobs the ball towards the players one by |
| with the coach standing approximately 10 feet away | | | | one who swing their racket like a softball bat at the |
| with the hula hoop in hand. The coach slowly lobs a ball | | | | oncoming wall. To help children build up accuracy with |
| to players one by one who attempt to hit the ball | | | | these types of hits, assign a point value to a number |
| through the hoop. For every time they score a shot | | | | of different spots on the opposite court, such as ten |
| through the hoop, they earn one point. This drill teaches | | | | points for the back wall and fifteen points for a chair in |
| young players accuracy when hitting the ball. Players | | | | each corner of the court. The player with the most |
| may use their forehand, backhand, or underhand | | | | points at the end of the game is the winner. |
| motions to hit the ball. | | | | |