He shoots! He scores!
You don’t have to be Michael Jordan to be great at basketball. You simply have to change the rules at bit. With a few slight rule changes, basketball becomes a game which can be mastered by young children or even an adult tennis player attempting to improve their game. Well, maybe there are more than just a few slight changes.
Now, obviously I am not discussing the kind of basketball played between 5 member teams and two small goals on either end. I am talking about tennis “basketball” which is truly a simple yet innovative training tool for the budding young tennis star or the league player looking to gain an edge.
Here’s how it works:
- Place a basket (typically a tennis ball hopper) against the net
- From the other end of the court, prepare for ‘Bounce-Hit’
- ‘Bounce-Hit’ a ball into the basket
- Repeat
As simple as this game sounds, tennis “basketball” can help a tennis player work on quite a few aspects of their game. I often have clients play basketball on their end of the court when it was time to pick up the tennis balls during a lesson. Once all the balls were either in the basket or back on my end of the court, we would collect the tennis balls and continue the lesson.
For the adult or advanced junior, assume a continental grip and be sure to make contact while keeping the racquet horizontal to the ground. This will improve backspin, continental grip comfort and eventually should improve volleys. Remember to add the arc on your “shot” like shooting a basketball so the ball has a chance to stay inside the ball basket!
For a young child, tennis basketball can aid in understanding of the ‘ball and stick’ relationship while adding the comparison to a familiar sport (the actual basketball). Using the Bounce-Hit’ preparation, the child can learn to hit up on the ball without power to gain distance on their ‘shot.’
The child will learn about hitting a target which is not directly in front of them. The net becomes an obstacle which often keeps us from hitting our target. Learning to hit a tennis ball up into a goal (like the actual basketball goal) will be a valuable understanding for the child. Believe me now and their coach will appreciate it in the future!
Good luck, and remind your child of Rule #1 of Tennis for Children:
- Never try to hit the ball with your face!
