Most coaches consider Bump Ups and Bump Downs to be “racquet skills.” To help a child build the coordination necessary to balance a tennis ball on the strings of a racquet takes patience and persistence. Helping a child learn to bounce a ball upward or downward requires even more patience and potentially consistent assistance.
After the ability to balance a ball on the strings is acquired (or at least begun), controlling a moving tennis ball is the natural next step. As mentioned in the Tennis for Children article Bump Ups, rolling a ball around on the strings could easily follow balancing a ball on the strings.
After learning to balance the ball on the strings, we consider attempting Bump Ups and Bump Downs. And as a reminder, the term “bump” is used specifically in this scenario to imply a small contact between ball and racquet as opposed to the term “hit” which implies a strong contact assuming the ball flying away at great speed.
Similar to Bump Ups:
- Bounce the ball downward using the racquet
- This will resemble “dribbling” a basketball
- Try not to let the ball bounce above the racquet level
The success rate for Bump Ups and Bump Downs depends on the child. Some children find it easier to accomplish one as opposed to the other. Because of this, I often introduce Bump Ups and Bump Downs at the same time. Obviously this follows balancing the ball on the strings, rolling the ball around without dropping it and often after introducing “Bounce – Hit.”
To measure success and build encouragement, this is a wonderful situation to continue to learn to count in different languages. You could consider creating a specific language for each of the racquet skills:
- You could use French for the number of seconds the ball is balanced.
- Try Spanish for the number of times the ball rolls around the edge.
- Even try Korean for Bump Ups and Mandarin for Bump Downs!
As it is with any skill a young child will learn, patience and persistence are extraordinarily important. Finding ways to make learning fun and exciting is also important no matter what the child’s age. Counting in different languages keeps the brain engaged and keeping score or creating competition can often keep their short attention spans better focused.
Good luck, and remind your child of Rule #1 of Tennis for Children:
- Never try to hit the ball with your face!
