Fun Tennis Games for Beginners

Learning how to be a successful tennis player involves investing a lot of time and effort. To make that time and effort entertaining, there are games that beginning players can play to learn the basic skills. Some of these skills involve serving, returning the serve and hitting accuracy. Games can be played as teams or individuals against each other.

  1. Bucket Game

    • Teach accuracy for new tennis players by playing the bucket game. Place five to 10 buckets on each side of the net. Place point values on the outside of each of the different buckets. Each player starts with between 10 and 20 balls on his side of the net in a basket to hit from. Players take turns standing at the baseline on their side of the net hitting one ball over the net trying to land it in one of the opposing player's buckets. After each player plays all the balls in his bucket, he picks up the balls on his side of the net that the opposing player hit and failed to land in a bucket. These are his to hit during the next round of play. Once all the balls are in the buckets, count the points for each ball based on the bucket it is in. The player with the highest score wins.

    Target Practice

    • Have players compete to see who can hit the targets on a tennis court the most accurately. Play with one ball between the players. They practice serving and trying to hit the different areas of the court. If a serve lands within one of the two squares on the court, it is worth one point. If it lands in one of the two squares in the front of the court, it is worth three points. When a serve lands in either of the rectangles on the side of the court, it is worth five points. If the ball hits the net or lands on a line, it does not score on that hit. After the serve, players alternate hitting the ball back and forth scoring points during the rally. If a ball lands out of play or is not returned by an opponent, the last player to hit it serves to start the next round. After there are 10 serves or 20 minutes elapses, the player with the most points wins.

    Three Strikes and You're Out

    • Combine baseball and tennis by playing the game of three strikes and you're out. In this game, place three or four players on each side of the net. One team starts as the fielders and one as the hitters. The hitters line up behind each other at the back of their side of the court with only one player playing at a time. The fielders spread out on their side of the court. One fielder tosses the ball over the net. The batter must hit it before it bounces twice. If he fails to do this, it's an out. Once the batter hits the ball, the fielders must try to catch it before it hits on their side of the court. If the ball is caught or it lands outside the foul lines, it's an out. If it lands inside the court without being caught, it's a run. Teams switch roles between hitters and fielders after three outs and play until each team has nine turns in each role. The team with the most points wins.