INTRODUCTION & GUIDE

INTRODUCTION

& GUIDE

PRIMARY

P.E. LESSON

PLANS

Welcome to your series of eighteen

lesson plans and accompanying videos

that have been speciﬁcally designed for

schools to help teachers deliver high

quality PE lessons with conﬁdence.

The content has been written by teachers to deliver

curriculum outcomes, and is centered on teaching

fundamental movement skills and developing

physical literacy. Lessons are designed to be

delivered to a whole class in a school hall, with

equipment that, in the main, schools are likely to

have. The lessons are written as three progressive

schemes of work with six lessons in each.

PRIMARY

P.E. LESSON

PLANS:

Introduction

& Guide

The lesson plans provide a progressive six week start

to ﬁnish approach and can be used exactly as they

suggest, and/or teachers can mix and match activities,

use Skill Up activities, and develop additional lessons

appropriately for the pace of their class by considering

the dierentiation suggestions. It is quite feasible

therefore for a class to stay on one lesson plan for

longer than one lesson, consolidate their skills and

work though the activities over two or three lessons,

gradually building in the Skill Up sections. This approach

will extend the six weeks of lesson plans into a longer

scheme of work and ensure that pupils progress at a rate

that is suitable and appropriate to the class itself and not

be rushed. The timings included in the lesson plans may

not suit the leaning pace for all pupils and the teacher

may decide to extend or shorten the activity time to

allow the pupils to master their skills and strengthen

their conﬁdence before progressing or move them onto

further challenges more quickly. This ﬂexible approach

is designed for the teacher to have complete ownership

of the progress of their pupils and class, based on ability,

competence and conﬁdence.

All the videos have been recorded in a primary school

in Birmingham. All the pupils present on the days of

ﬁlming were included in the lessons and, in line with their

school uniform policy pupils participated in their school

uniform if they did not have PE kit. The school hall

used was small (the size of one badminton court), with

typical restrictions e.g. a piano, matt storage and other

obstacles, however the videos demonstrate how the

activities in the lesson plans can be set up and taught

in a meaningful and progressive way.

Lessons 1 to 6

are designed for pupils aged 5-7 to introduce

tennis and racket-based activity, all of which have a

foundation in the fundamental movement skills of

agility, balance and coordination, which are applied in

suitable small sided games.

Lessons 7 to 12

are designed for pupils aged 7-9 to develop their

tennis-based racket skills. The activities are designed

to build upon the fundamental movement skills of

agility, balance and coordination taught in earlier

years with particular emphasis on linking movements

together into sequences and applying them in a broad

range of collaborative learning opportunities as well as

in modiﬁed competitive games. The pupils will begin

to evaluate their own strengths, challenge themselves

through a series of personal best challenges and start

to apply simple tactics.

Lessons 13 to 18

are designed for pupils aged 9 - 11 to develop and

extend their tennis-based racket skills taught in

Lesson Plans 1-12, with particular emphasis on

applying sequences of movement, understanding

scoring and ociating both in personal challenges and

competitive games. The pupils will have opportunities

to communicate with each other, work collaboratively

to practice and apply more advanced tactics.

2 Primary Schools Introduction Primary Schools Introduction 3

EXTERNAL

FOCUS

Research has shown that the type of instruction

and how it is communicated to learners impacts

the rate and retention of learning.

External Focus (i.e. referencing something outside of the body)

has been proven to improve the rate of learning, retention of

learning and robustness of learning over internal focus (i.e. within

the body). Links to just some of the research can be found in

the appendix.

The teaching points and language used throughout the lesson

plans and videos therefore use external focus; some of the

frequently used terms include:

• Shoes (external) instead of feet (internal)

• Racket hands (external) instead of hands (internal)

• Red or blue shoe (external) instead

of right or left foot (internal)

The activities develop the pupils’ right (red) and left (blue)

side of the body equally throughout the lesson plans.

This approach along with External Focus, supports bilateral

coordination and through practice the physical competence

and muscle development of a balanced pupil with strong

coordination on both sides of their body. Pupils will have a

preferred side, which will be developed as they grow and

referred to more in the latter lesson plans.

Tennis is an open sport where players constantly

need to adapt to the ball; in the lesson plans the

teaching point “adapt to the ball” is used frequently.

Depending on how a ball is sent and where it lands,

means pupils will need to move appropriately in

order to be in the right position to receive or hit

the ball. This could be moving forwards, backwards,

sideways, to the ball or moving away from the ball.

PERSONAL

DEVELOPMENT

In every lesson plan the third objective

focuses on a character skill. There are six

key skills, all important to tennis and can

be developed through tennis:

• Cooperation

• Passion

• Perseverance

• Personal Best

• Resilience

• Respect

In addition there are a suite of Personal

Development resources, which sit within the

wider school curriculum, on the LTA Schools

Members Portal.

4 Primary Schools Introduction Primary Schools Introduction 5

INCLUSION

Throughout the lesson plans the dierentiation framework

of STEP has been used. Space, Task, Equipment, People is

now a regularly used term in physical education and the

suggested changes using the framework are a starting

point for personalising learning.

It is expected that pupils may move up and down the dierentiation

continuum throughout their learning and appropriate adjustments

will be made by the teacher to ensure progress and engagement by

all pupils is in line with expectations. The STEP Framework can

be found at the end of this document.

All of the activities are designed to be fully inclusive

and provide progressive learning for pupils with a

special education need or disability. It is therefore

appropriate for the teacher to replace the word

shoe with wheel for a pupil participating

in a wheelchair or using a frame and use

the STEP suggestions to ensure all

pupils can participate.

CROSS

CURRICULAR

LINKS

Tennis & English

(handwriting):

Tennis and racket-based activities are ideal

practical activities which support handwriting

development. The strengthening of the

shoulder, wrist and hand muscles during the

tennis activities help the pupils build strength

for handwriting and manipulating the writing

implements. The development of gross motor

skill and ﬁne motor skills such as hand eye

coordination, spatial awareness and tracking

the ball in the tennis-based skills can be

transferred to the tracking involved in reading

and crossing the midline activities. The various

shots in tennis and cross body movement

supports the shaping and proprioception

development needed for the shaping of letters.

Tennis & Maths:

Tennis has many opportunities for children

to combine mathematical skills whilst playing

fun games. From basic counting, timing,

estimating how many, angles of shots, scoring,

calculating score dierences, recording shot

selection patterns and data collection to

more advanced mathematical skills involving

spreadsheet analysis, problem solving,

statistics, league tables, ladders, probability

and prediction. The opportunities are endless.

6 Primary Schools Introduction Primary Schools Introduction 7

Curriculum for Excellence: Scotland

Lesson plans 1-6

aim to build across the four Health & Well Being competencies

(physical, cognitive, personal qualities & physical ﬁtness) for pupils

in P2 & P3 through challenging and progressive racket based

activity. The lesson plans build on the Early Competencies which

explore body control, space awareness and movement skills through

enjoyable energetic play (HWB 0-21a, HWB 0-22a, HWB 0-24a)

and extend into the First Competencies of linking actions, creating

movement patterns and sequences, developing basic techniques and

control (HWB 1-21a, HWB 1-22a, HWB 1-24a).

Lesson plans 7-12

aim to build across the four Health & Well Being competencies

(physical, cognitive, personal qualities & physical ﬁtness) for pupils in

P4 & P5 through challenging and progressive racket based activity.

The lesson plans build on the First Competencies of linking actions,

creating movement patterns and sequences, developing basic

techniques and control (HWB 1-21a, HWB 1-22a, HWB 1-24a)

and extend into the Second Competencies of adapting and

applying movement skills and strategies whilst consolidating their

skills through practice and reﬁning their performance (HWB

2-21a, HWB 2-22a, HWB 2-23a, HWB 2-24a).

Lesson plans 13-18

aim to build across the four Health & Well Being

competencies (physical, cognitive, personal qualities &

physical ﬁtness) for pupils in P6 & P7 through challenging

and progressive racket based activity. The lesson plans

build on the First Competencies of linking actions,

creating movement patterns and sequences, developing

basic techniques and control (HWB 1-21a, HWB 1-22a,

HWB 1-24a) with a focus on the Second Competencies

of adapting and applying movement skills and

strategies whilst consolidating their skills through

practice and reﬁning their performance (HWB

2-21a, HWB 2-22a, HWB 2-23a, HWB 2-24a).

LINKS TO THE

NATIONAL CURRICULUM

National Curriculum for England

Lesson plans 1-6

aim to inspire Key Stage 1 pupils to succeed and excel

in tennis based activity through an approach that will

provide opportunities for the pupils to develop their

competence, be physically active for sustained periods

of time, engage them in competitive opportunities

and support the start of a life-long engagement and

enjoyment in activity. Lesson plans 1-6 aim for the pupils

to master basic movements especially catching and

throwing, sending and receiving, coordination, agility

and balance in adapted games and challenges with

simple tactics.

Lesson plans 7 -12

aim to inspire pupils in Lower Key Stage 2 (Years 3 & 4)

to succeed and excel in tennis based activity through an

approach that will provide opportunities for the pupils to

apply and develop their racket based skills. The lessons

aim for the pupils to play modiﬁed competitive games,

apply basic tactics for attacking and defending whilst

developing their communication and evaluating skills.

Pupils will develop their technical racket skills and

start to compare their performance to achieve

their personal best.

Lesson plans 13-18

aim to inspire Upper Key Stage 2 (Years 5 & 6) pupils

to succeed and excel in tennis based activity through an

approach that will provide opportunities for the pupils to

apply and develop their racket based skills. The lessons

aim for the pupils to play modiﬁed competitive games

gradually building towards the recognised mini red game.

The lesson plans provide opportunities for the pupils

to apply attacking and defending tactics, understand

scoring and shot selection whilst developing their

communication and evaluating skills. Pupils will develop

their technical racket skills and learn how to evaluate

and recognise their own success in order to achieve their

personal best.

National Curriculum for Wales

Lesson plans 1-6

aim to support the physical development in the

foundation stage though a movement based approach

which is enjoyable and encourages spatial awareness,

coordination, balance, control and manipulative skills

(Outcomes 1 – 3).

The lesson plans extend into Key Stage 2 with

opportunities for pupils to achieve Levels 1-5 with a

strong focus on the lower levels giving the opportunity

to practice, increase conﬁdence and physical control

through simple movement patterns and working safely.

Lesson plans 7 -12

aim to inspire pupils in Lower Key Stage 2 (Years 3 &

4) though an approach which is enjoyable and provides

opportunities for them to practice, improve and link

actions whilst improving their control and ﬂuency

in order for them to achieve Levels 1-5. Pupils will

focus on developing greater coordination, sustaining

activity for longer, evaluating and watching each others’

performance and understanding how to improve their

own skills whilst experiencing a variety of

competitive activities.

Lesson plans 13-18

aims to inspire pupils in Upper Key Stage 2 (Years 5 &

6) though an approach which is enjoyable and provides

opportunities for them to show increased eciency and

eectiveness in their racket skills, in order for them to

achieve Levels 3, 4 & 5.

Pupils will focus on greater having consistency

in their racket skills, demonstrating control and

accuracy, applying more reﬁned tactics in competitive

opportunities demonstrating fair play and use technical

language when asking questions and providing feedback

about their own and others’ performance.

*We are aware that a new curriculum will be released in

2020; at the time of writing this was not yet available.

8 Primary Schools Introduction Primary Schools Introduction 9

THE LESSON PLANS

Each lesson plan has three lesson objectives which are age and stage appropriate.

Learning objective one and two focus on the fundamental movement development

of competence and conﬁdence through skill development whilst lesson objective three

focuses on the life-skills and character development which underpins this scheme of work.

In particular, the activities provide opportunities for learning and self-reﬂection regarding

respect, resilience, perseverance, passion, cooperation and personal best.

The Lesson Plan Structure:

Each lesson plan is divided into four distinct sections

each with a Skill Up section for extending learning where

more able pupils need further challenge. There are

video resources available for each activity to provide a

visual understanding of pupils in action. A ﬁfth section

is included on the lesson plans but not in the video

resource and this provides the teacher with a suggested

plenary appropriate to the lesson plan.

• Part 1: Warm Up

In this section the activities develop and build upon

the ﬁve step patterns needed for all movement and

the equivalent throwing and catching skills, both in

isolation and combination.

• Part 2: Body & Ball

In this section the pupils will develop body

control alongside controlling a variety of ball

types. They explore the ﬂight and bounce of the

ball and how to adjust their body in sending and

receiving the ball.

• Part 3: Racket & Ball

In this section the pupils start by using their

hands as rackets and gradually build up to holding

and hitting with rackets in simple and gradually

more complex sequences.

• Part 4: Skill Application (game):

In this section the pupils apply the skills learnt

earlier in the lessons in fun games including a

variety of individual personal challenges,

pairs challenges and team opportunities.

• Skill Up:

This part of the lesson plan oers the teacher an

extension challenge to be used appropriately for

those pupils ready for the next step.

The lesson plans and activities have been designed for

use in a typical small primary school hall. Many activities

involve the pupils working in pairs and fours with at times

two pupils playing whilst a second pair fulﬁll the roles

of umpire and line judges. This approach allows

the teacher to maximise the space, create a safe

working environment and if the teacher is faced

with odd numbers of pupils there should be simple

adjustments made to accommodate the odd number

For example, in an activity where pupils are ideally

working in pairs, but there are three in the group,

one pupil acts as an observer / coach and provides

peer feedback, whilst the other two pupils are doing

the task. Ensure to rotate the pupils regularly.

Many of the activities in the videos have been

set up in fours due to the available space however

if there is greater space the activities can be

performed in pairs which will give pupils more

time on each task.

teacher signals stop the pupils

have to jump onto the spot using

the different footwork patterns

called out by the teacher, or pupils

can select which pattern they

perform.

Time/

Lesson

Activity

Teaching

Points

Differentiation

& Challenge: S T E P

Key

Questions

11 – 21

mins

LO2

LO3

Body & Ball – ‘Roll & recover’

In pairs with 1 line each. Pupils

start facing each other, shoes

touching. They take 2 big steps

backwards and place their own

line on the floor and stand behind

it. They place a throw down spot in

the middle between their lines.

1 large ball per pair.

Pupil 1 rolls the ball to Pupil 2 over

the spot. Pupil 3 stops the ball and

rolls it back. Repeat.

Guide the pupils through using a

similar pattern as with the shoes.

§ Send with both hands,

receive with both hands

§ Send with right red),

receive with right (red)

§ Send with left (blue),

receive with left (blue)

Body & Ball - SKILL UP

If the ball rolls over the spot the

pupil takes a step backwards and

replaces their line behind their

heels gradually increasing the

distance between them and their

partner. If the ball does not roll

over the spot, the pupil takes a

step forward moving their line

accordingly. Pupils may now be a

different distance from the spot

compared to their partner.

§ Eyes tracking

the ball

§ Stand side on

to roll the ball with

opposite shoe to

hand rolling with

i.e. left shoe and

roll with right (red)

hand, or right shoe

forwards and roll

with left (blue)

hand

§ Whole arm

swinging towards

partner

§ Knees slightly bent

when stepping

forward

S: Pupils sitting on floor

with legs in V shape -

central roll using 2 hands

S: Increasing/decrease

distance apart

T: Increase the speed

of the roll, alternate

between right and left

hands

E: Different sized balls -

smaller balls are harder

P: Working in 4s, 2v2

alternating turns

How do you

use your

racket hands

to roll the ball

forward?

What is your

partner doing

to keep track

of the ball?

Time/

Lesson

Activity

Teaching

Points

Differentiation

& Challenge: S T E P

Key

Questions

22 – 32

mins

LO1

LO2

LO3

Racket & Ball -

‘Space Explorer’

Pupils in pairs, standing behind

throw down lines facing each

other. Pupil 1 starts with the ball

and rolls the ball across the floor

to Pupil 2. Pupil 2 uses either

hand to stop the ball and then

push it back using the palm of

their hand. Pupil 1 then stops the

ball and pushes it back. Continue.

§ Control when

stopping/splatting

the ball

§ Stop the ball in

front of shoes

§ Push the ball with

the palm of racket

hand

§ Step forward with

opposite shoe to

racket hand

§ Bottom edge of

their racket hand

S: Pupils self-control

movement

backwards/forwards

according to accuracy.

S: Increase/decrease

distance apart

T: Remove the stopping

of the ball whereby

pupils push the ball

straight back in a

continuous motion

How does it

feel to control

the ball with

your racket

hand?

If you roll

the ball

faster to your

partner what

happens?

LEARNING OBJECTIVE OVERVIEW

LESSON LO1 LO2 LO3

Explore basic movements using the

5 fundamental footstep patterns

Sending and receiving a moving ball

with hands and rackets

Working cooperatively in small competitive

tasks to improve competence and conﬁdence

Developing the 5 fundamental

footstep patterns

Developing conﬁdence in sending and

receiving a ball using hands and rackets

Working cooperatively

Connecting foot patterns with

the ball bouncing and throws

Working Individually and pairs to

introduce space and timing incorporating

a basic service action

Listening to each other and showing resilience

by not giving up and trying to improve

Developing hand patterns

and racket conﬁdence

Introducing a volley action through sending

and receiving over a basic net focusing on

tracking the balloon

Working cooperatively and showing perseverance

by not giving up as the challenge gets more

dicult

Linking body and feet movement

with direction

Introducing forward / backwards / upwards /

downward movements with balls and rackets

Working in a team, taking turns and

respecting team members opinion

Linking key words to foot and

hand patterns

Introducing a scoring system, understanding

IN & OUT whilst rallying

Demonstrating respect through

scoring honestly and fairly

LESSON LO1 LO2 LO3

Developing right and left-hand

conﬁdence with direction

Introducing aiming at targets and applying simple

attacking /defending tactics in a competitive game

Working cooperatively in pairs and in a team whilst

demonstrating respect for rules and opponents

Develop hand and feet movement

conﬁdence with and without rackets

Develop aiming towards targets individually,

in pairs and applying it in a team situation

Working cooperatively to achieve team

scores in more complex routines

Developing an understanding

of ball ﬂight with targets

Introducing the words and actions for forehand

and backhand when sending and receiving

Demonstrating resilience when faced

with a more complex racket skill

Introducing the upward toss of the ball

and each hand doing a dierent action

Linking upward toss to serving action and

developing an overarm tap serve

Cooperative working and demonstrating

perseverance when trying to improve their

personal performance

Applying step patterns with hand and

racket actions in combination

Applying racket and ball skills in a

competitive environment

Working cooperatively in a pair to achieve

and improve performance

Applying line judging and scoring with

respect in a game situation

Applying simple attacking tactics and trying to

outwit their opponent in a competitive game

Demonstrating perseverance in trying to beat an

opponent and respecting the rules of the game

LESSON LO1 LO2 LO3

Developing right and left side hand

and foot movements in combination

Developing forehand and backhand sending and

receiving actions, using hands and rackets

Working cooperatively to improve their

personal best and evaluate their own success

Develop reactions to a moving ball,

building rhythm and sequences

Develop forehand/backhand actions and apply

the technique in small games.

Cooperative working in pairs and fours,

demonstrating respect and evaluating

performance

Developing foot movement

and racket control

Understanding the ﬂight of the ball and timing

of the bounce in relation to body position

Working cooperatively and persevering

in more complex sequences of play

Introducing the attacking strategy

of playing into a space

Developing a basic overarm serve and return

of serve technique

Demonstrate observation skills, honesty,

fairness and respect

Developing competence in movement

around the court space, using

sequences whilst ball handling

Developing the volley action and applying

it in a competition

Work collaboratively and independently

to apply cooperative and attacking tactics

Applying key step patterns in

sequence, mirroring actions and

cooperative rallying to practice hand,

feet and body movements

Applying key actions in a competitive game

situation, with scoring

Demonstrating perseverance in trying to beat an

opponent and respecting the rules of the game

LESSON PLAN 01

Targeted at:

England & Wales: Reception / Yr 1 / Yr2

Scotland: P1 / P2 / P3

Learning Objectives

LO1: Explore basic movements using the 5 fundamental shoe step patterns.

LO2: Sending and receiving a moving ball with hands & rackets

LO3: Working cooperatively in small competitive tasks to improve competence and confidence.

Equipment

§ Lightweight balls – various sizes to allow for differentiation

§ Throw Down Spots

§ Throw Down Lines – 1 per pupil

§ Rackets – short handled or Hit Mitts

§ Red & Blue Stickers placed on pupil’s shoes (Red on right, Blue on left)

Time/

Lesson

Activity

Teaching

Points

Differentiation

& Challenge: S T E P

Key

Questions

0 – 10

mins

LO1

Warm Up –

‘Shoe-work Patterns’

Pupils move around the space,

using the 5 step patterns

determined by the teacher. When

the teacher calls stop, pupils have

to stop and hold a Ready Position.

Repeat each step pattern a few

times before moving onto the

next one.

1. Jump from 2 shoes and

land on 2 shoes (2-2)

2. Hop on Red shoe (right) -

1 shoe to 1 shoe (1-1)

Hop on Blue shoes/left –

(1-1)

3. Take off from 2 shoes and

land on Red shoe (2-1)

Take off from 2 shoes and

land on Blue shoe (2-1)

4. Take off from Red shoe

and land on 2 shoes (1-2)

Take off from Blue shoe

and land on 2 shoes (1-2)

5. Red shoe to opposite Blue

shoe and vice versa (walking,

jogging etc)

Warm Up – SKILL UP

Pupils collect a throw down spot

each, and space these out around

the space. The pupils move

around the space, when the

Ready position:

§ Shoes side by

side, shoulder

width apart

§ knees slightly bent,

§ racket hands out in

front of the body

above shoes.

5 basic step patterns.

§ Stop safely

and with control,

§ knees bent on

landing

§ use arms to

balance

§ head up

E: Place different

coloured stickers on

pupils’ shoes e.g. blue

on left and red on right.

Call out the colour rather

than left or right.

T: Easier: Focus

on one footwork

pattern only.

T: Harder: Can the pupils

move more quickly, and

hold their balance before

and after the movement

S &T: Changing the

instruction to alter the

landing to on or over the

spots will provide varying

degrees of difficulty.

Some of you

step better on

one leg than

the other?

Which is your

best step?

How can you

use your arms

to help you

balance?

10 Primary Schools Introduction Primary Schools Introduction 11

KEY WORDS

used within the Lesson Plans

Adapt to the ball

Move the body into a position to play a shot

Agility

Changing directions quickly

Backhand

Hitting the ball on the non-preferred / non-dominant

side of the body, with the back of the hand pointing

towards the direction of hitting

Balance

Holding a still position without wobbling

Bilateral

The ability to use both sides of the body

Blue

Reference to the left side of the body

Contact with ball

The point at which a hand or racket actually hits the ball

Coordination

The ability to use dierent parts of

the body together smoothly and eciently.

External

Reference to shoes, racket hands and

external elements outside of the body

Eyes tracking the ball

Pupils looking at the ﬂight of the ball,

with the aim to get behind the ball

Feed

A controlled easy start to a rally or activity

Forehand

Hitting the ball on the preferred / dominant side

of the body, with the palm of the hand pointing

towards the direction of hitting

Groundstroke

Forehand and backhand shots hit after the ball has

bounced

In / Out

The ball is considered “in” if the ﬁrst bounce lands

on or within the court lines. If the ﬁrst bounce is

outside of the court lines it is “out”

Lunge

A position where one leg is positioned forward

with knee bent and foot ﬂat on the ground while

the other leg is positioned behind

Inclusion

An ethos describing activity for all pupils

Racket Hand

Used to refer to movement of the hands

Rally

A ball or object continuously being hit or

thrown to and from a pair of people

Receiving

Responding to a ball/object being

hit or thrown towards you

Red

Reference to the right side of the body

Self-serve

Tapping the ball upwards, letting it

bounce before hitting the ball forwards

Sending

Hitting or throwing a ball or object away from you

Serve

The beginning action to get the ball in motion,

usually at the start of each point and can be a bounce

serve/self-serve/underarm/tap serve/full serve

Shoes

Used to refer to movement of the feet

Skill Up

An adapted version of the activity which is more dicult

Splatting the ball

Placing a hand or racket downwards on top of the

ball to stop it moving, trapping it between the

hand/racket and the ﬂoor

STEP

Space, Task, Equipment, People -

a dierentiation Framework

Volley

Hitting an object/ball before it touches the ﬂoor

TEACHING POINTS

for Tennis Shots

Ready Position:

A neutral starting position from which to adapt to the ball

from. Shoes are shoulder width apart, knees slightly bent,

hands in front of the body, in a balanced position.

If a racket is being used, both hands should be on the grip,

with the preferred / dominant hand at the bottom.

Forehand:

Played on the preferred / dominant side of the body. Shake

hands with the racket to grip. From the Ready Position,

remove the non-dominant hand as the ball bounces. Contact

the ball out in front and to the side of the body. The palm

of the dominant hand faces the direction of hitting. Push,

rather than hit, the ball to maintain control.

Backhand:

Played on the non-preferred / non-dominant side of the

body. Shake hands with the racket to grip. From the Ready

Position both hands stay on the grip. Contact the ball out in

front and to the side of the body using the other side of the

strings to the forehand. The back of the dominant hand faces

the direction of hitting. Push, rather than hit, the ball to

maintain control. The ball should travel in rainbow shape.

Volley:

The ball is hit before it bounces and therefore played when

close to the net. From the Ready Position a forehand or

backhand volley can be played. Contact the ball out in front

and to the side of the body. Keep the racket head up and tap

the ball.

Serve:

The racket is in the dominant hand and the ball is in the non-

dominant hand. The ball can be hit underarm or overarm,

and the can be hit out of the hand or thrown up to hit.

12 Primary Schools Introduction Primary Schools Introduction 13

STEP Framework for Tennis

This guidance provides a framework for dierentiation. It gives examples of how

tennis activities and practices can be adapted to meet learning outcomes.

By tweaking the dierent elements of the STEP framework to make an activity easier

or harder, either in separation or in combination will ensure a progressive and

inclusive learning experience for all children.

STEP

TASK

What is happening?

• Can the objective be changed?

• Can the rules, scoring or time

allocation be modiﬁed?

• Can the speed of the activity be

altered to allow more time to react?

• Can the individuals/group do dierent

tasks at the same/dierent times?

Sending:

• Roll or Throw (underarm or overarm) with

racket hands; using a racket roll the ball;

using a racket hit the ball.

Receiving:

• Splat the ball when rolled then roll back;

Catch the ball then place on ﬂoor and roll

back; Catch the ball then self-feed and hit

back; Tap the ball up to self, let it bounce,

then hit back; Hit the ball straight back.

EQUIPMENT

What is being used?

• Can the type of racket and/or

ball being used be changed?

• Can the size or type of targets

being used be changed?

• Can additional or alternative

equipment be used?

• Can the height or type of

the net be altered?

Rackets:

• Racket hands, Hit Mitts, rackets with short

handles and large hitting areas then gradually

building up to use rackets with longer handles

(19”, 21”, 23”) when ready.

Balls:

• Balloons, beach-balls, bean bags, ﬂu balls,

softer balls, harder balls, larger & smaller balls.

Consider using brightly coloured balls or balls

with bells inside to assist pupils with visual

impairment. Gradually build up to using the

mini red balls when ready.

PEOPLE

Who is involved?

• Are pupils working independently,

in pairs or in groups?

• Do the pupils have the same roles?

• Are the pupils grouped by age, size,

ability or friendships?

Recommendation:

• Individual, pairs, groups, teams, large teams

for dierent activities and practices gradually

building to mini red singles.

SPACE

Where is the activity happening?

• Indoors or outdoors, what type

of playing surface?

• Can the area or distance in

the activity be modiﬁed?

• Can the level from which the

task is being completed be changed?

• Can the surface be altered or changed?

Designate a space without a net:

• Make the space larger, smaller, wider, narrower

• Introduce target areas, service box,

baselines as appropriate.

Designate a space with a net:

• Line on the ﬂoor, skipping rope on the ﬂoor,

cones, bench, low net, barrier tape, portable net

• Gradually increasing the height of the net/barrier.

Using a wall area:

• Basic wall space for rebound games, wall with a low line

marked gradually increasing the height to mini red.

14 Primary Schools Introduction Primary Schools Introduction 15

APPENDIX

External Focus Research

De Giorgio, A., Sellami, M., Kuvacic, G., Lawrence G., Padulo, J., Mingardi, M., Mainolﬁ, L. 2018.

Enhancing motor learning of young soccer players through preventing an internal focus of attention:

the eect of shoes colour. https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0200689

McNevin, N.H., Shea, C.H., Wulf, G. (2003).

Increasing the distance of an external focus of attention enhances learning.

Psychological research, 67, 22-29. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12589447

Wulf,G., McConnel, N., Gartner, M., Schwarz, A. 2002.

Enhancing the Learning of Sport Skills Through External-Focus Feedback.

Journal of Motor Behaviour, Vol.34, No.2. 171-182

http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.463.9173&rep=rep1&type=pdf

Zachry, T., Wulf, G., Mercer, J., Bezodis,N. 2005.

Increased movement accuracy and reduced EMG activity as the result of

adopting an external focus of attention. Brain Research Bulletin, 67, 304-309.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16182938

With special thanks to Baseline Sport, Coach2Competence,

EAG Consultancy Services, and Nansen Primary School (Birmingham).

LTA

The National Tennis Centre

100 Priory Lane

Roehampton

London SW15 5JQ

T: 020 8487 7000

E: info@lta.org.uk