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Games with tennis balls and tennis rackets

Games with tennis balls: One player is required to throw
the tennis ball while the other player tries to catch the ball using
a water bowl. | ©: www.youthwork-practice.com

Tennis balls are easy to use and if there are enough balls to go around there are several games and competitions you can come up with. If you, by any chance, have a few old tennis rackets, even more games, similar as described in the Table Tennis Section, can be invented. However, buying tennis balls can be a little bit costly. It’s worth, asking the local tennis club, if they could spare a few tennis balls to add to your toy box.

Games, using tennis balls, require gross and fine motor skills as well as promote dexterity and cooperation with other players. The games listed below can be used as agility games, races, skill - or coordination games. With a little imagination everyone is able to invent more games.

Games using tennis balls

Throwing

Classic and simple, those games can be used for every camp Olympics or Youth Group. It’s really simple. Throw the ball as far as you possibly can. With the tape measure the length of your throw will be measured. Depending on the distance, points and rankings are given out.
Boule

Not every youth group has their own boules. However, boule can also be played using tennis balls. It's kind of a money savings option. Each tennis balls is pre-labelled with a marker, so that each team can recognize their own balls. The goal is to throw the tennis balls as close as possible to a target ball. (You can use a wooden ball or another neutral tennis ball). The objective is to get the tennis ball as close as possible to the target. The ball can be rolled or thrown.

The one who gets his ball the closest receives 3 points, the next one 2 and the third closest receives 1 point. Play a few rounds. At the end, the team who could score the highest, wins.
Tennis Ball transport

Objective here is to carry as many as possible tennis balls back and forth. Each team receives 10 -15 tennis balls. At each run every player can try to carry as much as possible balls at once. A maximum of 10-15 balls. After 5 runners the team counts how many balls they were able to carry from A to B.

Pyramid Run

The runner carries 3 balls with one on top in his hand. Objective is, to get from A-B and to pass the balls on to the next kid. If he drops one ball, he has to stop, pick up the ball and continue. However, this run will not be counted. The game requires skill and a steady pace, as well as the right balance between speed and safety.
Stuffed
- Who can wear as much as possible tennis balls in his t-shirt?
- Who can cram as much as possible tennis balls under his T-shirt or sweater?
- Who can cram as much as possible tennis balls in his pants?
Contact

Each two runners jam a ball between them. Jointly they have to run a certain distance. If the ball drops, they have to pick it up, put it back into place and continue to the race.
Sandwiched

The tennis ball is jammed in the hollow of the knee. The player is required to run in a way, so that the tennis ball does not drop.
Track ball

The group receives a transparent plastic, which is rolled out to 3, 4, 5 or meters. Now, everybody is underneath this plastic, holding it right above their heads. The team leader places a tennis ball on top of the plastic. The objective is, to roll the ball from one end to the other without dropping it.
Throwing and catching a tennis ball

One player is required to throw the tennis ball while the other player tries to catch the ball using a water bowl. The ball is only considered to be caught, when it comes to rest in the bowl without bouncing back out again. This game requires some skill ……
Cannonball catapult

Each two players hold a taut towel between them, trying to catapult a tennis ball as far as possible off it. Alternatively, try to catapult the “cannonball” as high as possible. (You could use a taut rope over head as measurement). Or, try to catapult the ball from one team to the other, which in turn tries to catch the ball with their towel.
Tennis ball run

Similar like with the marble run, draw a track in the sand. The team is required to run the tennis ball through the track. The longer the ball stays on the track the better. Needless to say, the ball has to get to the finish line just as well. This game requires creativity, a little physical understanding of an incline and of course, the art of building a good and steady dirt track.
Shooting cans

Needles to say, tennis balls just offer themselves as the perfect projectile to shoot cans off a podium.
Bouncing ball

Each player tries to bounce a tennis ball on his racket as many times as possible.
Water Transport

A plastic cup full of water is placed on a tennis rack. Each team has a given time to take as many as possible cups of water to the finishing line. The team who gets the most water across wins.
Ball Transport

Place as many as possible tennis balls on a tennis racket. In a set time, each team has to take as many as possible balls from A-B. If a ball drops it will not be counted. Alternative: Each player tries to place as many as possible balls on his racket and holds this for 60 seconds without dropping the balls.
Sandwich

A tennis ball, jammed between two rackets has to be carried from A-B. This is a race. Alternative: Again a ball is jammed between two rackets, however, this time two player hold the rackets. This requires good cooperation and skill.
Back and forth

Each player holds a tennis rack in each hand. Now he is required to bounce a tennis ball from one racket to the other. The winner is the one who can do that as many times as possible in a set time.
Tennis racket juggling

You are requested to juggle a tennis racket on just one finger. Who can juggle the longest?
Throwing up high and catching again

The racket is thrown into the air in a fashion so that it rotates at least once. On its way down, however, it has to be caught by its handle again.