Ball familiarisation and battleships serving
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can control the ball on my paddle/racket and serve to start a rally.
Key learning points
- Move: a shake hands grip is needed for control and quick transfer between forehands and backhands.
- Move: a well balanced stance and gentle U-shaped swing is needed to serve with accuracy.
- Think: shorter and controlled strokes increase the accuracy of shots.
- Feel: focusing on the placement of the serve will increase success.
- Connect: working well with others requires a willingness to compromise.
Keywords
Serve - the service starts play by hitting the ball to the other side
Non-volley zone - the area at the front of the court where volleying is prohibited
Grip - how you hold the paddle/racket
Common misconception
Pupils think they need a big swing and to serve overarm.
When we watch pro tennis or other racket sports it looks like you need a huge swing and lots of power but when you are starting out you will get more success with a slow and controlled swing. Pickleball (like badminton) starts with an underarm serve.
Teacher tip
Ask pupils to line up in order of how much previous exposure they have had to racket sports and use this as a baseline to think about who you pair with who and who might play a mini-coach role in your lessons. Many won't have had much more than a few hours of racket sport experience to draw on.
Equipment
1 paddle per pupil, 1 pickleball per pupil , 1 bib between 2, badminton or tennis nets, floor markers and hoops
Content guidance
Risk assessment required - physical activity
Supervision
Adult supervision required
Licence
Prior knowledge starter quiz
4 Questions
Q1.What shot is used to start a rally in racket sports like paddle and tennis?
Q2.What happens if your opponent hits the ball onto your side of the court and it bounces twice before you can hit it?
Q3.What is it called if a left-handed player hits the ball on the left of their body?
Q4.Where on the court should you aim if your opponent is in the middle of the court?
Assessment exit quiz
4 Questions
Q1.What grip should we use in the vast majority of racket sports to get good control?
Q2.What is the area called that you must serve into?
Q3.What is the area at the front of the court called?
Q4.To improve your accuracy and get the ball in the court more often, what do you need to do?
To help you plan your 7 physical education lesson on: Ball familiarisation and battleships serving, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 7 physical education lesson on: Ball familiarisation and battleships serving, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom.
Explore more key stage 3 physical education lessons from the Net and wall games: maintain and win a rally through pickleball unit, dive into the full secondary physical education curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.