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Year 7

Outwitting your opponents to win a point

I can select the right shots to dominate rallies and win points.

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New
New
Year 7

Outwitting your opponents to win a point

I can select the right shots to dominate rallies and win points.

Download all resources

These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.

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These resources were created for remote use during the pandemic and are not designed for classroom teaching.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Move: hitting the ball away from your opponent increases winning opportunities.
  2. Think: hitting into space or at your opponent's backhand increases winning opportunities.
  3. Think: if you win the point then you serve the next point.
  4. Feel: to win points you need to have self-belief and play to your strengths.
  5. Connect: handling disagreements constructively requires you to find fair solutions.

Keywords

  • Cross-court - hitting diagonally across the net

  • Dink - a soft shot that lands just over the net in the opponent's “kitchen”

  • Slice/chop - a shot with backspin

Common misconception

Pupils think the best way to win is to hit ithe ball harder.

Sometimes just keeping the ball in and waiting for your opposition to make a mistake is the best way to win points, but it is also helpful to disrupt the rhythm by varying pace/spin, breaking the angle or using disguise to wrong foot your opposition.


To help you plan your year 7 physical education lesson on: Outwitting your opponents to win a point, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Establish doubles pairings carefully that add a social dimension/challenge to the situation and ensure a focus of getting on and solving problems as a pair is as much of a focus in the lesson as the skill development for pickleball success. Introduce officials and analysts if not enough courts.
Teacher tip

Equipment

1 paddle per pupil; 1 pickleball per pupil; badminton/tennis nets

Content guidance

  • Risk assessment required - physical activity

Supervision

Adult supervision required

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Prior knowledge starter quiz

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4 Questions

Q1.
Which shot should be hit with very little swing?
a serve
a groundstroke
Correct answer: a volley
Q2.
When playing a double handed backhand, where should your dominant hand be on the grip?
at the top
Correct answer: at the bottom
it doesn't matter
Q3.
When playing doubles, if you have one player forward and the other behind the baseline, what is this?
a good strategy
Correct answer: a bad strategy
an attacking formation
Q4.
Which of the following is not achieved when you play to your strengths?
you feel good
Correct answer: you waste time
you win points

Assessment exit quiz

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4 Questions

Q1.
Which of the following is not a way to disrupt your opponents rhythm?
vary pace
vary spin
Correct answer: hit at them
Q2.
If you serve and win the point, who serves next?
your partner
Correct answer: you do
your opponent
Q3.
What is a common mistake made by players to try to win the point?
Correct answer: hit it harder
keep it in
vary placement
Q4.
Swinging from high to low as you contact the ball will create which sort of spin?
topspin
Correct answer: slice
side spin