- Year 10
Sprints, smashes and side steps
I can hit shots with power and adjust court position quickly to capitalise on opportunities.
- Year 10
Sprints, smashes and side steps
I can hit shots with power and adjust court position quickly to capitalise on opportunities.
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Lesson details
Key learning points
- Move: powerful shots combine levers in the legs, trunk and arms, along with transferring body weight forwards.
- Move: fast acceleration enables movement to the net at pace.
- Think: moving your body weight forwards as you contact the ball adds significant force to the ball.
- Feel: connecting cleanly and forcefully with the ball is a satisfying feeling.
- Connect: being mindful of where others are on the court as you move and strike the ball is important for safety.
Keywords
Smash - a powerful overhead shot typically hit when the opponent returns a high ball
Lob - a shot that sends the ball high into the air, typically over the opponent's head, with the goal of pushing them back or winning the point outright
Power - the ability to generate force quickly by combining strength and speed
Common misconception
Pupils think power comes from just the size and strength of muscles.
Strength is important to generate power but so are speed, timing, coordination and the combination of levers to transfer power up from the ground.
To help you plan your year 10 physical education lesson on: Sprints, smashes and side steps, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your year 10 physical education lesson on: Sprints, smashes and side steps, 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 4 physical education lessons from the Health and wellbeing: cardio tennis unit, dive into the full secondary physical education curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.
Equipment
a tennis racket each, a bucket of balls per court (ideally low compression), 16 cones per court, tennis posts and nets, music
Content guidance
- Risk assessment required - physical activity
Supervision
Adult supervision required
