Fun Tennis Games for Beginners

Court games for players who cannot rally yet, from a ball balanced on the strings to a first serve.

Fun Tennis Games for Beginners

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  1. Throw It Into the Box1. Players stand on the service line with a ball each and no rackets.2. Throw overarm over the net and into the service box diagonally opposite.3. A ball in the box moves you two steps back, and you keep going until you reach the baseline.4. Collect the balls on the coach's call and start again from the other side of the center mark.Drills: an overarm throw into the service box. Space: a full court. Youngest player: age 6. Players: 2 to 12. You need: a ball each.
  2. Hit and Catch Rally1. Pairs face each other across the net at the service lines. One has a racket and the other does not.2. The catcher throws underarm so the ball bounces once in front of the hitter.3. The hitter sends it back over the net, and the catcher catches it after one bounce.4. Each catch counts one for the pair. Swap jobs at ten, or after two misses in a row.Drills: a controlled groundstroke. Space: the service boxes of one court. Youngest player: age 6. Players: 2 to 16. You need: one racket and one ball for each pair.
  3. Stop Sign Volleys1. The volleyer stands two steps from the net and holds the racket up in front like a stop sign.2. The partner, across the net, tosses underarm at the strings.3. With no swing, the volleyer blocks the ball back so the tosser can catch it without moving their feet.4. Each catch is a point for the pair. After ten tosses, swap, and try the backhand side next.Drills: a volley with no swing. Space: either side of the net. Youngest player: age 6. Players: 2 to 16. You need: one racket and one ball for each pair.

Next step Basketball practice games

How it works

These fun tennis games for beginners need no rally to work: a partner tosses, drops or catches the ball, so every player gets a clean hit. Each one is a drill with a score.

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Slower balls, smaller court

Smaller courts and slower red, orange and green balls give younger children more time and control. Many games here are played inside the service boxes, the boxes between the net and the service line.

Tennis drills as games, stroke by stroke

A groundstroke is a forehand or a backhand hit after one bounce, and a volley is hit before the ball bounces, usually near the net. The sets run in the order a beginner learns: racket control, then a fed ball, then targets, volleys and serves.

  • Give every waiting player a job, as Drop, Hit, Catch does: one feeds, one hits, one catches.

Questions and answers

What are good beginner tennis games for two players?

Cone Catch, Hit and Catch Rally, Trap It on the Strings and Stop Sign Volleys each take a pair, one tossing and one receiving, so a parent and a child can play them with one racket or none.

Which tennis games can beginners play without a net?

Walk the Dog Along the Lines, Pancake Tap-Ups, Racket-to-Racket Pass and Toss Onto the Strings work on a driveway or a playground. Choose No net needed under More filters for the rest.

What tennis practice games keep a big group busy on one court?

Tennis Baseball, Jail Break and Around the World Rally, Everyone Stays In, take five or more players with one ball in play. King of the Court With Two Bounces suits four to ten, and Run to the Line needs no rackets.

How do you teach a beginner to serve with a game?

Start without a racket: Throw It Into the Box is an overarm throw into the service box, and Toss Onto the Strings trains the ball toss. Serve and Catch and Service Box Golf come next, with an underarm serve allowed.

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All 34 games

Racket and ball control games 6

  • Bounce It Across the Court 1. Everyone lines up along one sideline with a racket and a ball. 2. Walk across the court bouncing the ball down to the ground with the strings, like dribbling a basketball. 3. Stop and catch it at the far sideline. 4. Come back bouncing it up off the strings instead. On the third trip, alternate one down and one up. Drills: control while moving. Space: the width of one court. Youngest player: age 5. Players: 2 to 20. You need: a racket and a ball each.
  • Cone Catch 1. Pairs stand four steps apart. One holds a plastic cone upside down like an ice cream cone, and the other has a ball. 2. The thrower tosses underarm so the ball bounces once. 3. The catcher moves their feet and catches it in the cone. 4. After five catches in a row, both take a step back. Swap jobs after every miss. Drills: judging the bounce and moving to the ball. Space: no court needed. Youngest player: age 4. Players: 2 to 20. You need: a cone and a ball for each pair.
  • Pancake Tap-Ups 1. Hold the racket flat like a frying pan with a ball on the strings. 2. Bounce the ball up to eye height and count the bounces in a row. 3. At five, flip the pancake: turn the racket over between bounces so the ball lands on the other side of the strings. 4. At ten, let the ball drop to the ground between bounces. Each player keeps their own best count. Drills: a steady racket face. Space: no court needed. Youngest player: age 5. Players: 2 to 20. You need: a racket and a ball each.
Show all 34 games (31 more)

Racket and ball control games, continued

  • Racket-to-Racket Pass 1. Pairs stand a step apart with rackets flat and one ball between them. 2. Tip the ball from your strings onto your partner's without using a hand. 3. After three clean passes, both take a small step back. 4. From there the pass needs a gentle lift, so the ball leaves one racket and is caught on the other. See how far apart the pair can get. Drills: soft hands on the racket. Space: no court needed. Youngest player: age 6. Players: 2 to 20. You need: a racket each and one ball for each pair.
  • Waiters on the Lines 1. Everyone balances a ball on the racket strings, palm up like a waiter with a tray, and walks along the court lines. 2. When two waiters meet head-on, they play rock, paper, scissors with their free hands, and the loser turns around. 3. A dropped ball means five bounces on the strings on the spot before you walk on. 4. After two minutes, try it with the back of the hand facing up. Drills: balance on both sides of the racket. Space: the lines of a court or a playground. Youngest player: age 6. Players: 4 to 20. You need: a racket and a ball each.
  • Walk the Dog Along the Lines 1. Everyone puts a ball on the ground on the baseline and rests the racket strings against it. 2. Roll the ball along the court lines with the racket, as if walking a dog on a leash, without letting it run away. 3. At every corner, stop the ball dead with the strings. 4. When two dog walkers meet on a line, both turn around. Drills: racket control. Space: the lines of a court or a playground. Youngest player: age 4. Players: 2 to 16. You need: a racket and a ball each.

Catch-and-feed games for players who cannot rally yet 6

  • Drop, Hit, Catch 1. Work in threes. The feeder stands beside the hitter at the service line and drops a ball from shoulder height. 2. After the bounce, the hitter sends it gently over the net with a forehand. 3. The catcher, across the net, catches it after one bounce. 4. After five balls, rotate: feeder to hitter, hitter to catcher, catcher to feeder. Count the team's catches out of fifteen. Drills: a forehand off a dropped ball. Space: half a court. Youngest player: age 6. Players: 3 to 15. You need: one racket and five balls for each three.
  • Hit and Catch Rally 1. Pairs face each other across the net at the service lines. One has a racket and the other does not. 2. The catcher throws underarm so the ball bounces once in front of the hitter. 3. The hitter sends it back over the net, and the catcher catches it after one bounce. 4. Each catch counts one for the pair. Swap jobs at ten, or after two misses in a row. Drills: a controlled groundstroke. Space: the service boxes of one court. Youngest player: age 6. Players: 2 to 16. You need: one racket and one ball for each pair.
  • Step-Back Ladder 1. Each player starts three steps back from the net with a few balls, all hitting toward the same end. 2. Drop a ball, let it bounce, and hit it over the net into the court. 3. Every ball that lands in takes you one step back toward the baseline, and a miss keeps you where you are. 4. After ten balls, see who has stepped back farthest, then collect the balls together and start again on the backhand. Drills: a forehand and backhand you feed yourself. Space: half a court. Youngest player: age 7. Players: 2 to 12. You need: a racket each and ten balls each.
  • Throw Tennis in the Service Boxes 1. Two players, or two pairs, face each other across the net with no rackets. Each side defends its two service boxes. 2. Throw the ball underarm over the net so it lands in the other side's boxes. 3. The other side must catch it after one bounce and throw it back from where they caught it. 4. A second bounce, or a throw into the net or out, is a point to the other side. First to seven wins. Drills: moving to the ball and keeping score. Space: the service boxes of one court. Youngest player: age 5. Players: 2 to 16. You need: one ball for each court.
  • Trap It on the Strings 1. Pairs stand five steps apart with no net. One tosses underarm, and the other holds a racket. 2. Let the ball bounce once. 3. Instead of hitting it, trap it by catching the ball against the strings with your free hand. 4. Make five traps on the forehand side and five on the backhand side, then swap. A trap out in front of the body scores two. Drills: meeting the ball in front, on both sides. Space: no court needed. Youngest player: age 5. Players: 2 to 20. You need: one racket and one ball for each pair.
  • Two-Bounce Rally Record 1. Pairs rally over the net inside the service boxes with a slower red or orange ball. 2. The ball may bounce twice before you hit it, so there is time to get your feet there. 3. Count every hit that goes over. 4. Write each pair's record on a board. A pair that reaches ten moves on to one bounce. Drills: a first rally. Space: the service boxes of one court. Youngest player: age 6. Players: 2 to 16. You need: a racket each and a slower red or orange ball.

Forehand and backhand target games 6

  • Call It: Forehand or Backhand 1. For a right-handed player the forehand is hit on the right side of the body and the backhand on the left, and for a left-hander it is the other way around. The hitter stands on the service line. 2. The coach tosses underarm to one side or the other. 3. Before the ball bounces, the hitter shouts forehand or backhand, then hits it over the net after one bounce. 4. Score one point for the right call and one more for a ball in the court. Each hitter gets six balls. Drills: knowing a forehand from a backhand. Space: half a court. Youngest player: age 6. Players: 2 to 10. You need: a racket each and a basket of balls.
  • Clean Your Room 1. Split into two teams, one on each side of the net, with the same number of slower red or foam balls scattered on each side. 2. On go, pick up one ball at a time, drop it, and hit it over the net after the bounce from behind your own service line. Nobody throws. 3. Play for one minute. 4. On the whistle everyone freezes and puts their racket down. The side with fewer balls on it has the cleaner room. Drills: hitting off your own drop, over and over. Space: a full court. Youngest player: age 6. Players: 4 to 16. You need: a racket each and twenty slower red or foam balls.
  • Deep Ball, Two Points Past the Service Line 1. The hitter stands on the service line, and a partner tosses underarm from beside the net post. 2. Hit after the bounce, over the net. 3. A ball that lands in the back court, between the far service line and the baseline, scores two. A ball that lands in a service box scores one. 4. Hit six balls each and keep a team total. The next round starts from two steps farther back. Drills: hitting long instead of short. Space: a full court. Youngest player: age 8. Players: 2 to 10. You need: a racket each and a basket of balls.
  • Down the Alley 1. The alley is the lane along each side of the court that is used only in doubles. Hitters line up at the service line, facing one alley. 2. The coach tosses a ball underarm. 3. Hit it after the bounce so that it lands in the alley on the far side of the net. 4. A ball in the alley scores a point, and three in a row earns a turn as the tosser. Drills: hitting in a straight line. Space: one side of a full court. Youngest player: age 7. Players: 2 to 10. You need: a racket each and a basket of balls.
  • Hoop Bullseye 1. Lay three hoops on the far side: one in a service box, one just behind the service line, and one near the baseline. They score one, two and three points. 2. A partner or the coach tosses each hitter four balls underarm, one at a time. 3. Call your hoop before you swing, and hit after the bounce. 4. A ball in any hoop scores, and a ball in the hoop you called scores double. Add up the team's points and try to beat them next round. Drills: choosing a target before the swing. Space: a full court. Youngest player: age 7. Players: 2 to 12. You need: a racket each, a basket of balls and three hoops.
  • Knock Down the Towers 1. Stand ten cones or empty ball tubes along the far service line, five in each half of the court. 2. Two teams line up side by side on the near service line, one team for each half. 3. In turn, each player drops a ball, hits it over the net at their team's towers and goes to the back of the line. 4. The first team to knock down all five wins the round. Collect the balls together before anyone crosses the net. Drills: aiming a groundstroke. Space: a full court. Youngest player: age 6. Players: 4 to 16. You need: a racket each, a basket of balls and ten cones or ball tubes.

Volley games at the net 5

  • Catch It Before It Bounces 1. Pairs stand three steps apart on either side of the net with no rackets. 2. One tosses underarm to the other's hitting side, at shoulder height. 3. The catcher steps forward and catches the ball in front of the body before it bounces, with the hitting hand only. A volley is the same idea with a racket, a shot hit before the ball bounces. 4. After ten catches, swap. Drills: the reach of a volley, without a racket. Space: either side of the net. Youngest player: age 5. Players: 2 to 20. You need: one ball for each pair.
  • One Volley and Run 1. The group lines up at the net post. Lay a big target, such as a towel or two hoops, in the far court. 2. The coach tosses from across the net. The first player steps in, volleys at the target, and runs around a cone behind the baseline to rejoin the line. 3. A ball in the court is one point for the group, and a ball on the target is three. 4. Play to twenty-one together. Drills: a volley aimed at a target. Space: a full court. Youngest player: age 7. Players: 3 to 12. You need: a racket each, a basket of balls, a cone and a towel or two hoops.
  • Stop Sign Volleys 1. The volleyer stands two steps from the net and holds the racket up in front like a stop sign. 2. The partner, across the net, tosses underarm at the strings. 3. With no swing, the volleyer blocks the ball back so the tosser can catch it without moving their feet. 4. Each catch is a point for the pair. After ten tosses, swap, and try the backhand side next. Drills: a volley with no swing. Space: either side of the net. Youngest player: age 6. Players: 2 to 16. You need: one racket and one ball for each pair.
  • Volley Goalkeeper 1. Set two cones three steps apart, close to the net. That is the goal, and the keeper stands in front of it with a racket. 2. The partner throws a slower red or foam ball underarm from the far service line, over the net, trying to get it through the goal before it bounces. 3. The keeper saves with volleys only. 4. After five throws, swap. A save that lands back in the thrower's court counts double. Drills: reacting with a volley. Space: the service boxes of one court. Youngest player: age 7. Players: 2 to 12. You need: one racket, two cones and a slower red or foam ball for each pair.
  • Volley-to-Volley Record 1. Pairs stand close to the net on either side with a slower red or foam ball. 2. Volley the ball gently back and forth without letting it bounce. 3. Count the volleys out loud. 4. When the ball drops, start again from one. The best count goes on a board, and any pair that reaches ten takes one step back each. Drills: a soft volley, again and again. Space: either side of the net. Youngest player: age 8. Players: 2 to 16. You need: a racket each and a slower red or foam ball.

Serve and overarm throw games 5

  • Serve and Catch 1. Work in pairs, with a server on the service line and a catcher across the net, behind the service box diagonally opposite. 2. The server serves, underarm or overarm. 3. If the ball lands in the box and the catcher catches it after one bounce, the pair scores. 4. After five serves, swap. A pair that scores four out of five moves the server back to the baseline. Drills: a serve a partner can reach. Space: a full court. Youngest player: age 7. Players: 2 to 8. You need: one racket and five balls for each pair.
  • Service Box Golf 1. Each hole is one service box, played from three places: the service line, halfway back, and the baseline, first into the box diagonally opposite on the right and then on the left. 2. Serve underarm or overarm, whichever you can. 3. Count how many serves it takes to land one in the box, and that is your score for the hole. 4. The lowest total over the six holes wins, as in golf. Drills: landing a serve in the box. Space: a full court. Youngest player: age 8. Players: 2 to 8. You need: a racket each and a basket of balls.
  • Team Serve Relay 1. Two teams line up behind the same baseline, one on each side of the center mark, with a basket of balls each. 2. The first player serves, underarm or overarm, into the box diagonally opposite, and keeps serving until one lands in. 3. Then they run to the back of the line and the next player serves. 4. The first team to get everyone through twice wins. Nobody collects a ball until both teams have finished. Drills: a serve under a little pressure. Space: a full court. Youngest player: age 8. Players: 4 to 12. You need: a racket each and two baskets of balls.
  • Throw It Into the Box 1. Players stand on the service line with a ball each and no rackets. 2. Throw overarm over the net and into the service box diagonally opposite. 3. A ball in the box moves you two steps back, and you keep going until you reach the baseline. 4. Collect the balls on the coach's call and start again from the other side of the center mark. Drills: an overarm throw into the service box. Space: a full court. Youngest player: age 6. Players: 2 to 12. You need: a ball each.
  • Toss Onto the Strings 1. Lay your racket on the ground just in front of your front foot, with the handle toward you. 2. Hold a ball in your other hand, lift that arm straight up, and let the ball go at the top. 3. Let it fall without touching it. A ball that lands on the strings scores a point. 4. Take ten tosses each, and write down your best score to beat next week. Drills: the ball toss that comes before a serve. Space: no court needed. Youngest player: age 6. Players: 2 to 20. You need: a racket and a ball each.

Tennis practice games for the whole group 6

  • Around the World Rally, Everyone Stays In 1. Split the group into two lines, one behind each service line, with one slower ball. 2. The first player drops the ball, hits it over the net, and at once runs to their right, around the net post, to the back of the other line. 3. The first player in that line returns it after one or two bounces and runs to their right in the same way. 4. The whole group counts the hits of the rally out loud. When the ball stops, the count starts again and nobody leaves the game. Drills: hitting, then moving at once. Space: the service boxes of one court. Youngest player: age 8. Players: 5 to 12. You need: a racket each and a slower red or orange ball.
  • Jail Break 1. The group lines up at the service line, and the coach tosses each player one slower red or foam ball. 2. Hit it into the court and you rejoin the line. Miss, and you go to jail, which is the far side of the net, behind the service line, without your racket. 3. Players in jail escape by catching a ball that a hitter sends over, after it has bounced once. The hitter whose ball was caught takes their place. 4. The round ends when everyone is in jail, or after three minutes. Drills: getting one ball in when it counts. Space: a full court. Youngest player: age 7. Players: 5 to 14. You need: a racket each and a basket of slower red or foam balls.
  • King of the Court With Two Bounces 1. One player, the king or queen, defends one side of the net. Everyone else lines up behind the other baseline. 2. The first challenger starts the point by dropping a slower red or orange ball and hitting it from the service line. 3. Play the point out inside the service boxes, and for everyone the ball may bounce twice. 4. A challenger who wins runs around the net and takes the throne, and one who loses goes to the back of the line. 5. Three points in a row on the throne, and you choose who starts the next game. Drills: playing a whole point. Space: the service boxes of one court. Youngest player: age 7. Players: 4 to 10. You need: a racket each and a slower red or orange ball.
  • Pickup Race on the Strings 1. At the end of practice, set the ball basket in the middle of the court. 2. In pairs, collect loose balls and carry them to the basket on the racket strings only, as many at a time as you can balance. 3. A ball that rolls off goes back where it fell. 4. The pair that makes the last delivery chooses the first game next week. Drills: racket balance, and a tidy court. Space: a full court. Youngest player: age 5. Players: 2 to 20. You need: a racket each and the balls from practice.
  • Run to the Line 1. Walk the group around the court once and name its lines: the baseline at the back, the service line between the baseline and the net, the center mark, the alleys down the sides, and the net. 2. Everyone starts at the net with no rackets. 3. The coach calls a line and the group runs to stand on it. 4. Mix in two swing calls: on forehand or backhand, everyone stops and shows that swing in the air. The last player to arrive calls the next line. Drills: the names of the court lines. Space: a full court. Youngest player: age 5. Players: 3 to 20. You need: nothing.
  • Tennis Baseball 1. Put a bucket by the net post. Fielders spread out on one side of the net without rackets, and the batter stands on the other service line with a racket. 2. The batter drops a ball, hits it over the net into the court, and then runs laps around two cones set five steps apart. 3. The fielders catch or collect the ball and get it into the bucket with underarm throws to each other, never running with it, and then shout stop. 4. Each lap the batter finished scores a run, and a ball that misses the court scores nothing. 5. Each batter gets three hits. Drills: a hit into the open court. Space: a full court. Youngest player: age 6. Players: 5 to 14. You need: one racket, three balls, a bucket and two cones.

How this list was compiled: Our suggestions, written for this site for a coach, a teacher or a parent with beginners who cannot rally yet. The wording is ours, and the youngest ages and player counts are our estimates. The names are the ones coaches use, and rules differ from club to club, so treat each entry as one way to play; nothing here is coaching, training or injury advice. The court lines and the slower red, orange and green balls for younger children were checked on 2026-10-08 against https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tennis_court, and the strokes against https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossary_of_tennis_terms. Licence: own work