Tennis Balls for Fun, Fitness, and Skills - Howie Weiss

Don't Move a Muscle and Far Away - Toss and catch the ball while moving to music, and freeze on balance when the music stops. Give one point to every student who is frozen and far away from everyone else, or pick the one who is farthest away.

Wipeout - Play the song "Wipeout" by the Surfaris. When the guitars are playing, bounce or toss your ball throughout the play area. When you hear the drums, find one or more partners and press the balls together using your hands. Change levels each time the drumbeat changes. See how many different partners or small groups you can work with. Variation: toss balls to partners to coincide with the changing drumbeat.

Laps - Begin in personal space. Create a lap while bouncing and catching your ball for 30 seconds. Return to your starting point at 30 seconds. Repeat the same lap. Work with a partner and take turns following each other. Give a high five to others that you pass every time.

Please Don't Drop Me and Help Me - Locomotor skills: while tossing, catching and moving at your challenge level, see how few times you drop the ball in one minute. If the ball is dropped, freeze until someone else picks it up and returns it to you.

Rhythms - Groups of three or four, establish your own rhythm of tossing, bouncing, and catching while moving in general space.

Knock Hockey - Pushup position facing your partner. Place one ball in center. Touch partner's hand three times. See who can pick up the ball first. Lie on back in curl-up position. Touch right leg to right leg three times. See who can grab the ball first.

Pass Under - One partner is in push up position. Pass ball through legs to standing partner. Give ball back and try again. Count passes in 20 - 25 seconds and switch.

Mystery Tag - Choose one person to tag. Toss and catch while trying to tag that person. If tagged, freeze and toss and catch your ball until someone else catches your ball and hands it back to you.

Everybody's "It" - Toss and catch your ball. If tagged, change locomotor skill.

Scatter Square Dance - Walk or skip around bouncing the ball. Listen to the caller.

Multiple Partners - Do a different activity with each partner: jog and pass, follow the leader, write each other's first and last initial by bouncing the ball, stick close and skip, gallop in different directions and meet at the starting point.

Follow the Leader - Pick someone to imitate. Do what that person does, but don't tell him or her you are copying them. Variation: Choose one student to lead. Everyone does what the leader does. One student hides her eyes and tries to guess the leader.

Advance Ball - Only the person without the balls may move. Begin at point A. Go back and forth between points A and B tossing one ball then the other. See how many times you and a partner can go back and forth in one minute.

Ball Exchange - Toss and catch while moving. See how many times you can exchange your ball with others in one minute.

Progressive Ball - Scatter formation. One person begins a ball skill and movement. After touching someone, the new person changes the ball skill and movement and both move to two others. Game continues until everyone is moving. Last person moving begins next round.

Touch Lines - While bouncing your ball, see how many lines you can touch in 20 seconds.