Week 2 - Table Tennis
Skill focus: Serving, hitting at a target, returning the ball
Session equipment:
Markers or cones
1 x racket per student
1 x ball per pair
4 - 8 x Table Tennis tables (or trestle tables with portable nets)
Buckets, hoops, targets
Download Table Tennis - Week 2 activity card to support teaching before and during the sport session.
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Fast start - Fish in the net
Equipment
8 markers (to set out a playing area approximately 25m x 25m)
Activity set-up
Set out the playing area (25 students = approximately 25m x 25m).
Select two groups of three students to act as 'nets'. • The remainder of students will act as 'fish'.
How to play:
Students acting as nets need to link hands in a chain, while the remaining students are the fish.
As the fish move around the area, the nets attempt to catch as many fish as possible by either surrounding or tagging them.
When a fish is caught they link hands and join the net.
When the net contains 4 people, split the net to become two separate nets of 2 students.
Select the card to download.
Skill development games
Activity 1- Pepper
Equipment: One Table Tennis racket per group; paper (as targets), one Table Tennis ball (or similar) per group, one Table Tennis table (or suitable alternative) per group of four
How to play: Play with one hitter at one end of the table and dispersed players at the other end. Whoever fields the ball, throws it immediately to the hitter. Play in groups of 4.
The hitter starts up one end of the table with the fielders at the other end.
Fielders throw the ball so that it bounces on both halves of the table (serve).
Hitter uses a forehand or backhand drive to hit the ball into the fielders’ end.
Five hits per player then rotate.
Play should be cooperative (the batter tries to hit to fielders).
Activity 2 - Hit and catch
Equipment: One Table Tennis ball or similar per pair; one hoop; one Table Tennis racket or similar per pair
How to play: One partner serves a ball so the other one can catch it without moving from a spot.
The player with the racket serves a ball to their partner.
The partner attempts to catch the ball while
standing in a hoop.Players start by standing two meters apart and swap roles after five hits.
Activity 3 - Bucket and hoop
Equipment: 4 Table Tennis balls per group; one Table Tennis racket per group; hoops; buckets as targets if no tables are available
How to play: One player serves a ball onto targets on the table or the floor to score points. Play in groups of two to four players — a feeder, a hitter and one or two collectors.
Organise players into groups of 2 to 4.
Players set up targets on one side of the table or on the floor.
Server aims to hit targets to score points.
Collectors field the ball and feed to the server when needed.
Rotate servers.
Activity 4 - Target serving game
Equipment: Table Tennis racket and ball, Table Tennis table, A4 paper.
How to play: Players serve the ball 20 times, trying to hit the A4 sheets of paper as many times as possible.
Serve the ball 20 times.
Count how many times players can hit the 2 A4 sheets of paper.
One point is scored each time players hit a sheet of paper
Modified small-sided games
It's time for competition!
Teams compete against each other in the game outlined below. You can use the 'Table Tennis Draw' as a guide to organise the competition, across the 4 sessions try to ensure each team has a fair number of games.
Allocate 3 points for a win, 2 points for a drawe and 1 point for a loss for each game played. Record results and points in the School sport program results spreadsheet.
Remember, to give students an update of the leader board each week.
Scoring:
1 point for each match won (first pair to 5).
Game - Doubles
Equipment: Table Tennis balls and rackets, tables (two tables per two teams)
How to play: Players play and score double matches.
Split teams into two groups across two tables, eg. 4 from one team on each table.
Players not playing can assist with scoring and umpiring.
The server serves from the right hand side of the table to the right hand side
Players hit alternately
Serve twice to the same side and same person
Play first pair to five points wins, then swap with the pair that was scoring.
Reflection
TAG
Ask students to form pairs with a student from their team.
Inform students they are going to give feedback to their partner using 'TAG'.
Tell your partner something they did well in today's session.
Ask your partner a question.
Give your partner some feedback on a skill or tactic they could focus on during next weeks session.
