Week 4 - Table Tennis
Skill focus: Singles and doubles rallying
Equipment required for Week 4:
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)
Rebound wall
Targets
Download the Table Tennis - Week 4 activity card to support teaching before and during the sport session.
Select card to download
Fast start - Copy cat
Equipment
8 markers or cones
How to play
Ask students to decide who will be the 'leader' and who will be the 'follower'. On the teacher's first signal, the leader moves around the playing area while performing different movements, while the follower attempts to replicate the movement. On the teacher's second signal, students switch roles. Examples of movements could include, running, leaping, dodging, hopping, jumping, side galloping and skipping.
CHANGE IT!
Vary the size of the playing area.
Use equipment while moving around the playing area (e.g. bouncing a ball).
Select the card to download.
Skill development games
Activity 1 - Wall Tennis
Equipment: 1 racket per player, 1 ball per pair, wall area / table tennis table.
How to play: Two players face a wall. The game is started by bouncing the ball on the floor or on the table and hitting it against the wall.
Players are divided into pairs and mark out a space near a wall.
Players take turns to hit the ball against the wall.
The ball may bounce more than once on the floor/table (to keep rally going).
Activity 2 - Ten pin knock down
Equipment: For each group of you will need two rackets, two Table Tennis balls, one table, ten to 20 paper cups
How to play: Players serve the ball from right corner to right corner and attempt to knock their opponent’s targets off the table. The first pair to knock all their opponent’s targets off the table wins.
Form two pairs per table.
Ask pairs to set up their paper cups in the righthand corner of their end.
The player on the right completes two serves attempting to knock off opponent’s cups.
After completing two serves, the server swaps sides with their partner.
The receiving player at the other end of the table now serves twice.
Continue until one pair’s cups are all knocked down or coach calls ‘Stop’.
Activity 3 - Rally around
Equipment: Table Tennis balls and rackets, tables (any type that are sturdy) can be added into the circuit; walls can be included for a circuit activity; markers, benches, variety of balls, hoops
How to play: Playing in pairs, players complete a hit-and-rally circuit. Pairs move from station to station on a signal.
Form pairs of similar ability.
Set up a circuit of five stations (duplicate circuit to maximise participation).
Players rally for five minutes with their partner.
When coach calls, ‘Change stations’, players leave their equipment at the station and move to the next one.
Activity 4 - Roller ball
Equipment: Table Tennis racket and ball; Table Tennis table (one table for every four players)
How to play: Players in pairs stand on opposite sides of a table and use their racket to roll the ball to one another, attempting to stop the ball rolling off the edge of the table.
Form groups of four players per table.
Pairs stand on opposite sides of a table.
Players attempt to roll the ball to stop it from falling off their side of the table.
Remind players not to scrape the table with their racket.
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.
Game - King / Queen of the court
Equipment: Table Tennis balls and rackets, tables
How to play: The pair that wins the rally stays on the table and becomes the King or the Queen. The losing pair is replaced by the next challengers (from the same team). When a pair beats the King or the Queen, they move to the other side of the table to replace the King or the Queen.
Split teams across 2 tables (to ensure more game time).
Two players from each team at either end of the table and remaining players waiting at the side.
One end of the table is designated the King and Queen end.
A player on the King and Queen team serves the ball from the right side of the table to the opposite right-hand side of the table to start the rally.
The winner of the rally (point) stays at the table (if they are not King and Queen, they move to the King and Queen end), and the losing team is replaced by the next members of their team.
Play for a set period of time.
Scoring:
One point for each rally won.
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.
