At the leader's signal, children must change to a different type of movement while traveling around the perimeter of the court. Have them:

• Walk fast
• Jog
• High step or march
• Side shuffle
• Hop on one foot, alternating

Have the children count aloud as they do the following stretches:

• Neck rolls -- roll six times to the left and six times to the right
• Arm swings -- do six rotations forward and six rotations backward with each arm
• Ready, set, stretch -- in a starter's block position, extend the right leg, then the left, and hold each for six counts
• Wrist rolls -- do six rotations forward and six backward with each wrist

Whenever you use a line or part of the court, be sure and tell the children what it is. To test their knowledge, line them up along the fence. Direct the children to walk, jog or run to the part of the court you call out, including the baseline, service line, T, singles and doubles sidelines, net, net strap, net post and fences.

Place three racquets equidistant between the relay team and the net -- one racquet on the baseline, one on the service line and one at the net. Place two balls for each child and parent on the racquet at the baseline. Children, or parents and children alternately, take a ball from the racquet at the baseline and run to place it on the first racquet. They return to the baseline to pick up another ball, bring it to the racquet at the net and return to tag the next person in line. The relay can be run in reverse to return all the balls to the baseline.

Demonstrate and have the class shadow the backhand drive. Use the same basic grip as with the forehand and begin with a sideways stance to show the backswing, forward swing, contact point and follow-through.

Hang up to five dangling balls on each teaching cable. Place spots to correctly position kids. In all drills, stress contact point in front of the children as they:

1. Hit a stationary ball to understand the shot basics. A parent-coach stabilizes the ball between each hit

2. Hit a ball gently swung by the parent, who catches the ball between hits as the child prepares to hit again

3. Gently hit consecutive balls with a compact, controlled motion

• Good drills for this are "10 Club," "20 Club," "30 Club" and "World Record."
• As always, move a child back to the previous progression step if he is not achieving enough success.

One-on-one, parent-coaches should stand several feet from the children and gently hit groundstrokes to them. Focus on the backhand, but mix in forehands so the children remain confident. If necessary, warn them before changing between forehands and backhands to help them prepare.

• Have a coach and student demonstrate before the class begins playing.
• Position parent-coaches with their backs to the fence to keep balls from spraying.
• Allow the children to play freely, however, gradually stress "shot-of-the-day" basics.

A good ratio for this game is one assistant or parent-coach who can control the ball well to four or six students. The coach stands across the small net from two players who share the court as a doubles team. The coach should alternate balls to the players, reminding them to keep their feet moving between balls. After a specified number of balls played or minutes, the doubles team can be switched out with a waiting team.

• A coach can help keep waiting children occupied at a safe distance.
• Spots can help children understand their positions on the court.
• Excellent games for rotation are "5 and You're Out," "10 Club," "20 Club," "30 Club" and "World Record."

Parents should participate with children on homework assignments, and everyone should warm up with standard exercises before playing:

• Bump-up tennis -- with and without a bounce
• Wall tennis -- practice forehands and backhands, stressing control
• No-net tennis -- practice forehands and backhands, one at a time if necessary