The Basketball Tennis game is a fun and engaging coordination drill where players compete by “passing” the basketball over a central line or net, trying to land it in the opposing team’s zone.
Combining the rules of tennis with basketball skills, this game promotes hand-eye coordination, spatial awareness, teamwork, and communication. It’s ideal as a warm-up or active break that keeps players moving and thinking in a playful yet skill-based setting.
King of the court passing “tennis” has become an instant camp favorite at All-Star Basketball! Thanks to @BBallImmersion and @AlexJSarama pic.twitter.com/u9yea9emT3
— Noel Emenhiser (@NoelEmenhiser) July 27, 2022
Objectives
- Turn of the hands and feet.
- Make easy choices quickly.
- Habituate to dissociate look in the pass.
- Improve hand-eye coordination.
- Improve spatial orientation and placement of the feet.
- Locate the spaces that the defender will not be able to reach.
Recommended age
- From 8 years onwards (minibasket: category fry and benjamin).
Number of players
- For couples.
- You can play for trios, with the mode of King of the track.
- Expandable to 2×2 and 3×3.
Recommended time
- Recommended time: 6-8 min.
- You can play by rapid rotation (in the case of odd-numbered) or points.
Equipment and facilities
- 1 ball available per couple (or quartet or sextet in the case of 2×2 and 3×3, respectively).
- 4 cones.
- A space or space-specific pitch.
Initial layout and description
After delimit the space of the game with cones (either in a bright space or taking advantage of the area of the half court), the players are placed facing in opposite sides.
One of the two players will start the game by throwing the ball. The ball will bounce on the playing surface. Once you have dropped, the other player must return the ball with the same procedure. In case you do not bounce on the playing surface, shall be deemed to be for the defender. In the case of a bounce in and not be returned, it will point to the player that threw the ball.
The key to this game is the player who throws the ball to imagine that behind their opponent, there is a companion that wants the ball. Despite the fact that we have clear that there lies the transfer, we need to highlight this detail to the players so that they are aware of the purpose of the game and the utility that will be then with your transfer.
Detail of Regulation: In the event that the ball bouncing over the limit, we will apply the standard of tennis that it considers the line, as in (to the contrary of Basketball).
Then we propose several ways of playing, either with the same 1×1, as well as in situations of 2×2 and 3×3.
Basketball-Tennis 1×1
Basketball-Tennis Circular 1×1
Basketball-Tennis 2×2
Basketball-Tennis 3×3
Variants
- Vary the distance between the players by increasing the area where you should throw the ball (spacing cones each other, either by length or width).
- Throw the ball in a certain way.
- To make a change of hand before returning the ball.
- Perform a combo before returning the ball.
- Using only the hand non-dominant.
Note: all variants are combinable.
Cedric Arregui Guivarch
National Coach of Basketball (CES 2014)
