Below are some ideas for games and formats you can use for an Adult Social Tennis session at your local club.
5 Social Tennis Ideas for Adults
1. Around the World Game
Around the World is a fun and simple way to end an social tennis session for adults.
You start by dividing everyone into two groups with each group going to opposite sides of the court.
Players on each team then take it in turns to hit a ball to the other side of the net.
Once they hit the ball they run to the other side of the court and line up behind the group on the other side.
If a player fails to hit a ball over the net or they hit the ball out then they lose a life and once they lose two lives they are out of the game.
This process continues until there is only one player left, who is declared the winner.
The around the world game starts off easy as there is plenty of time to get to the other side of the court once you have hit your ball but once you are down to only a few players, you will have to sprint after hitting the ball to have any chance of getting to the next ball.
2. Champions vs Challengers
The Champions vs Challengers format is a good option if you have lots of players but are limited on courts as it keeps everyone involved and avoids the need to have players sitting on the sidelines waiting to play.
The format involves picking two players to start as champions and two players to start as challengers.
The Champions and Challengers then play a game and if Challengers win the game, they become the new Champions and if not, the Champions stay on the court.
Once the first game is over, a new set of challengers take on the champions.
This is a good format to use as players aren’t waiting for too long to play a game.
3. Net Rush Game
The Net Rush format is similar to the Champions vs Challengers format except the challengers are required to rush to the net after the champions feed a ball to them.
Once the point is over, a new set of challengers play a point until one of the teams has won 3 points.
Once this happens, they become the new champions!
This format is great for teaching beginner to intermediate doubles players not to be afraid of the net as it forces them to come to the net on every point.
4. Single Point Shootout Game
If you are short on time then the Single Point Shootout can be a good and fun way to end an adult social session.
One player starts as champion with all the other players lined up on the other side of the court.
You can toss a coin to see who will serve first, then a point is played with the winner of the point becoming the new champion.
The next player in line plays a point with the new champion and this continues until there is only one player left.
5. Triples Game
As you might expect, Triples has three players on either side of the net, and is a fun social tennis game you can play as rallies tend to be long and enjoyable to watch as it is much harder to hit a winner.
Six games are played in Triples with each player serving once with a tiebreaker being played if the score is 3-3.
In each game, the returning team must choose one player to hit the returns on the deuce and ad sides of the court for the entire game.
By the end of the match, each player should have returned in one game.