Q&A: Kentucky teacher Jackie Branham on tennis in physical education classes

Jackie Branham: With kindergarten, we start out with just racquet skills, this is the ball that you have, this is the racquet. I don't really get into specifics with kindergarten and first grade because it's hard for them to hold the racquet because it's new to them, and then I use more of the [provided] lessons with the third, fourth and fifth [grade]. And they want to jump straight into play. And I'm like, we got to learn how to hold the racquet, learn how to serve and how to play a game. We start from scratch every single year with the primary [students] and then add on in the third, fourth and fifth [grades] because they've already done it the previous year.

I use a big ball for primary [classes] and then I use the red and yellow ones, which are a little harder, for the intermediate ones, mainly the fifth [grade], because sometimes third grade doesn't have that skill just yet, so we're still working on that eye-hand coordination just like the primary [students].

USTA.com: Then when they get older is it more match play or rallying?

Jackie Branham: Yes, we do that. We practice without the net—we practice with the tape that comes in the kit and I tie those to folding chairs because it's easier to get the chairs out. I say, “You have to know how to get it over this. The only difference between this and the real net is that the real net is a little higher, and you just need to get it over, because if you're not rallying back and forth without the net, you're going to really get frustrated with the nets up and you're trying to play a game.” And then we'll put a real net out. We don't get into keeping score. We just play for fun, we're not playing for score, we're not playing for who wins and loses. We just need to be able to get the ball back and forth to each other.

USTA.com: It sounds like your students are pretty enthusiastic about playing tennis. 

Jackie Branham: They love playing. They get excited. They're like, “Are we going to play tennis today?”

Jackie Branham: I wish I knew it was available a lot sooner than when I found out, because we were always trying to find new activities to do other than kickball and basketball and softball. I never thought we would be able to play tennis because we didn't have the equipment. I had tennis balls, I did not have racquets, but I do now since I signed up for it. You can open different opportunities for your kids. It's free, I promise, just sign up and go from there.

USTA.com: Did you find it was pretty easy to pick up and teach, even for teachers or coaches who haven’t played much before?

Jackie Branham: It's so easy. The manual is so easy to read. You can pick it up, you can hand it to a volunteer, you can hand it to a parent, anybody, and be like, “Okay, start on this page and this is what you're going to do.” If I'm out, if I need a sub, I will leave the manual out and tell them, “This is exactly what you need to do. You don't need to change anything.” And I like it because it has simple directions for you to follow. You don't have to be a tennis guru to figure out what's going on.

Jackie Branham: I think it's great for my school because it's not something that is played in this area where our school is located. They go swimming right next to the tennis court, but they’ve probably never been in there. 

Tennis is a lifetime thing. Everybody's not going to be able to play basketball for the rest of their life. You may be able to go shoot in your driveway or go shoot at a park. But [with] tennis, you can go find your friends, you can go play tennis, either on a tennis court, [or if] you have an open space, make your own makeshift tennis court and just play. It's one of those lifelong skills. It never gets old, and it's a skill. Once you learn it, you don't really forget how to play. You may need a little refresher, but you can, and it doesn't do a lot of wear and tear on your body like football and basketball and stuff like that. You can go out and hit a tennis ball by yourself against the wall and still get the exercise. I think it's great. You can carry it with you for a lifetime.

If you’re interested in bringing tennis to your school, click here for more information.