Fruit Salad 🍓🍌🍏– Fun Volleying Game

Duration: 5–10 minutes
Ideal Age: 4–12 years (Tots & Titans)
Focus: Volleying technique, reaction speed, footwork, and fun movement

🎾 What is a Volley?

Explain to the children:
"A volley is when we hit the ball before it bounces, right up close to the net! It’s a short punch with the racket — not a big swing. Just like licking a lollipop 🍭 — racket up in front, and push forward with your feet."

🏗 Set-Up

• 🧍‍♂️ Line kids up 2m from the net (use floor spots or cones, ideally matching the colours of fruit).

• 🟡 Place another line or row of cones 1m from the net — this is where volleys are hit.

• ✂️ Split the group depending on number of feeders (approx. 5:1 ratio).

• For example, with 15 kids and 3 coaches/parents, make 3 groups of 5.

• 🍌🍎🍓 Name the groups after fruits (Bananas, Apples, Strawberries, etc.)

🎮 How to Play

1. 🧍‍♂️ Kids stand on a dot or behind a cone to signify the colour of the fruit, i.e. red: strawberry/ yellow: banana, etc, facing the back fence and dancing on their toes.

2. 🍎 Coach calls a fruit: “Bananas!” – those children turn around and march quickly to the front line.

3. 💥 Coach feeds a gentle ball for them to volley back (either forehand or backhand volley).

4. 🔁 Once the volley is done, the child returns to the first line.

5. 🍉 This continues with different fruit names being called.

6. 🥗 When coach shouts “Fruit Salad!” – all children must run to the back fence and back again to their spots where they are safe
   while coaches try to “tag” them with soft balls (or throw gently at their feet like dodgeball).

7. 😄 Repeat for several rounds – keep energy and laughter high!

Extra layers

1. 🔁 Shout “Into the smoothie blender!” and all the kids have to swap places and now remember there new fruit.

2. 🍉 Fruit Twist: rather than staying still now they have to rotate in a circle while they wait on their spots

✋ Coaching Points

• 🍭 Racket up like a lollipop in front of the face

• 🚫 No backswing – just a short punch

• 🚶‍♂️ Use small forward steps with feet – like walking through a puddle

• 🧍 Stay balanced and upright

• 🎯 Try to tap the ball with middle of the racket

🪶 Feathers (Younger/Beginner Tots)

• ✅ Allow volleys to bounce once before contact

• 👩‍👦 Have parents assist child by holding hand or guiding racket

• 🧸 Use balloons or foam balls for slower flight

• 🟢 Let them catch the ball instead of volleying if coordination is tough

• 🛑 Slow the pace — call fruits one by one with more time to reset

⚡ Progressions (Older Kids/Titans)

• 🔁 Add backhand volleys alternating with forehands/ smashes

• 🎯 Add target areas to aim for (cones/hoops)

• 🏃 Add a jump over a mini hurdle before stepping into the volley

• ⏱️ Make it timed — how many good volleys in 60 seconds

• 🥎 Coaches can increase speed/difficulty of feeds

• 🔄 After volleying, player switches groups and rotates through

🎉 Seasonal Variations

• 🎅 Christmas: Call out "Santa, Snowman, Reindeer" instead of fruits

• 🐣 Easter: “Bunnies, Chicks, Eggs”

• 🎃 Halloween: “Ghosts, Witches, Pumpkins” – “Haunted House!” instead of Fruit Salad

• 💘 Valentine’s: “Hearts, Roses, Chocolates” – “Valentine’s Day!” as the run cue

• 👩‍👦 Mother’s Day/Father’s Day: Groups named after family members – “Family Run!” for group dash

🏁 Wrap-Up

• 👏 Celebrate with big claps after each round

• 🧹 Kids help tidy up cones/balls

• 🎽 End with a final “Fruit Salad” dash and maybe a silly dance at the end!