Okay, so yesterday I decided to actually try this kickit soccer tennis thing folks keep mentioning. Found a decent chunk of asphalt in the alley behind my building – figured it was flat enough. Grabbed my regular soccer ball and some random stuff I could find to kinda mark out a “court”. Used two old backpacks dumped near the trash for goals/net things. Not perfect, but hey, gotta work with what you’ve got.
First Attempt: Pure Chaos
Just whacked the ball straight at my buddy over the “net” made by those backpacks. Boom! No rules, just kick it back and forth, right? Wrong. Was fun for maybe two minutes before it felt like hot potato gone wild. Ball was everywhere except where we wanted it. Totally messy.
Stopped us cold. Needed actual, you know, rules. Tried remembering snippets from videos. Something about letting it bounce? Or maybe not?
Finally Figured Out The Basic Rules
Made it dead simple for us beginners:
- The “Net”: Basically, just a line on the ground, or like my backpack wall. Ball has to go over this. Hitting the “net”? Doesn’t matter, just get it over. If it hits the net and still goes over, keep playing! (Way less fussy than actual tennis).
- Kicks & Contacts: You get one kick to send it back over the net. That’s it! No juggling allowed. Catch it? Nah. Chest it? Nope. Let it bounce? Heck yes! Can use ANY body part? Yep! Head, knee, foot, shoulder… doesn’t matter as long as you send it back with one touch after your side got it. For us beginners, feet were definitely easiest.
- Serving: Just stood behind my “end line”, dropped the ball, gave it a little whack with my foot to get it over the net to my buddy. No special technique needed. Just get it across.
- Scoring: Kept it super basic. Point goes to the other person if:
- You hit the ball into the “net” (my backpack) or the ground before it goes over.
- You take more than one touch.
- The ball bounces more than once on your side before you hit it (only one bounce allowed!).
- You completely whiff and miss the ball (embarrassing, but happens!).
We did not worry about serving rules beyond getting it over. Whoever felt like serving next just did it.
Playing with These Simple Rules
Switched to this basic structure – instant difference! Knowing we had only one touch and could let it bounce once took the frantic pressure off. Suddenly, it was more about placement than panic.
Here’s how a typical point went:
- I “served” it over.
- My buddy let it bounce once, then kicked it back with one touch.
- I saw it coming, let it bounce, and used my thigh to bump it back over the bags.
- He tried a slightly fancier header, but sent it soaring way over my head. Point to me!
Started getting some actual rallies going! Maybe 5-6 hits back and forth. Even had a couple of laugh-out-loud moments trying to awkwardly knee the ball just right. Shoulders started burning a bit – definitely using muscles differently.
Super Easy Tips for Total Beginners
- Space: Find a flat spot! Asphalt, grass, whatever. Just clear of breakables. Doesn’t need to be huge. Ours was tiny.
- Net: A line drawn with chalk, a rope tied between chairs, jump ropes – anything works. Backpacks were clutch.
- Ball: Your normal soccer ball is fine. Anything vaguely kickable.
- Focus: Think ONLY about:
- Letting the ball bounce once if you need to.
- Getting that one touch back over the net.
- Running around like a doofus and laughing when you mess up.
Forget complex scoring, forget fancy footwork at first. Just get it over the net with one kick or touch after letting it bounce once. Anything else can wait. Seriously, following just those two things makes it actually playable and fun immediately.
Totally recommend just grabbing a ball and a mate and giving this stripped-down version a go. It’s way easier to get started than I thought, once you ignore all the complicated rules some sites throw at you. Simple rules = way more fun. My shoulders are still sore – those high kicks get you!
