Totem Tennis

Imagine a bouncy ball tied to a long string, and that string is stuck to the top of a tall pole. That's Totem Tennis! You and a friend use racquets to hit the ball, making it swing around the pole. The pole stands up straight, either stuck in the grass like a giant lollipop or held down by a heavy base so it doesn't fall over. It's a game that's super fun to play outside on a sunny day!

This game is older than your grandparents! People have been playing games like Totem Tennis since the very early 1900s. It's like a super old playground game that just keeps getting more popular. One company in the UK started selling a version called Swingball in 1974, and they bought the rights to it later on. It was even called Zimm Zamm in America a long time ago!

To play, you stand on opposite sides of the pole. You and your friend take turns hitting the ball with your racquets. The goal is to hit the ball so it winds up the string around the pole. Some poles have a special twisty part at the top that the string wraps around. The game ends when one player gets the ball all the way to the top or the bottom of the twisty part!

Totem Tennis is awesome because it helps you get better at hitting things with a racquet, just like in tennis! It also makes you move your feet and practice your aim. Even famous tennis players might have started with games like this when they were little kids. It's a great way to have fun and get some exercise at the same time, making you a super sporty kid!