King of the court is perfect for training sessions, group lessons or when there are lots of you and little court time. Matches are short and there is always something at stake: staying on or moving up.
One-court version
- One pair starts as “king” on the king’s side.
- The other pairs queue on the other side.
- Play one point (or a mini-match to 3 or 5 points).
- If the king wins, they stay and score a point. If the challengers win, they move to the king’s side.
- When time is up, the pair with the most points as king wins.
Several courts (up and down)
- Each court has a level: court 1 is the kings’ court.
- Play short matches (say 7 minutes).
- Winners move up a court and losers move down one.
- At the end, the pair on court 1 (or the one that won most there) is king of the court.
To spice it up, change partners every few matches: the pair moving up splits and each takes one of the pair moving down.
Why it works so well
- Very short matches: nobody waits long.
- There is always pressure: every point counts.
- Levels mix naturally.
For a format with individual standings, try an Americano or a Mexicano.