Tennis for Kids

You can start learning tennis at any age. The ideal age recommended for children to start tennis is 6. First of all, children who have completed the basic training process can start training. The International Tennis Federation organizes tournaments for children between the ages of 12 and 18.

What are the Physical Benefits of Tennis for Child Development?

• Strength skills,
• Body coordination,
• Fine motor skills,
• Bones,
• Improves and increases flexibility.

What are the Psychological Benefits of Tennis for Child Development?

• Teaches teamwork and gives sociability.
• Teaches crisis and stress management.
• It improves the sense of discipline.

How to Choose a Tennis Racket for Children?

Making the right racket choice when starting tennis is very important both to prevent injuries and for the child to continue to love tennis sports. Tennis racket models vary according to factors such as weight, head size, handle size, balance point, cord tension.

The criterion that you should pay the most attention to when choosing a racket for your child will be the height of the child. A different choice of racket may be required for each child. Making the right choice will increase your child’s safety and productivity.

Tennis rackets made for children start from 17 inches. A 17-inch long racket may be suitable as a starter racket for a child aged 3-4 years and an average height of 100 cm. However, you can still test whether the racket is suitable for your child with an applied method.

To test the most suitable racket height for your child, your child should lean against the wall in an upright position. When in an upright position, place the racket next to your child so that the head of the racket touches the floor and the handle stays up. If your child can place his palm on the base of the racket handle while in this position without breaking his elbow, it means that the racket is suitable for your child. If he curls his elbow or can’t keep up, you may need to try other measurements.

Tips to Make Children Love Tennis

Tennis, which is an excellent activity for the physical, mental and social development of children, is among the fun and safe sports activities that can be enjoyed for many years. The only thing professional athletes want is to train children who can be successful after them. In order to make this vision a reality, the interest and support of parents are of great importance.

• Make the Game Fun

It is usually much easier for children to grasp anything when they desire to learn. But it is useful for the learning process to be fun and enjoyable, not in a stereotypical and boring way. Whether you are a tennis coach or a parent who wants to share their love of the game with their children, try to demonstrate tennis teaching not with strict rules and difficult movements, but with simple and exciting movements such as bouncing a ball on a racket.

You can play tennis with your child in large and safe areas such as a park, sports facility or garden. You can start practicing with a lightweight tennis racket with a small body and a tennis ball designed for beginner level. You can take the first step by teaching your child how to hold a tennis racket. Then you can encourage your child to play tennis on his own and try different strokes.

• Play Tennis Together

Families are the most important role models in children’s lives. It is not a coincidence that the children of professional athletes are also predisposed to sports due to the influence of the social environment they are in. Even if you have never met tennis in your entire life, you can accompany your child with a small racket and a tennis ball to enjoy the game.

The fact that parents have knowledge about tennis and can transfer this knowledge to their children in an understandable way has a positive impact on the learning process. Once children understand how to play tennis, it will be much easier to be able to start teaching them basic skills. You can show basic hitting techniques such as forehand, backhand, ball control and serve use, and support your child to take the first step towards becoming a good tennis player at an early age.

• Go to Tennis Matches Together

Playing tennis with your children and going to tennis matches supports both their ability to participate in the game in a more motivated way and their ability to develop their individual abilities by taking successful athletes as an example to themselves. Getting to know the real tennis court, following the matches live and seeing famous athletes up close contributes to increasing children’s interest in tennis. It will also be useful to briefly explain what tennis is to your children during the match and talk about the basic number rules.

When it’s time to explain the scoring, start with the basics. You can refer to basic information such as that the ball must touch any point within the opposing player’s boundary lines in order to score points, or that the other player loses points because he throws the ball out of line. You can also tell your child information such as service usage or service area during stationary sections and breaks without bothering him.

• Choose the Most Suitable Tennis Equipment

Children’s rackets are smaller and lighter compared to the rackets used by adults. That’s why small rackets are much easier to hold and swing. Children can start making effective strokes at a young age with a racket that is suitable for their age and physical characteristics. Flexible and lightweight tennis balls, on the other hand, help children to hit more comfortably and safely and bounce the ball on the racket. Sports shoes, a wide T-shirt and shorts that are as suitable as a tennis racket and ball also allow children to feel more comfortable playing tennis.