The Essential Guide to Kids’ Tennis: Skills and Techniques

If you’ve ever watched a game of professional tennis, then you know much talent and athleticism is displayed by the competitors. But did you know that those essential tactics, enacted so skillfully by tennis players at the height of their game, can be cultivated in budding athletes from a very young age?

Tennis is a fun, dynamic sport that helps children develop a number of skills, from agility to coordination, strength to mental focus. Your kid might be so interested that they wish to be the next Andre Agassi, or they simply want to learn a new and exciting sport. Whatever the reason, tennis affords young athletes excellent opportunity to stay active and improve their athletic prowess. It’s also a lifelong sport that can be enjoyed at any age.

In this guide, we will cover the essential skills and techniques any child needs to learn in order to get started with tennis. From basic strokes to court awareness, we will explore how parents and coaches can help young players develop a strong foundation, while keeping the game enjoyable at the same time.

The Basics of Tennis

It is essential to understand the basic rules and layout of tennis, before diving into specific skills and techniques. Tennis is played on a rectangular court divided by a net. Players can play one of two ways: singles (one-on-one) or doubles (two players on each team). The primary goal is to hit the ball over the net and into the opponent’s court, but the trick it doing so in such a way that they cannot return it and do the same to you. Often, this results in the tennis ball bouncing back and forth multiple times before a player scores a point. Think of parrying in swordplay only at a significant distance and sometimes at a dizzying pace.

A typical tennis match consists of sets, and sets consist of games. To win a game, a player must win a sequence of points by making successful shots. There are caveats here, of course, players can make mistakes, such as hitting the ball out of bounds or into the net. Such mistakes will cost the offending player points, and could foul their game in the end.

Basic Equipment for Kids’ Tennis

Kids, like adults, require a few pieces of essential equipment to play the game of tennis. Some of these can be fairly costly, however, so it’s important for parents to be certain their child wants to play before investing too heavily.

1. Tennis Racquet: Kids have smaller tennis racquets than adults, and racquet size is extremely important to making sure a child can play the game properly. A properly sized racquet ensures comfort and control, while in improperly sized one can be too unwieldy. Junior racquets come in various lengths, typically ranging from 19 to 26 inches. This size range is typically determined by the child’s age and height.
2. Tennis Balls: Beginner tennis balls are softer and lighter than regular balls. This size and make ensures that they are easier for kids to hit and control. Not all tennis balls are green either, as it happens. Junior tennis balls are often called “red,” “orange,” or “green,” each corresponding to different stages of a child’s progression in the sport.
3. Tennis Shoes: Proper footwear is crucial in tennis. The right shoes help a child grip properly on the court without getting stuck, aiding in movement, and preventing accidental injury. Parents should have their child’s tennis shoes properly fitted for stability and comfort.
4. Court: Tennis is commonly played on three different surfaces: grass, clay, or hard court. Each different surface type can impact how the ball bounces and how easily the players move about the court. While most public courts are hard surfaces, it’s good to expose kids to different types of courts early on. This will ultimately enhance their versatility and prepare them for any unfamiliar ground they may encounter along the way.

Foundational Skills for Tennis

For any child playing a sport, it’s essential to start them off with good fundamentals. Getting the foundational skills down early is key to the long-term success and enjoyment of young athletes and can help them develop more impressive skills down the line as their confidence grows.

Hand-Eye Coordination

Tennis players must track the ball’s speed and direction while preparing to hit it with their racquet, which means that the act of even playing the game requires excellent hand-eye coordination. This might seem like it makes it fairly unsuitable for the clumsier set of kids, but that just isn’t true. Hand-eye coordination is like any other skill. It can be learned and refined with practice.

Simple games such as catching and throwing a ball can help young tennis players develop this skill from a young age and can be scaled up to use racquets as they improve. Another drill involves having your child practice tapping the tennis ball up and down on their racquet. This helps them get a feel for how the ball moves and responds when hit in certain places. This will, in turn, improve their control over the ball and will help them notice patterns they can then take into the game with them.

Footwork

Tennis is as much about movement as it is about hitting the ball back and forth to one another. Good footwork is a key element of the sport. It enables players to reach the ball in time to set up for a proper shot. Coaches and parents should have kids practicing how to move laterally, forward, and backward. They should do this quickly and efficiently, without tripping, in order to move on to the next stage.

One example of a fun footwork drill is the “ladder drill.” For this exercise, coaches can lay a rope ladder on the ground and have kids practice stepping in and out of the spaces quickly. This activity builds agility, speed, and enhances coordination.

Stamina and Endurance

Unlike some other sports, tennis is incredibly physically demanding. Players are required to run, pivot, and maintain focus for extended periods of time. Building endurance through running, sprinting, and other aerobic exercises will help children stay in the game, and remain competitive during matches.

For younger children, try turning this activity into a game! Relay races or obstacle courses can be used to improve their stamina without making practice feel like an exhausting chore.

Key Tennis Techniques for Beginners

When children become more comfortable with the basic skillsets, it’s time to move on. The next step is to teach them the key tennis strokes and techniques that they’ll need to implement during an actual tennis match. Each of the forms below indicates the proper grip, stance, follow, rotation, positioning, finish, etc.

Forehand Stroke

The first stroke that most young tennis players learn is the forehand stroke. This powerful stroke is meant to keep opponents on the offensive. It is played on the dominant side of the body, with the palm of the hand facing forward as the racquet strikes the ball.

Key Tips:

• Grip: Kids should start with an “eastern” grip for the forehand stroke. This is where the base knuckle of the index finger rests on the third bevel of the racquet handle. This is an easy-to-learn grip that provides control.
• Stance: Encourage players to stand with their feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent, and weight shifted slightly forward.
• Follow-Through: The follow-through is essential for direction and power on this move. Coaches should teach players to swing through the ball and finish the racquet over their opposite shoulder.

Backhand Stroke

The opposite of the forehand is the backhand. This stroke is played on the non-dominant side of the body. It can be performed with one hand or two, but for most kids, the two-handed backhand is the easier of the two. It is easier to control and easier and generating power.

Key Tips:

• Grip: For the two-handed backhand, the dominant hand should use an eastern grip, while the non-dominant hand should hold the racquet above it with a continental grip.
• Rotation: The backhand relies heavily on body rotation. Coaches should teach young players to rotate their hips and shoulders as they swing.
• Finish: Like the forehand, a good backhand stroke ends with a strong follow-through. In this instance, the follow-through brings the racquet up across the body.

Serve

The ability to serve in tennis is one of the most important skills to master. Some might say it’s the most important shot for a young athlete to master, since every point starts with a serve. Serving involves tossing the ball into the air and hitting it into your opponent’s service box.

Key Tips:

• Toss: Young players should focus on tossing the ball straight up, slightly in front of them. A consistent toss is crucial for accuracy in the serve.
• Contact: Coaches should encourage kids to hit the ball at its highest point while keeping their wrist firm.
• Balance: Balance is also key to a good serve. Children should learn to transfer their weight from their back foot to their front foot as they hit the ball.

Volley

Much as in volleyball, a volley is a shot that’s hit before the ball bounces, usually taken near the net. It’s a quick, reflexive shot that requires good timing on the part of the player.

Key Tips:

• Ready Position: To prepare, kids should always stay in a ready position with their knees bent and racquet up, prepared to react quickly.
• Short Swing: Swiftness and control is key here. Unlike groundstrokes, volleys require a short, punch-like swing to redirect the ball back over the net.
• Soft Hands: Coaches should teach young players to absorb the ball’s impact with a soft grip, helping control where the ball goes.

Improving Strategy and Court Awareness

As kids become more advanced, they need to start thinking strategically about how they play the game. Court awareness and understanding strategy help players anticipate their opponent’s moves and position themselves better during points.

Court Positioning

Teaching kids to think about where they are on the court is very important to developing skills. Standing too close to the net can leave players vulnerable to lobs. Meanwhile, standing too far back makes it harder to react to short shots.

Coaches can use thus simple game to teach positioning, it helps young athletes learn to adjust their position based on where the ball is on the court. The game is called “King of the Court.” Players rotate positions on the court, and the “king” (the player on one side) must defend their title by winning points.

Understanding Angles

Tennis is a game of angles, and players who can create sharp angles with their shots inevitably make it harder for opponents to successfully return the ball. Coaches should teach young players to hit cross-court shots, otherwise known as diagonal shots, rather than hitting straight up and down the court. This creates more space between the opponent and the ball, thereby making it harder for the opponent to reach the ball.

Playing to Opponent’s Weakness

As kids learn to progress in the sport, they start to consider their opponent’s strengths and weaknesses. If an opponent struggles with backhands, for example, players learn to aim more shots to the weaker side of the court. This is how players learn to develop strategy. In this instance, they learn to keep the opponent on the defensive.

Mental Toughness and Focus

Tennis is not only played on the court, it’s also played in the mind. Kids are now always the best at staying calm, focused, or resilient in the face of adversity, Nevertheless, parents and coaches can help kids develop mental toughness using the tactics found below.

Staying Positive

Parents and coaches should endeavor to cultivate a positive attitude among their players, especially when they are feeling discouraged about mistakes, challenges, or losses. Remind them that learning to play is a process, and focusing on that process and the fun of it, can help them feel better.

Practicing Focus

Kids inherently lack focus at the onset, but they can be made to see reason once they learn that keeping that focus can help them find success on the court. This will also help them ignore unnecessary pressure and disregard upsets more readily. ocus on one point at a time. Tennis matches can be long, and it’s easy to get distracted. Simple techniques like deep breathing and visualizing success can help kids stay calm and focused.

Cultured Athlete Says…

Tennis may seem like it’s above the heads of many young players, but it offers countless benefits for athletes who are just getting into the sports game. Playing tennis improves physical fitness while helping to develop mental toughness and strategic thinking. Kids who play tennis learn to master fundamental skills like the forehand, backhand, and serve, and how to move around the court effectively. It’s a fun, challenging game that can be a real stepping stone for kids with an athletic mindset.