What is Mini Tennis
Founder of Tennis4kids Annette Smith says “My interest in Mini Tennis developed from seeing children as young as six being able to rally and play the game of tennis exactly as adults do! I was in Bisham Abbey, the National Sports centre in England at the time and had just qualified as a professional tennis coach. I was ‘blown away’ when I saw the children having these great rallies and playing points with each other! The reason for their success was that they were playing tennis on a smaller court and playing with slower balls. They were having the best fun ever! Mini Tennis has truly revolutionised tennis for children. Every child can now have fantastic fun and success right from the start! “
It works like this
- Children start to learn tennis on a smaller court with a lower size net!
- Balls are lower bouncing, making tennis easy and fun for kids as young as five!
- Children start with smaller racquets giving them more control of the ball from the start!
There are three stages in Mini Tennis
- Stage 1 Mini Tennis – ages 5-7 Children play with the red ball
- Stage 2 Mini Tennis – ages 8-9 Children play with the orange ball
- Stage 3 Mini Tennis – ages 10-12 Children play with the green ball
Why the Balls are so important
The slower balls give children more time to play each shot and as they are lower bouncing children learn to hit the ball at the right height which is essential for learning good technique.
The Red ball has 50% less air than the regular hard tennis ball.
The Orange ball has 40% less air than the regular hard tennis ball.
The Green ball has 25% less air than the regular hard tennis ball.
The ITF (International Tennis Federation) ruled that all children aged 10 and under should play with slower balls.
Confidence & Individual Success regardless of Ability
As children progress in technique, movement and experience the size of the court increases as does the pressure of the tennis ball, until eventually children can play in the full size court. Your child will be excited to continue to play tennis. As an individual sport, each child shines regardless of their level as they’ll see immediate progress.
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