What Should Racquets Do?

Getting your child excited about tennis is a worthwhile objective and the right kids tennis racquet can make it easier to play tennis.

Increase Fun with Youth Tennis Racquets

Young people can be successful in many ways, but the surest way is for them to enjoy the game while they play tennis. Teaching pros know this so when young players are just getting started the emphasis is on having fun - not doing endless drills. 

Weight and Length

As a result, starter racquets are very light making it easier for them to swing than adult versions. In addition, they are a shorter length racquet further adding to the fun of making contact with the ball and have it fly over a junior sized net.

Increase Confidence to Play Tennis

The better youths get, the more confident they get. A junior racquet as a lighter, shorter length racquet, meaning they get better results sooner thereby increasing confidence.

Improve Shot Making

The perfect racquet for juniors will make it easy for them to get the ball over the net and help them have some control (eventually) over depth. Tennis rackets can actually make it harder to get the ball in play if it is not the right size racquet for the player.

Junior Tennis Racquets Should be Affordable

Since most junior tennis racquets come pre-strung, parents can avoid breaking the bank as their child grows out of one racquet and into another. Junior racquets do not have all the same racquet features as an adult version, but they still contain great technology with huge sweet spots reducing vibrations and arm stress.

You can find a great racquet for juniors that fits your budget and then, as they grow, upgrade to a junior racket that fits their new size. By the time they get to junior high and certainly by high school age, the best tennis rackets for the highly competitive player will be adult racquets.

How do You Size a Youth Tennis Racket?

Tennis racquet sizes for adults have a host of variables including length and size of the string bed (head size.) Finding the appropriate racquet for kids is really about the kid's size.

Be sure to see our detailed answer to this question in our Learning Center but the main variables are height of the child and weight of the tennis rackets. Their height will determine the right length for your child's tennis racquet. This chart, from our Kids Tennis Racquets Buying Guide offers a great summary:

The length of tennis rackets is critical in determining how maneuverable it is. Juniors need a maneuverable racquet so as to be able to hit serves and forehand and backhand shots and hit from all over the court.

Grip Sizes for Juniors

Getting grip size right is not really an issue as the typical junior racquet will only come in one grip size. If it is too small for your child, using an over grip to make the grip larger is recommended as a good way to stay injury free. See our Learning Center Guide to Measuring the Right Grip Size for many a helpful tip on this topic.

Does the Paint Job Matter?

Your child may have a strong opinion about the color scheme. Paint does not impact the racquet quality so, if they want a hot, pink design, or one that looks like Rafa's racquet - let them!  

As long as it meets the length and weight specs you want, well then, why not? The best tennis racquet is the one where they feel most confidence.

Can Adults Use a Junior Tennis Racquet?

Well, there is no rule against it, however, it is not advisable for two reasons.

1) Because kids tennis racquets are so light, adults risk injury. Adults will swing it much harder than a junior, therefore kids racquets will have much more vibration for adults.

2) Adult strength can pop strings and break frames in junior racquets.

When Should Kids Start Playing Tennis?

When they want to! Dragging them into lessons that they don't want will be a tough problem to overcome. 

Pros often refer to age 5 as a good age to consider but every child is different. Remember: Fed started his tennis game when he was 8.

What Tennis Racket Should I Buy for Kids?

All the major racquet manufacturers make quality models. Babolat, Volkl, and Wilson are three quality examples to investigate.

The tennis world loves to see young kids getting into the sport. The most important consideration for early success is to get the right length racquet. The best racquet for younger kids is the one that is the right size tennis racquet.

Shop with Us

Tennisracquets.com is your one stop shop for youth and adult tennis gear. With a huge selection of apparel, accessories and bags to carry all your stuff we are the premier place to shop.

Selecting the best tennis racket for you and your younger children can feel complicated at times. Have questions? Call our friendly customer service tennis experts!