How to Choose the Right Tennis Racquet for Your Child

Tennis is a sport for a lifetime. Your children will be able to enjoy the game for many years to come if you introduce them to it early. Whether your child has expressed interest in trying tennis for the first time recently or is already playing and getting better, you naturally want to ensure they have the best racquet at hand (pun intended). 

Selecting a racket for a child is a crucial decision. An inadequate racquet can negatively impact your child’s play, hinder his advancement, and cause injury. Not only is this inconvenient, but it can also dampen your child’s enthusiasm for the game. To foster your child’s love for tennis, it is essential to choose a racket that is suitable for their age, size, and skill level.

When’s the Best Time for Children to Start Playing Tennis?

Before you start browsing the range of tennis racquets for kids online and make a significant investment, it’s natural to wonder which is the best time for your child to start practising tennis. Many parents ask themselves the same question, which is why we see it in almost every beginner’s guide to tennis gear. 

The answer is that children as young as two years old can play tennis; they don’t even need to be able to look over the net to take up a racquet and try their hand at the game.

However, most tennis coaches advise parents to enrol their children in group tennis classes as soon as the child shows interest, which is as early as the preschool period or about age 3 or 5. To engage them, they must have the appropriate tools. When they start, though, the focus should be on getting kids on the court, being active and having fun.

It’s not too late if your youngster is older than five, so don’t give up. Introducing children to tennis is a never-ending endeavour. Roger Federer began playing at eight, and his career took off.

How Do I Choose a Tennis Racket for My Child?

Junior tennis racquets come in different sizes, shapes and materials. You should consider your child’s age and skill level when picking the ideal option of the many tennis racquets for kids available.

Racquet Size

The size of the racquet is the most crucial point to get right. Your kid will be far more likely to enjoy themselves on the court, and the likelihood of injury will be lower if you select the appropriate size and ensure the racquet isn’t too huge or heavy. However, it is also not ideal if your youngster is using a too-small racquet, as this might hinder their enjoyment and slow down their rate of improvement.

When choosing a junior tennis racquet, the length of the racquet and your child’s height are the most important factors to consider. One of the primary modifications made by manufacturers to make tennis racquets kid-friendly is length; nevertheless, your child’s height will assist you in establishing the appropriate racquet length for them. 

Most preschoolers are 102-113 cm high. For example, if your child is 102 cm or less high, opt for a racquet size of 19 inches. 21-inch racquets are best suited for children ranging from 102 to 123 cm. The best racquet sizes for children of school age, ranging from 114-140 cm, are 23 and 25 inches. For kids taller than 140 cm, 16-inch tennis racquets are ideal.

Grip Size

In inches or millimetres, a racquet’s grip size is defined as the circumference of its handle. Because most manufacturers only make one grip size for each children’s tennis racquet, choosing the right size for kids is simple. Put another way, the grip size and racquet length will match; that is, the larger the racquet, the larger the grip size. 

Your child’s racquet grip could occasionally be too big or too little. Should that be the case, you can modify the fit. It is more challenging to make the grip smaller, so it is advisable to talk to your instructor or take your racquet to your neighbourhood tennis store. They have the means to make adjustments without sacrificing comfort.

The simplest method to increase the grip size if you feel it is too tiny is to add an overgrip, which will increase the grip size by roughly 1/16 of an inch. Although it’s doubtful that you’d need to increase the grip size significantly, most tennis stores can assist you with a more permanent solution if required.

Material and Weight

Advanced racquet materials aren’t as critical as the size when choosing a tennis racquet for children. Kids won’t be able to distinguish between different materials by feeling alone, other than weight.

Junior tennis racquets are often made from reasonably priced, lightweight aluminium, though sometimes a combination of graphite is used. Parents should be happy about this material’s use because it’s cheap, which means kids’ tennis racquets will be much less expensive than performance racquets.

Girls’ vs Boys’ Racquets

You might be wondering if there are any distinctions between tennis racquets for boys and girls as a parent. Thankfully, the two are identical to one another. Tennis racquets for children are all unisex, and the same is true for adult tennis racquets. Certain manufacturers cater to boys and girls regarding styles and colours, such as the Spider-Man and Hello Kitty racquets.