“She's ready for the next stage because she's met the goals, not because she turned nine.”
The introductory stage, usually ages 5–8. Foam or red balls, short racquets (about 38–50 cm), a small court and a low net. The focus is fun, coordination and first rallies.
“In red, we want lots of touches and lots of smiles.”
The stage for players roughly 7–10 who already have a year or more of lessons. Orange balls, a mid-size court and a higher net. Players build a repeatable technique, learn to move properly and start thinking about where to hit.
“Orange is where rallies turn into points you can plan.”
The first half of the orange stage. Players adapt to the new ball, racquet and court, and consolidate grips, arm–racquet setup and basic footwork.
“Orange 1 is about getting comfortable with the bigger court.”
The second half of the orange stage, played on a full orange court (18 × 6 m for singles) with the net raised from 70 to 80 cm. A player moves up only when the Orange 1 movement goals are secure. Goals add first-step acceleration, stopping, stance recognition and angles.
“Moving to Orange 2 is a big step. Let's make sure the foundations are solid first.”
The stages a junior moves through, and how we decide when they're ready.
The introductory stage, usually ages 5–8. Foam or red balls, short racquets (about 38–50 cm), a small court and a low net. The focus is fun, coordination and first rallies.
“In red, we want lots of touches and lots of smiles.”
Whether a child is prepared for the next stage, judged on skills, movement, understanding and emotional maturity together. Age is only a rough guide.
“Two kids the same age can be at very different levels of readiness, and that's normal.”
Narrowing a young child's training to one sport or one result too early. It raises the risk of burnout and injury and usually lowers the long-term ceiling.
“Playing other sports now is an investment in his tennis later.”