Plain-English definitions and on-court coaching cues for players, parents, and coaches across all development stages.
The stages a junior moves through, and how we decide when they're ready.
The sequence of stages a junior moves through, from first contact with a racquet to high-performance training. A child moves up when they have mastered the goals of their current stage, not because of a birthday.
“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.”
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.”