Are your kids ready for summer? Is tennis camp looking like a good way to keep your kids active? And most importantly, are your kids excited about playing tennis at a tennis camp in Toronto?
If the above applies to you, your kids are practically ready for a summer of sports and activity. The only thing you have to consider is outfitting your young players with the right tennis gear. Nothing is more important than choosing the right tennis racket for their tennis camp in Toronto. Whether they are novices, juniors, or more advanced tennis players, selecting a good racket is crucial to both learning and enjoying the game of tennis even more.
Why Is It Important to Have the Right Size Tennis Racket for Kids?
Tennis racket selection is not a one-size-fits-all endeavour despite common preconceptions. Like footwear, padding, and gloves for other sports, rackets are designed for all sorts of players of various age groups, modelled and tested beforehand to make sure that the right player gets the right racket. If you don’t pick the right one, it can hamper your performance on the court.
Most importantly, a correctly selected racket prevents injury. Kids attending tennis camps can strain themselves if the racket is not a proper length, if it’s too heavy, or if it’s not balanced related to their bodies. To be specific, a racket that is too short for a child takes away from the power that the player puts into it. By contrast, a racket that’s too long puts pressure on the joints. This can have ramifications later as the child grows if it’s not addressed right when they start playing as kids.
Secondly, choosing a proper grip and head-size for a racket can improve racket handling. Many tennis experts put a lot of emphasis on how tight the racket’s netting, or “sweet spot”, is. Its tension can put a lot of force into a tennis ball and affect the ball’s speed and power back to the other player.
Even if you are dealing with juniors attending their first tennis camp, the choosing a good racket can aid in developing great playing skills. As time goes on and young players attending tennis camp grow into more adult, competitive players, these racket-selecting precautions actually help in reducing possible injury in their arms, wrists, and shoulders.
How to Measure a Kid’s Tennis Racket
If you are unfamiliar with any of the aforementioned concepts about selecting a racket for your child’s tennis camp, don’t worry. There is a science to it and informal process to go through. Selecting a tennis racket has its own measurement system to abide by.
Before you head off to the sports equipment store, you can use an old trick to help you get a sense of what size racket your kids require. Have your child grab a racket, hold it by the handle, and place the head on the ground with their hand covering the butt end. Notice their arm: if it’s straightened comfortably, it’s probably the right size. If its bent as they hold the base, the racket is too long.
Many tennis players use this easy technique time and time again to get a sense of what sort of racket they have to buy.
Racket Sizing Chart for Children
There are three key things that need to be considered when choosing the perfect racket size for your child: the child’s age, their height, and the length of the racket.
Here’s the breakdown as a list:
- Younger kids, four years or younger that are about 3 feet, 4 inches (102 cm) require a handle length of 19 inches (48 cm)
- Children between the ages of four and five years old that stand at around 3 feet, 8 inches (106 cm to 112 cm) usually use a handle length of 21 inches (53 cm)
- Older children between the ages of six and seven years old, usually at 4 feet (121 cm) take a racket handle of about 23 inches (58 cm)
- Children ages eight to 10, who are between 4 feet, 3 inches and 4 feet, 7 inches (127 cm to 140 cm) will need a racket with a handle of 25 inches (64 cm)
- Finally, if your child is between 10 to 12 years old, at a height of 4 feet, 7 inches (140 cm) or more, they’ll need a 26-inch (66 cm) handle racket.
Of course, this information is not set in stone. Kids going to tennis camps come in all shapes and sizes, and some younger children can be taller than the height related in the list above. Many tennis camps pros will say that if you are unsure when selecting a racket, for every four inches of height on the child, subtract two inches off the racket handle and that will show the correct length the child will need.
Another tip from tennis professionals is that if you buy a racket two inches longer than the racket handle recommendations above, it can be beneficial over time since the child grows and hence will “grow into” the length of the racket.
One final tip: once a racket’s been chosen, keep an eye on the child as they use it. Even after your son or daughter starts out on the court at their junior tennis camp, see how they handle the racket in practices and games. Just having a first-hand observation of how they maneuver and get comfortable with the racket will give you an idea of how well the child takes to the racket.
Choose Our Kids’ Tennis Camp in Toronto This Summer
Who knew selecting a racket could be so detailed? At Bayview Village Tennis Camp, we’re here to help! At our kids’ tennis camp in Toronto, your child will learn not only how to have fun with tennis, but also how use their tennis racket to the best of their ability. We offer one of the best kids’ tennis camps in Toronto and provide your child with the opportunity to meet other local children their age and make lasting memories. For more information about our beginner, intermediate, and advanced tennis programs, call us at (905) 889-7293 or email pnielsen889@rogers.com.