Success for Young Tennis Players

One of the critical components to learning tennis at a young age (3 of 4 years old) is keeping it fun. One way to ensure that the game stays fun for the youngsters is to teach a stroke that has a high rate of initial success. The stroke that best fits this bill is the forehand volley. The main reason this is such a great stroke to start with is that most of the control of the outcome is in the hands of the pro, literally. I like to have my young players to stand by the net and simple hold the racquet up, as if they were waiting for a high five. I then toss the ball at their racquet. Their only task is to hold on tight. Once they get the hang of this, I then ask them to give the incoming ball a "high five". The high five motion is a nice way to introduce the volley motion to the more accepted "punching" motion of the volley. After a few minutes, your kids will be hitting solid and successful volleys, even to the point where you can set up targets for them to shoot at.

This early success is a key component in making the youngest players enjoy the activity and inspire them to continue participating in tennis. This drill also allows for a variety of creative games and goals that can engage the young player. It is true that tennis is a game that can be played over the course of a lifetime. Success at an early age is a huge part of being able to continue to play over the course of a lifetime.