Progressive Tennis Drills

The Kids are Alright

Progressive tennis is a special program that teaches young children between the ages of 4 and 9 to play the game quickly, efficiently and with success. In progressive tennis, the court size, balls and racquet's are scaled down to an appropriate size for young kids, and the proper execution of the fundamentals of the game is emphasized. The following progressive tennis drills are a great way to turn your kids into lifelong tennis players while having a great deal of fun along the way.

When selecting progressive tennis drills, make sure to go for drills that aren"t too complicated for young learners and contain variations for players that are more inherently skilled than others. Plus it will give kids a chance to track their progression throughout the season. Remember that these skills are not easy for some players, so always end each practice with a simple volley back and forth. Make sure to partner up kids with similar skill sets, and coaches can play with the lesser-skilled players.

Forehand for Kids

The first series of progressive tennis drills focuses on overhead strokes. To begin, have the kids stand in a line facing the coach with their racquet's raised to their shoulders. Teach kids the proper point of contact for the ball, and gradually introduce a bigger swing before proceeding to any actual hitting.

To start off, have your players stand approximately three feet from the net. Lob a ball towards the player and have them hit it using the point of contact demonstrated before the drill. As players gain accuracy, have them take one giant step back from the net and try again. Also, once players have the hang of the overhead stroke, try throwing a few higher feeds to teach them to extend their reach.

First forehand, now backhand

Once kids have gotten the hang of the forehand stroke, try teaching the backhand stroke with the following progressive tennis drills. First, demonstrate the motion of the racquet using a very short backswing. Some kids may find it easier to use a shortened grip at first. Once your players understand the motion involved for ground strokes, the drills can begin.

First, have kids stand three feet from the net again and one by one give them a drop feed to hit using their backhand stroke. Once they"ve mastered their returns, try giving a short toss feed, followed by a feed from your racquet. Another variation for progressing players is to start approaching the ball with a few steps, followed by a short run once the steps have become too easy.

Remember that these are very young kids you"re dealing with, so they will require lots of patience and praise for a job well done. Any criticism given at this point must be done in a light manner. At this stage in the game, kids progress at varying levels, so make sure that each own player understands that they should only be concerned with beating their personal bests. Allow each child to set their own goals, such as ten volleys in a row or being able to hit the ball across the court, and write these goals out on large sheets of paper. Once goals are achieved, children will enjoy crossing their goals off the list.

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