SPOTLIGHTSPlay Tennis! Sport of a Lifetime
Written by Carol Yates
As soon as your child is three years old, it’s time to start the “sport of a lifetime,” says Jaime Kaplan, director of Tennis and Promotions at Macon’s Healy Point Country Club.
Of course, no one expects a three- or four-year-old to actually play a game of tennis, but Kaplan says the development of the hand and eye coordination necessary for tennis—most any sport—can definitely start that early.
Bill Mountford, director of tennis at the USTA Tennis Center in Flushing, New York, says he agrees that a three-year-old can start “playing” tennis. For others, depending on their abilities and interests, age 6 might be more appropriate.
Across the country, approximately 5.1 million people took up tennis in 2002 (from a landmark, comprehensive study by the United States Tennis Association, the last year for which statistics are available). Of those first-timers, the numbers were “heavily concentrated among youth,” according to the report. The median age for new players was 15, while two-thirds of new players were under age 18. When considering all individuals playing tennis (all ages, new players or current), 11% were ages 6-11.
“From our national perspective, we see that the popularity of tennis is growing everywhere, including in Georgia, especially among children and youth,” Mountford says.
And that includes Macon, with a host of tennis centers, clubs, recreational leagues, associations, tournaments and more. Lucia Carr, executive director of the Macon Tennis Association (MTA) explains that her group’s role is to promote and grow the game of tennis in Middle Georgia, which she says, “is exciting and fun.” The association focuses on coordinating tournaments in the area. Linked to the MTA is the Middle Georgia Tennis Foundation, which is the fundraising effort that keeps area tennis thriving.
Carr says, “Tennis is a sport that can be appreciated by all players, whether new to the sport or returning. People can have a great time with tennis whether they’re 4 or 74.”
And not only is a child almost never too young to start tennis; likewise, an adult is never too old, either, says Fred Burdick, executive director of the U.S. Professional Tennis Association’s Southern Division.
Burdick says, “It’s one of two games (golf being the other) that you can play for a lifetime. We even have an age 95 and older division! That’s why we in professional tennis want as many children as possible to consider the sport. You can enjoy it forever.”
According to Burdick, though, paying a tennis pro for lessons for your pre-schooler perhaps is not the best way to get going. He suggests rather that parents casually practice hitting the ball around on the court (developing hand and eye coordination) while just having fun. The lessons can come later when the child is ready, and “ready” is a judgment a parent will have to make. Tennis should be no pressure and all fun.
“However, what I really like about tennis for children,” Burdick explains, “is all the non-athletic attributes it teaches kids. Courage, independence, endurance, decision-making and honesty are just a few of the wonderful traits tennis can help a child develop.”
Because there is no line judge, even in most youth tournaments, and the young players have to make their own line calls (whether or not their ball hit the line), Burdick says the opportunity for character growth is unparalleled with any other sport.
Not only is there the potential for mental growth with tennis, young people can benefit from more athletic skills than in any of the other traditional youth sports, according to a study by Joe Dinoffer, representing four national tennis organizations.
Compared to soccer, baseball, football, basketball and golf, tennis scored in more of these categories:
1 throwing
2 catching
2 striking
3 running and striking
4 movement rhythm
5 3-step movement patterns
6 aerobic
7 anaerobic
8 team building
When the decision has been made to enroll your child in his first tennis lesson, make sure you choose the right professional. A place to start might be contacting Macon Tennis Connect at www.macontennisconnect.org for their Tennis For Tots (ages 4–7) program Also, calling and interviewing local Macon tennis centers is another good first step. Then, get recommendations and referrals.
In addition, you can visit national sites with local links to pros, such as Little Tennis at www.littetennis.com (click on Find-A-Pro) or Tennis Welcome Center at www.tenniswelcomecenter.com for a list of professionals in your area by zip code.
Shawna Riley of the United States Tennis Professionals Association reminds parents that “The most important tennis lesson is the first lesson.”
Other considerations for starting a child in tennis are racquet size and court size, according to tennis professional and teacher Ty Fuller in TENNIS magazine. He writes that height should be the consideration for racquet length. (For instance, a child 3’10” should play with a 21” racquet.) Junior size courts are also important. Fuller says that if you don’t have access to a smaller court, “stand your child at the service line and lower the net 6 inches.”
Even if you pick the right pro, the right racquet and the right size court, your child’s first (and subsequent) lessons may be a bust.
Kaplan of Healy Point Country Club suggests that if the child’s lessons aren’t going well, “One of two things can be happening. Either the child just isn’t interested in tennis or the child is not connecting with the instructor.”
She says that many times parents sign their children up for a tennis camp or clinic session and insist that their child “see it through” even if the enjoyment is lacking.
“The parent has to measure the resistance to continuing—perhaps it was a minor problem that can be worked through in the next lesson, or not. You don’t want to turn a child away from tennis for life because you pushed too hard too early,” Kaplan says.
Sometimes the problem is the child, other times it’s the parent. Kaplan recognizes that “tennis parents” can ruin their child’s enjoyment of the sport by hanging around the court during a lesson and offering suggestions. She has even seen instances of parents punishing their child when losing.
Parents, though, can be the child’s best advocate when recognizing burnout, overtraining (resulting in the potential for injury), and working with medical professionals when their child is injured—even slightly.
Despite the search for the right instructor, choosing the right racquet and monitoring your own tennis behavior, the sport of tennis is perfect for most any child of most any age.
Mountford of the USTA National Tennis Center stresses, “F-U-N is what tennis is all about.”
