6-7 year old: Where to Start?

[Postpre]

My son is 6, soon to be 7 in October, and has taken a liking to tennis. I've been hitting with him for about 3 months, and I think he has some decent ability. He participated in a Quickstart clinic for about a week over the summer, and the instructor (who plays in college) is willing to do some private lessons with him.

My question is, what should a player of his age be working on? I've heard of different approaches, and not being a tennis player myself (although a huge fan and a good learner from others), it's hard for me to discern the best way to help him improve at this age.

Here is a video of my son hitting forehands and backhands at his first lesson with the instructor:

http://vimeo.com/28845295

Thanks for any info that is offered!

 

[josofo]

what the instructor is doing is a good drill. let ur kid hit against the garage. also even though u dont play, not to difficult to do that drill with your son. i would also recommend to throw ur kid in a soccer league. it can teach him a lot coordination at a reasonable price. clubs usually have ladders and stuff like that. i remember when i started playing the jr ladder i got beat and i quit and played sports i excelled at more like baseball and hockey. boy do i wish i stuck with tennis. got to remember if he sticks with it. starting at that age is a huge leg up to excell at that sport. which takes countless hours for most people to get good at.

 

[magnut]

Work on athletic ability. Dont think in terms of creating a ball striker. Think about it more as building an athlete. Lots of multidirectional movement. Lots of throwing balls.

You can go out in the front yard to do this stuff. Its as easy as having a catch with your son and playing tag. Take this time to create that bond with your child.

Now theres nothing wrong with some "good" instruction from a "capable" tennis pro if your not well versed in things like the technical aspects of stroke production. I would suggest though you get him a private lesson and observe and take notes on what to work on. Better yet find a good pro and both you and your son do a group lesson together. Then buy yourself some equipment and work with him yourself.

In the end you will create a strong bond with your child. Before you know it you will be battleing it out on the practice courts. Nobody will ever care about a childs development more than the parent (at least thats how it should be IMO). As your child matures valuable time spent with family will replace the pitfalls of modern youth (Drugs, self indulgence etc.)

Everbody likes to fantasize that their child will be the next great tennis star but it is far more important that they grow and mature into decent and responsible young adults. Theres no reason you cant make every effort to do both though. It just takes time and patience. Its not totally necessary to outsource and spend lots of money. Kids dont care about that stuff. Your son wants to be with his daddy.

 

[Postpre]

Thanks for the replies so far. I should clarify that I never played tennis competitively, but I can hit the ball decent and play some today with friends (so I can go on the court and hit with him). I agree that cultivating overall athletic ability is important.

 

[josofo]

in general ur kid hit the ball a little late, especially on the backhand. his whole body coordination needs improvement. thus why i recommended soccer. if u r going to coach him ur self, that pretty much all i would reccomend.

if u were to coach him and do that drill. just tell him hit it in front of him, never hit the net. and u can also encourage him to hit with more pace (which usually helps his fundamentals, as he gets better encourage shots deeper in the court).

 

[magnut]

OK Brian I watch of the video of the forehands so far. Less arm and more rotation. Rotation, rotation, rotation. Frow the ground up. Concentrate on hip rotation and everything else will follow. Also....his feet are kind of dead No? When you go out and feed him balls make him move to the position your going to feed to.

I will also say this. Get him watching tennis. Buy yourself a DVD recorder and start recording tennis. When he finds a favorite player start recording all that players matches. Inspiration drives dedication. When he finds a player that inspires him he will want to play all the time.

Still waiting for the backhands.

 

[TennisCoachFLA]

How can I say this nicely....hmmmm lets see....she is a dime a dozen brutally bad and clueless tennis instructor.

He is not ready for racquet feeds, feeds from where she is hitting them, or those balls. Get him into a Quickstart program where he should stay for at least 6 months.

What she is doing is very, very rookie coaching move. She has him hitting regulation balls from racquet feeds when he does not have a clue yet about the ready position, proper take back, stroke pattern. She is a typical instructor that wants to skip steps 1-9 and go right to 10. She rewards balls going over the net with no regards to anything else. She will have him playing tournaments in a year with horrible technique. And by age 10 he will be demolished by kids who learn the right way.

He is no where near ready for privates or that drill or regulation tennis balls. Get him into a nice group Quickstart program where he will have fun, run around, make friends, and gradually learn the right way to hit a tennis ball.

He should be using foam balls or red Quickstart balls at most, hand feeds, and learning from square one how to hit his strokes. And that would be mixed in with a Quickstart group that would keep things fun for him.

 

[magnut]

OK watched the backhands. He has some natural ball striking ability on that side (baseball maybe?). Same goes though. He neads to rotate the hips though. Also have the elbows up on the follow through. He drops the elbows into the rip cage and does not allow himself to follow through finishing the stroke. Thus reducing drive and compromiseing control and power. It sounds more complicated than it is.

It would be good for you to invest in some instructional DVDs. I will recomend the Vic Braden series because they almost teach you how to teah tennis. Very educational and interesting but also place 100% emphasis on fundamentals. It is money well spent and will give you a knowledge base better than 99% of the tennis pros out there.

When he really gets into it dont be stupid. Invest on a small ball machine with a rechargable battery that you can use anywhere (even whan on vacations). It will be his best friend.

When he starts breaking strings every 45 minutes buy a Klippermate and both of you can learn how to string racquets.

When he starts wearing through shoes every 2 weeks email me and I will teach you how to repair them if your handy so they last three to four times longer.

 

[magnut]

How can I say this nicely....hmmmm lets see....she is a dime a dozen brutally bad and clueless tennis instructor.

He is not ready for racquet feeds, feeds from where she is hitting them, or those balls. Get him into a Quickstart program where he should stay for at least 6 months.

What she is doing is very, very rookie coaching move. She has him hitting regulation balls from racquet feeds when he does not have a clue yet about the ready position, proper take back, stroke pattern. She is a typical instructor that wants to skip steps 1-9 and go right to 10. She rewards balls going over the net with no regards to anything else. She will have him playing tournaments in a year with horrible technique. And by age 10 he will be demolished by kids who learn the right way.

He is no where near ready for privates or that drill. Get him into a nice group Quickstart program where he will have fun, run around, make friends, and gradually learn the right way to hit a tennis ball.

He should be using foam balls or red Quickstart balls at most, hand feeds, and learning from square one how to hit his strokes. And that would be mixed in with a Quickstart group that would keep things fun for him.

Special balls? Nah. He can do fine with old tennis balls. That pro is nothing special but she is not uncommon. Many pros teaching quick start are the same way. Hell, most in the industry are the same way. Group instruction is about crowd control, games and .....money for the most part.

You have a lot of time to work with Brian. Be patient and focuss on the process. Dont worry about how good he is goiing to be. Just enjoy the process.

 

[Tennis_Bum]

Save your money. No private lessons yet. He's big enough for a regular racket and starting using low pressure balls and concentrate on techniques. You can get some on Youtube. Get rid of that crummy, flimsy racket that your son is using in the video. Perhaps, you will see a big improvement after 3 months hitting with a regular racket with low pressure balls against the wall.

But save your money. There are a lot people out there ready to scam you into private lessons just to take your money.

 

[magnut]

Save your money. No private lessons yet. He's big enough for a regular racket and starting using low pressure balls and concentrate on techniques. You can get some on Youtube. Get rid of that crummy, flimsy racket that your son is using in the video. Perhaps, you will see a big improvement after 3 months hitting with a regular racket with low pressure balls against the wall.

But save your money. There are a lot people out there ready to scam you into private lessons just to take your money.

I agree very much.

Also .....old dead tennis balls = poor mans low presure balls. You son will not care. Save your money and take him out for a banana split when your done.

 

[josofo]

i was watching this group lesson in my town. it was absolutely horrible. this women had her 2 kids teach group of 10+ kids. they all stayed on 1 court even though in theory there were 3 instructors and atleast 2 courts available. and there were a few older kids like 11 or so a lot of kids that didn't have clue. but the girls that were 11 or so didn't get more balls hit to them or anything, they spent 20 plus minutes on like warmup without rackets, jumping jacks whaterver, then they had the kids roll the ball to each other with the rackets (they had the foam balls) it was some real pathetic stuff. at the end they finished with some sort of game with a jail which consisted of the 10 kids stand in a line on 1 court, they each got fed 1 ball. if they missed it or made it, they just got 1 ball and had to go back to the end of the line to wait.

anyway there is this russian kid in town thats 12. his dad took him out to hit since he was very young when i first saw him when he was 10 and he was better than me at the time (got him a couple times the next summer). now he wins a lot of the usta eastern 14 and under junior tournaments.

 

[magnut]

i was watching this group lesson in my town. it was absolutely horrible. this women had her 2 kids teach group of 10+ kids. they all stayed on 1 court even though in theory there were 3 instructors and atleast 2 courts available. and there were a few older kids like 11 or so a lot of kids that didn't have clue. but the girls that were 11 or so didn't get more balls hit to them or anything, they spent 20 plus minutes on like warmup without rackets, jumping jacks whaterver, then they had the kids roll the ball to each other with the rackets (they had the foam balls) it was some real pathetic stuff. at the end they finished with some sort of game with a jail which consisted of the 10 kids stand in a line on 1 court, they each got fed 1 ball. if they missed it or made it, they just got 1 ball and had to go back to the end of the line to wait.

anyway there is this russian kid in town thats 12. his dad took him out to hit since he was very young when i first saw him when he was 10 and he was better than me at the time (got him a couple times the next summer). now he wins a lot of the usta eastern 14 and under junior tournaments.

Thats very typical.

 

[chalkflewup]

Plyometrics. Plyometrics. Plyometrics. Just kidding.

 

[Pro_Tour_630]

How can I say this nicely....hmmmm lets see....she is a dime a dozen brutally bad and clueless tennis instructor.

He is not ready for racquet feeds, feeds from where she is hitting them, or those balls. Get him into a Quickstart program where he should stay for at least 6 months.

What she is doing is very, very rookie coaching move. She has him hitting regulation balls from racquet feeds when he does not have a clue yet about the ready position, proper take back, stroke pattern. She is a typical instructor that wants to skip steps 1-9 and go right to 10. She rewards balls going over the net with no regards to anything else. She will have him playing tournaments in a year with horrible technique. And by age 10 he will be demolished by kids who learn the right way.

He is no where near ready for privates or that drill or regulation tennis balls. Get him into a nice group Quickstart program where he will have fun, run around, make friends, and gradually learn the right way to hit a tennis ball.

He should be using foam balls or red Quickstart balls at most, hand feeds, and learning from square one how to hit his strokes. And that would be mixed in with a Quickstart group that would keep things fun for him.

And why do i defer to you on this spot on. That was me with my niece more than 10 years ago. With my first son I learned some rookie mistakes teaching my niece and corrected them yet I still had problems of pushing too hard, tournaments etc.... With my second son I am learning what not to do with my first son and everything would be perfect. Wrong!!!! Problem is second son is gifted in school and I do not want him in tennis, but he does and is supper coachable. It is always the opposite.

 

[Pro_Tour_630]

Special balls? Nah. He can do fine with old tennis balls

yes and no, depends.... if she wants to rally with him soon even old regulation balls will not do. She needs to hand feed and be close to the kid. The kid should be on red, skip orange and go right to green or flat regulation like you said.

Also racquet is tool small. Medium to large 7 years old should not be playing with a 21 or under. I would push him to a larger frame the sooner the better. My six year old son handles a prince 25 very well. I would suggest 23-24 try to find one that is graphite. Very hard to do since most are aluminum and will hurt his arm playing with those regulation balls.

 

[Postpre]

I appreciate all the encouragement/advice/critique. I will have a few follow up questions once I get a chance to ingest it all, which will be a little later today, probably during the men's semis!

 

[thepastord]

How can I say this nicely....hmmmm lets see....she is a dime a dozen brutally bad and clueless tennis instructor.

He is not ready for racquet feeds, feeds from where she is hitting them, or those balls. Get him into a Quickstart program where he should stay for at least 6 months.

What she is doing is very, very rookie coaching move. She has him hitting regulation balls from racquet feeds when he does not have a clue yet about the ready position, proper take back, stroke pattern. She is a typical instructor that wants to skip steps 1-9 and go right to 10. She rewards balls going over the net with no regards to anything else. She will have him playing tournaments in a year with horrible technique. And by age 10 he will be demolished by kids who learn the right way.

He is no where near ready for privates or that drill or regulation tennis balls. Get him into a nice group Quickstart program where he will have fun, run around, make friends, and gradually learn the right way to hit a tennis ball.

He should be using foam balls or red Quickstart balls at most, hand feeds, and learning from square one how to hit his strokes. And that would be mixed in with a Quickstart group that would keep things fun for him.

I agree 200%!!! The important thing for a child like this is they need to be having fun, while learning basic foundations that will grow with their development. Private lessons would amount to wasted $$$$$, and probably extremely bored child. At that age being in a group can add a lot of benefits, even drive a child to do better. imho~~~~~

 

[thepastord]

Plyometrics. Plyometrics. Plyometrics. Just kidding.

Hey, I do a lot of mild plyo ~~P90X~~~ Love it! I have lost 15 pounds. Ab Ripper is great...... 15 min twice a week.



lol

 

[thepastord]

OK watched the backhands. He has some natural ball striking ability on that side (baseball maybe?). Same goes though. He neads to rotate the hips though. Also have the elbows up on the follow through. He drops the elbows into the rip cage and does not allow himself to follow through finishing the stroke. Thus reducing drive and compromiseing control and power. It sounds more complicated than it is.

It would be good for you to invest in some instructional DVDs. I will recomend the Vic Braden series because they almost teach you how to teah tennis. Very educational and interesting but also place 100% emphasis on fundamentals. It is money well spent and will give you a knowledge base better than 99% of the tennis pros out there.

When he really gets into it dont be stupid. Invest on a small ball machine with a rechargable battery that you can use anywhere (even whan on vacations). It will be his best friend.

When he starts breaking strings every 45 minutes buy a Klippermate and both of you can learn how to string racquets.

When he starts wearing through shoes every 2 weeks email me and I will teach you how to repair them if your handy so they last three to four times longer.

~~~~~~~~~~This is hilarious~~~~~ Love it!:lol:

 

[TennisCoachFLA]

Hey dad, don't get me wrong. For his first lesson he is top notch. Thats precisely why I don't want him messed up from the start. That 'pro' simply is not able to teach beginners and little kids.

He should not be hitting regulation balls, fed from a racquet, with his tiny racquet. Go try it. Pick up his racquet and hit some regulation balls.....it hurts me just watching him do so.

Small racquets for small kids are for soft balls. Start him with red....he is coordinated enough to skip the sponge balls. He will be ready for orange balls shortly after that. Forget the net for now. Have someone show him how to be in the ready position, take a little hop, take his racquet back with 2 hands, hit, follow through. The right pro can make it fun while getting his strokes automatic. Once he has solid fundamental footwork and strokes, introduce hitting over the net. Even then, don't care if it goes long, let him fire away and feel the beauty of a powerful stroke.

I think Quickstart is the way to go for 6 months. But if you think he has to have privates, interview some coaches. Find out who knows about red balls, orange balls, green balls. Ask if they know what hand feeds are and why they are great for kids.

Most importantly....ask them to demonstrate what they want his forehand to look like once they teach him. Watch them hit a few balls, serve a few balls, and then decide if thats what you want to spend your hard earned money to emulate.

Little mans got some game, good luck!

 

[TennisCoachFLA]

And why do i defer to you on this spot on. That was me with my niece more than 10 years ago. With my first son I learned some rookie mistakes teaching my niece and corrected them yet I still had problems of pushing too hard, tournaments etc.... With my second son I am learning what not to do with my first son and everything would be perfect. Wrong!!!! Problem is second son is gifted in school and I do not want him in tennis, but he does and is supper coachable. It is always the opposite.

Yup, it takes a long time to learn how to properly teach kids. They are blank slates and the wrong first coach can ruin them for tennis or make it extremely difficult to correct. The right coach can give them a huge advantage, whether they want to play tennis just for fun or for trophies.

I think the problem with American tennis is that at least 80% of US coaches teach kids exactly like you see in that first post video. Just hit the ball and get it over the net. Skip the details and go right to hitting regulation balls over a net, the technique be damned.

No matter how much that boy grows to love tennis or how hard he works or how good an athlete he is.....if he sticks with that coach he will eventually get DESTROYED by a properly coached kid. That would not be fair to him but thats just the facts of junior tennis.

 

[chalkflewup]

Hey, I do a lot of mild plyo ~~P90X~~~ Love it! I have lost 15 pounds. Ab Ripper is great...... 15 min twice a week.



lol

But are you 6? Losing 15lb?

 

[josofo]

Yup, it takes a long time to learn how to properly teach kids. They are blank slates and the wrong first coach can ruin them for tennis or make it extremely difficult to correct. The right coach can give them a huge advantage, whether they want to play tennis just for fun or for trophies.

I think the problem with American tennis is that at least 80% of US coaches teach kids exactly like you see in that first post video. Just hit the ball and get it over the net. Skip the details and go right to hitting regulation balls over a net, the technique be damned.

No matter how much that boy grows to love tennis or how hard he works or how good an athlete he is.....if he sticks with that coach he will eventually get DESTROYED by a properly coached kid. That would not be fair to him but thats just the facts of junior tennis.

yll overate tecnique.

 

[magnut]

yll overate tecnique.

Yup.

Focus on being a parent first and get the kid to share your love for the game. If he loves the game he will learn to hit baseballs on the tennis court effectively. When he is an adult he will have many memories of spending time with dad on the court. Tennis is a beautiful thing No? Oh, I am a father too. Nothings better than being a father.

New balls, New racquet, Expensive pros......Money, Money Money!


Its always about the money aint it?

Love ya Rafa!

If you start spending money try to get the most from it that you can. Unless you spend money to have fun. Then go get him the Rafa clothing line, a babolat racquet, and start sending him to tennis camps and academies. Just dont be surprised when your kid turn out to be a little tennis monster bratt because you were never around.

 

[TennisCoachFLA]

yll overate tecnique.

Impossible. You could not be more wrong. I suggest you talk to coaches who have been around forever, one such poster is CoachingMastery who is Dave Smith.

Every great athlete has solid fundamentals except for the rare exceptions. If this guy is going to shell out for privates, at least get basic technique.

Every top 10 man, every top 10 women, almost every D-1 player, most top juniors have the same elements to a forehand. Split step, high take back with 2 hands, hit, follow through. Simple and super easy to teach to a kid at age 6-7.

Teach them the right way, they are set. They can take tennis casually and be a nice park player. If they ever get serious, their base is set. They are free to make subtle changes to their strokes to fit their own personalities and creativity...AFTER the fundamentals are learned. It takes the same time to teach a kid right that it does to feed them balls blindly.

Creativity comes later, after the fundamentals. Kobe, MJ, Wade....same basic fundamentals on their jump shot. Shawn Marion, ugly shooter that is effective...rare exception. So we teach kids to shoot like 95% of great shooters, not the exceptions.

Same with tennis. Teach a kid to hit a forehand like 95% of good players. Don't blindly feed him balls and say nice job if they go over the net. Proper technique is easy to teach, sets them for whatever they want to do later on, and is ethically the right thing for a tennis pro to do in exchange for money.

 

[magnut]

Impossible. You could not be more wrong. I suggest you talk to coaches who have been around forever, one such poster is CoachingMastery who is Dave Smith.

Every great athlete has solid fundamentals except for the rare exceptions. If this guy is going to shell out for privates, at least get basic technique.

Every top 10 man, every top 10 women, almost every D-1 player, most top juniors have the same elements to a forehand. Split step, high take back with 2 hands, hit, follow through. Simple and super easy to teach to a kid at age 6-7.

Teach them the right way, they are set. They can take tennis casually and be a nice park player. If they ever get serious, their base is set. It takes the same time to teach a kid right that it does to feed them balls blindly.

Creativity comes later, after the fundamentals. Kobe, MJ, Wade....same basic fundamentals on their jump shot. Shawn Marion...rare exception. So we teach kids to shoot like 95% of great shooters, not the exceptions.

Same with tennis. Teach a kid to hit a forehand like 95% of good players. Don't blindly feed him balls and say nice job if they go over the net.

Spoken like an egomaniac tennis pro (not saying you are one though). You dont build the player, He does. He will only be willing to make the sacrifices if he loves the game. Technique is important sure but it is not the most important. No player every became great without developing a love for the game.

 

[TennisCoachFLA]

Spoken like an egomaniac tennis pro (not saying you are one though). You dont build the player, He does. He will only be willing to make the sacrifices if he loves the game. Technique is important sure but it is not the most important. No player every became great without developing a love for the game.

Common sense.....if you have 2 kids who LOVE tennis, one taught the right way and one taught the wrong way...which one rises to the top?

I think I will stick with what guys like John Wooden, Paterno, Macci, Lansdorp, Dave Smith, Dick Gould, Nick Saviano, Herb Magee, and hundreds of other coaches have said....teach a kid proper fundamentals.

Whether teaching is made fun or whether a kid loves any sport is irrelevant to if they are taught correctly or not. Teachers who teach proper fundamentals can make it just as fun as anyone else.

In fact being around tennis for decades and talking to dozens of other tennis coaches with thousands of former students.....kids who learn the right way in most cases have more success....and its strange how they grow to LOVE tennis more when they win.

Also funny how not one great player has lousy technique. Every current top ten player men and women all have the same forehand fundamentals. So where are all the tennis lovers with lousy technique??

Lastly, name me all the great tennis players who had no good coaching as kids and simply loved the game so much they made themselves into great players??

 

[josofo]

Impossible. You could not be more wrong. I suggest you talk to coaches who have been around forever, one such poster is CoachingMastery who is Dave Smith.

Every great athlete has solid fundamentals except for the rare exceptions. If this guy is going to shell out for privates, at least get basic technique.

Every top 10 man, every top 10 women, almost every D-1 player, most top juniors have the same elements to a forehand. Split step, high take back with 2 hands, hit, follow through. Simple and super easy to teach to a kid at age 6-7.

Teach them the right way, they are set. They can take tennis casually and be a nice park player. If they ever get serious, their base is set. They are free to make subtle changes to their strokes to fit their own personalities and creativity...AFTER the fundamentals are learned. It takes the same time to teach a kid right that it does to feed them balls blindly.

Creativity comes later, after the fundamentals. Kobe, MJ, Wade....same basic fundamentals on their jump shot. Shawn Marion, ugly shooter that is effective...rare exception. So we teach kids to shoot like 95% of great shooters, not the exceptions.

Same with tennis. Teach a kid to hit a forehand like 95% of good players. Don't blindly feed him balls and say nice job if they go over the net. Proper technique is easy to teach, sets them for whatever they want to do later on, and is ethically the right thing for a tennis pro to do in exchange for money.

well if u teach them the things they need to accomplish, they will learn the tecnique for themselves.

soderling strokes r a little bigger than u would teach. roddick reinvented the serve. hardly anyone has gasquet huge take back, backhand. how about pat rafter serving in volleying to slams on only a decent 1st serve.

everyone says nadal forehand has more spin than anyone in history. their is more than 1 way to skin a cat, as the saying goes

 

[tennis5]

You don't have to travel across the country to find a great coach,

there are great coaches in one's backyard that you can invest in, and they will care about your junior.

But there are also bad coaches.. Beware.

Out of sheer luck, my son has avoided these coaches.

It is almost criminal that coaches can take the parent's money, and not correct the kid's form.

I think it is just pure laziness on the coaches part when they let bad technique go on.

 

[Postpre]

Have someone show him how to be in the ready position, take a little hop, take his racquet back with 2 hands, hit, follow through. The right pro can make it fun while getting his strokes automatic. Once he has solid fundamental footwork and strokes, introduce hitting over the net. Even then, don't care if it goes long, let him fire away and feel the beauty of a powerful stroke.

TennisCoachFLA,

I'm a little confused by "taking the racquet back with two hands." Your advice sounds very good. Do you know of any video on YouTube that would demonstrate what you've written in the above paragraph?

Thanks.

 

[TennisCoachFLA]

TennisCoachFLA,

I'm a little confused by "taking the racquet back with two hands." Your advice sounds very good. Do you know of any video on YouTube that would demonstrate what you've written in the above paragraph?

Thanks.

Sure dad, watch how every top pro takes the racquet back, men and women. Good players of all ages. The off hand stays on the throat and goes back with the racquet to turn the shoulders and get the racquet head up. Then the hand releases and extends down the baseline.

Easy for a kid to learn and actually helps them take a bigger racquet back. As ProTour said, your boy can easily use a 25 inch racquet.

The best men do it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ajx2zqpp0rI

The best 6 years olds do it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_B1TlwYfu_s

The best women do it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amjtiQuRE54

# 1 in the world does it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NxEXxFLim1s&feature=related

Your boy can learn it with ease and it becomes automatic and will be with him for his tennis career, whether that is in the park or in the US Open. My daughter is the same age as your boy and her forehand takeback looks just like the pros/talented kids in those videos.

 

[Soianka]

I agree with TCFL and others here.

The current coach is no good.

He is swinging wildly and there is too much going on.

The coach should be drop feeding for a beginner and really emphasizing learning the elements of the stroke -- take back, swing pattern, follow through, etc.

I also don't think that a private lesson is necessary at this age. However, if you do private lessons, find someone who knows how to teach a beginner the right way.

It looks like he will pick it up pretty quickly with the right instruction.

 

[Pro_Tour_630]

TennisCoachFLA,

I'm a little confused by "taking the racquet back with two hands." Your advice sounds very good. Do you know of any video on YouTube that would demonstrate what you've written in the above paragraph?

Thanks.

here is Fish with takeback with two hands, anyone has a better photo notice how it helps in turning the shoulder/core, how am I doing TCF ?

 

[ga tennis]

Sure dad, watch how every top pro takes the racquet back, men and women. Good players of all ages. The off hand stays on the throat and goes back with the racquet to turn the shoulders and get the racquet head up. Then the hand releases and extends down the baseline.

Easy for a kid to learn and actually helps them take a bigger racquet back. As ProTour said, your boy can easily use a 25 inch racquet.

The best men do it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ajx2zqpp0rI

The best 6 years olds do it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_B1TlwYfu_s

The best women do it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amjtiQuRE54

# 1 in the world does it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NxEXxFLim1s&feature=related

Your boy can learn it with ease and it becomes automatic and will be with him for his tennis career, whether that is in the park or in the US Open. My daughter is the same age as your boy and her forehand takeback looks just like the pros/talented kids in those videos.

Is the 6 year old in the video a girl or a boy?He or she hits a big ball.

 

[TennisCoachFLA]

here is Fish with takeback with two hands, anyone has a better photo notice how it helps in turning the shoulder/core, how am I doing TCF ?

Beautiful picture, thanks ProTour.

 

[TennisCoachFLA]

Is the 6 year old in the video a girl or a boy?He or she hits a big ball.

Thats a little boy. Little guy is fun to watch!

 

[ga tennis]

Thats a little boy. Little guy is fun to watch!

He is good!!!!!

 

[SStrikerR]

in general ur kid hit the ball a little late, especially on the backhand. his whole body coordination needs improvement. thus why i recommended soccer. if u r going to coach him ur self, that pretty much all i would reccomend.

if u were to coach him and do that drill. just tell him hit it in front of him, never hit the net. and u can also encourage him to hit with more pace (which usually helps his fundamentals, as he gets better encourage shots deeper in the court).

Well, he is 6. A kid who's just started tennis isn't going to have timing down or anything. Also, I highly recommend having him play soccer as well. It teaches good footwork and athleticism in general. And to be honest, if you find he isn't a natural athlete, you would know not to spend a ton on lessons or anything. If you lack athletic ability, you aren't going to make it at the higher levels.

 

[Postpre]

What do you guys think about basketball as an activity for kids? I played basketball, and I think my son is more prone to like basketball than soccer.

Also, he is quite tall for his age, and has big feet. I don't think his lower body coordination is exceptional for his age, but I think there is a good chance he will grow into his body (maybe more so than other kids). He's built a lot like my brother in law who is 6 feet 3 inches (I am 6 feet 1.5 inches, and my wife is 5 feet 9 inches).

 

[TennisCoachFLA]

What do you guys think about basketball as an activity for kids? I played basketball, and I think my son is more prone to like basketball than soccer.

Also, he is quite tall for his age, and has big feet. I don't think his lower body coordination is exceptional for his age, but I think there is a good chance he will grow into his body (maybe more so than other kids). He's built a lot like my brother in law who is 6 feet 3 inches (I am 6 feet 1.5 inches, and my wife is 5 feet 9 inches).

Good size dad. Sure, basketball would be great. First choice is soccer but if he likes hoops more, no problem. You are trying to build his athletic base and let him have fun with the guys at this point. Whatever movement sports you can get him into will help him in the long run.