Suggestions for my 10 year old son who loves tennis

[nj121]

Hi all,

My 10 year old son only loves to play tennis and during this summer break he has been going to tennis summer camp at central jersey for last 5 weeeks (he took 14 private classes last year). He loves tennis and i like to give him the right tool to enjoy and learn the game. Unfortunately, I don't know anything about tennis so i can't help him a lot(but trying my best).

I would greatly appreciate if you can help me in the right direction for the following questions i have:

1. Is it good idea to practice against wall or buy tennis machine for younger kid?

2. Should i look to buy online tennis video program or have weekly 1 hour coaching session (in summer i can effort outdoor coaching session) or try to get both?

3. Is it a good idea to enroll him in any tournament or wait for one more year? If yes, which tournaments I should look into?

My biggest worry is that at camp (which is a decent indoor place) he is not learning strokes style in detail but they make kid hit the ball and play game. My understanding is that at younger age kid should focus more on the body movement and shot movement rather than just keep hitting the ball. Please let me know if my understanding is wrong.

Because of this situation, i started watching and reading this forum in detail, watching online youtube video (suggested by some members here), and taking him to court 3 times a week to practice. I just throw ball at him and record his movement on my iphone and let him watch to judge if it his movements are correct or not.

I am trying to create a process about: how to train 10 year old kid to play tennis.

Thank you all for your time and inputs

-Raj

 

[joesucks]

Interesting, I am also trying to work my son into tennis, although it has been a challenge because he has a poor sport sense so far (soccer, basketball, baseball etc.,) so will be interesting to see what others have to say.
Thanks for posting this. My son is 11 years old, and my daughter on the other hand plays with switched hand (righty playing lefty) and does wonderfully and she is doing reasonably well at the sport.

 

[AceJohn]

My son started when he was 6 with camps and a few lessons. We thought he was pretty good. Then he played USTA (which would be my advice) and ALTA for a few years. We won more than he lost. Then we enrolled him in a year round academy where he does drills and match play 3 days a week. We saw how far below a lot of kids he was. After 4 months we started him in Level 4 and Level 5 tournaments and at one point he lost 8 matches in a row. he's been at it for a year now and he's won 8 of his last 12 and placed in 2 of the tourneys but the whole experience has been eye opening. my advice would be to forget camps, videos or anything like that. He will get better by hitting more balls. That is it. Repetition.

My advice would be to have him join a USTA team out of a tennis facility in your area to see how he stacks up and how he likes it. It will be like 1 practice a week and 1 match a week. Not too much but just enough for someone trying to decide whether to proceed or not. My $.02.

 

[AceJohn]

And if your son has a bad temper go ahead and warn him that the other kids will cheat. I see it ALL the time and it is bad. You just have to let it roll off your shoulders.

 

[nj121]

acejohn,

Thank you for your reply and suggestion. its really important for me to hear from parents like you.

I have been thinking about joining usta. How do you find out USTA team in an area? Is there any website to find out or do we just call the clubs and find out about USTA team? And somehow he needs to be in his level of team, right?

What do you think about tennis ball machine for consistency? and private coaching lession (1 /week) to develop his tennis skill?

Your response has been big help to me

thank you again

-Raj

 

[nj121]

Joe,

I love soccer and my son joined soccer for three season but he didn't like it after words ( i guess it has to do something with his flatfeet). Then he tried basketball but that think didn't workout for him.

Finally since last two year, he is settled on two thing, swimming and tennis. But he loves tennis so much that i am getting serious about spending money and energy for his development.

-Raj

Interesting, I am also trying to work my son into tennis, although it has been a challenge because he has a poor sport sense so far (soccer, basketball, baseball etc.,) so will be interesting to see what others have to say.
Thanks for posting this. My son is 11 years old, and my daughter on the other hand plays with switched hand (righty playing lefty) and does wonderfully and she is doing reasonably well at the sport.

 

[TennisCJC]

My suggestions would be to join a team and take private or semi-private lessons focusing on stroke production and basic tactics. If he gets to the point were he is doing very well in league play, then try some tournaments.

 

[Kara Sanchez]

Unfortunately, I can't offer much advice in terms of tennis. However, I did play D1 volleyball - so I'm reaallllly familiar with club teams, private lessons, and more importantly making the decision to commit to spending tons of hard earned cash on a sport. Have you asked your son what his goals are? I think this would help know just how serious he wants to be right now, and about getting better in the future. As one of the other users mentioned above, improvement for me, was directly linked to repetition. Regardless of how you choose to do it, I think putting the time in is most important. You might learn something really great in a private session, but if you aren't willing to take the initiative to practice it - it won't matter. I would personally wait a few years and focus on building a strong skill foundation before venturing into joining a team. For me, tournaments and private lessons were much more important once I'd formed a somewhat strong grasp of the game and the basics. As I was getting better, my progress became less and less noticeable. Since I was a little older and had a pretty good knowledge base, I was much better able to internalize what I was learning and apply it to the game. I hope I wasn't too off-topic. Sorry, I couldn't answer from a tennis standpoint. Good luck!!

 

[BMC9670]

For what it's worth, here are some things I have learned along the way as a tennis coach/parent (in no particular order - just random thoughts):

1. Don't make them compete before they are ready. If they don't have the tools, you're setting them up for failure and they may develop bad habits to cover for the missing tools.
2. Focus on strokes, technique and movement early.
3. Once solid fundamentals are learned, focus on using them to "play the game": strategy, game style, weapon development, assessing an opponent, etc.
4. Teach honesty - No cheating and no retaliation.
5. Focus on playing well and improving, not winning. Winning is a by-product of playing well. You can play your best and lose to a better player, make sure they know that's OK.
6. Don't chase points. Points will come from #5.
7. They're kids, don't let tennis be serious all the time. Let them have some fun with it, play fun matches with friends, goof off, etc.
8. Know when to push and when to back off. This is different for every kid. Effort is not the same as skill - push for effort but don't punish lack of skill. Effort leads to better skill.
9. Don't go into tennis thinking your kid will get a scholarship or be a pro. It will become apparent fairly quickly if they show something special. Many spend more than college tuition chasing scholarships or push kids too hard to be pros because they are blinded by their own ambition.
10. You said he loves tennis. Your #1 goal should be to keep it that way.

Good luck!

 

[dgold44]

NJ, Your best bet for him is to find a very good quality tennis pro who excels in fundamentals. Remember that many Pros are lousy instructors so you will have to do research and find out who the top juniors in the area take from. Do you know the parents of any top juniors in your area. They are the key to directing you to the good pros. He only needs 1 lesson per week. He also should rent out a ball machine once a week too to reinforce the lessons. Hitting against a backboard may be ok for the short term but a ball machine is way superior.
Finally, I would not even worry about tourneys until he has a few years of solid lessons. Tourneys would only frustrate him and are not important.
I started playing about his age so just do it slowly.

 

[dgold44]

NJ, Also remember he can play tennis from age 10 to age 80. So it is one of the few sports you can play your entire life !!!

 

[AceJohn]

http://www.usta.com/Youth-Tennis/Team-Tennis/for_parents/
Is a good place to start. i don't know about New Jersey but in GA we have nice public tennis facilities, about 8 or 9 in my county alone. 3 of them have very strong junior programs and almost all of them offer USTA teams for Juniors. I would just google your county name and junior usta and it will probably lead you to a few choices. A pro will hit with your kid and put him on the team of his skill level. I don't like the ball machine for juniors that much. I'd prefer a coached lesson. If they have a bad habit they are repeating it ad nauseum with a ball machine and it makes it that much harder to correct.

 

[Slash007]

Ok, I am not a pro. Don't take me too seriously.( meaning: don't follow me blindly)

Assuming you are not going for the pro kid deal...

Just let him play as much as possible. A wall is Ok, machine is better, you as a partner is much much better.

Make sure you have the best coach that you both like, one that value strategy and healthy long strokes. He will take care of the strokes. It is Your job to get him the coach. There are so many terrible coaches out there that will do more harm than good.

Get him playing with other people, in the reality no one hits to your strike zone. He will need to adapt and go seek the balls.

Try essential tennis podcasts, it is free and they have one great podcast on tennis parenting also Frank Gianpaolo had great tips, and there is some free stuff from him.

Also he needs to be fit, at ten he needs to play and develop motor skills any sports that give him some cardio is great as long as he is moving a lot and happy.

If you want the pro / college
Way. Really go after that Frank guy.

 

[dgold44]

Tennis is a safe and good choice for him !!!
Much better than him doing Football and getting messed up

 

[nj121]

TennisCJC,

Thank you for your suggestion, basically after reading many replies I am getting the point (correct its wrong): First perfect their strocks and basic tactics and only after reaching at confortable level ( I am sure it will be judged by his coach) think about the tournaments......

You have summed it up in a one sentence.... thank you

 

[nj121]

Unfortunately, I can't offer much advice in terms of tennis. However, I did play D1 volleyball - so I'm reaallllly familiar with club teams, private lessons, and more importantly making the decision to commit to spending tons of hard earned cash on a sport. Have you asked your son what his goals are? I think this would help know just how serious he wants to be right now, and about getting better in the future. As one of the other users mentioned above, improvement for me, was directly linked to repetition. Regardless of how you choose to do it, I think putting the time in is most important. You might learn something really great in a private session, but if you aren't willing to take the initiative to practice it - it won't matter. I would personally wait a few years and focus on building a strong skill foundation before venturing into joining a team. For me, tournaments and private lessons were much more important once I'd formed a somewhat strong grasp of the game and the basics. As I was getting better, my progress became less and less noticeable. Since I was a little older and had a pretty good knowledge base, I was much better able to internalize what I was learning and apply it to the game. I hope I wasn't too off-topic. Sorry, I couldn't answer from a tennis standpoint. Good luck!!

Sara,

Good points... Yes after asking him 100 time, I made decision of investing money for him. I never had opportunity to play any sports while growing up, only choices were street sports without any money invested. My goal is to give as best as i can to my kids. They have no pressure to become good at anything but they must learn something out of any investment we are making.... thats all ... example, if you go to take tennis lesson, you have to practice for it. If they don't go to practice, only two choices they have: 1. stop private coaching 2. Practice for 2-3 time / week

Its a big money we are talking about here....

Let me make sure one thing from your reply: are you suggesting to have private lesson now or wait until couple of years ? Difference between team or tournaments?

My understanding based on my reading and replies here is that: Its better to get private coaching to develop basic skill earlier in career and once its developed, participate in tournaments.

Love to hear your input

Thank you

-Raj

 

[nj121]

BMC9670,

Thank you soo much for your in-depth reply.....at the end of this forum my goal is to share key points to train young tennis player and possible paths.... and i will be using your below points as starting point....


"1. Don't make them compete before they are ready. If they don't have the tools, you're setting them up for failure and they may develop bad habits to cover for the missing tools."

This is a common response i am getting so yes, i will try to follow this for sure. No tournaments until basics (Focus on strokes, technique and movement early) are completed..... after the basics are taken care...then comes advanced techniques like (strategy, game style, weapon development, assessing an opponent)

"4. Teach honesty - No cheating and no retaliation."

We are big believer of honesty. We constantly have discussing about it after the camp. Its ongoing discussion and it takes time for them understand that it really doesn't have much value and if you are bothered by it, you will be the one who will end up suffer..... again they need to go through their learning curve for this..


"5. Focus on playing well and improving, not winning. Winning is a by-product of playing well. You can play your best and lose to a better player, make sure they know that's OK."

agree on this

"6. Don't chase points. Points will come from #5."

awesome

"7. They're kids, don't let tennis be serious all the time. Let them have some fun with it, play fun matches with friends, goof off, etc."

great point gut once in a while I get upset when my son keep acting silly.... but nonetheless you have key point here

"8. push for effort but don't punish lack of skill. Effort leads to better skill."

I read many articles on this topic.... and how our mind reacts to different emotion we generate around kids....


"9. Don't go into tennis thinking your kid will get a scholarship or be a pro. It will become apparent fairly quickly if they show something special. Many spend more than college tuition chasing scholarships or push kids too hard to be pros because they are blinded by their own ambition."


10. You said he loves tennis. Your #1 goal should be to keep it that way.

The only thing i am trying to do is that. He loves tennis so much that.... he don't have problem to play tennis in middle of summer under 98f. And he doesn't complain about the heat and comes home with happy faces... Now my job is to give him best possible option (just don't throw money for hobby) and put him under some path to develop his skill. For me its a lifelong skill he is learning and not learning to become professional player... thats for him to decide after couple of years.....

Good luck![/QUOTE]

Again thank you for your key response....

-Raj

 

[nj121]

I will be going to his camp and hoping to talk to kids who are very good to get coach recommendation.

He has a coach who is good and doesn't charge a lot. Coach is a PTR certified and coaching tennis since last 40+ years. I dont know how to find if he is good coach or not....

I am also looking for some recommendation for good and cost effective (really they don't go together) ball machine.

Thank you for your good suggestion...

 

[nj121]

Good point and thank you for the podcast suggestions.... i will certainly be looking into it....

I am planning to take him for jogging every weekend ...... he was not very fit before starting tennis summer camp but now he is in much better shape... only that small thing really made my money worth ....

-Raj

Ok, I am not a pro. Don't take me too seriously.( meaning: don't follow me blindly)

Assuming you are not going for the pro kid deal...

Just let him play as much as possible. A wall is Ok, machine is better, you as a partner is much much better.

Make sure you have the best coach that you both like, one that value strategy and healthy long strokes. He will take care of the strokes. It is Your job to get him the coach. There are so many terrible coaches out there that will do more harm than good.

Get him playing with other people, in the reality no one hits to your strike zone. He will need to adapt and go seek the balls.

Try essential tennis podcasts, it is free and they have one great podcast on tennis parenting also Frank Gianpaolo had great tips, and there is some free stuff from him.

Also he needs to be fit, at ten he needs to play and develop motor skills any sports that give him some cardio is great as long as he is moving a lot and happy.

If you want the pro / college
Way. Really go after that Frank guy.

 

[nj121]

I will sum up everybody's point and create a steps based on your great suggestion..... in next couple of hours... if you guys have any other suggestion, i would greatly appreciate it....

 

[GuyClinch]

Get the one hour lesson with the pro. He will be much better equipped to give you good advice about your kids progression then this message board.. Not keen on walls or online training. Try to have him hit with real players. Its more fun and better for your game..

 

[Enga]

Im honestly not sure kids need to be taught strokes. They seem to naturally hit with good technique after a while. At least the ones I've seen. Maybe its just mimicking the pros on tv. Kids seem good at it.

 

[goran_ace]

Im honestly not sure kids need to be taught strokes. They seem to naturally hit with good technique after a while. At least the ones I've seen. Maybe its just mimicking the pros on tv. Kids seem good at it.

Disagree. Ok, I'd agree that kids don't really need the kind of super in-depth slow-mo technical analysis you see on here to have picture perfect strokes. But you gotta be solid on the fundamentals. Even intermediate kids need to reminded and work on fundamentals. They aren't going to develop that on their own by just hitting around or by watching pros on tv (do they even care to watch tennis on tv?)

 

[Ash_Smith]

Hi all,

My 10 year old son only loves to play tennis and during this summer break he has been going to tennis summer camp at central jersey for last 5 weeeks (he took 14 private classes last year). He loves tennis and i like to give him the right tool to enjoy and learn the game. Unfortunately, I don't know anything about tennis so i can't help him a lot(but trying my best).

I would greatly appreciate if you can help me in the right direction for the following questions i have:

1. Is it good idea to practice against wall or buy tennis machine for younger kid?

Wall practice - great Ball machine - not so great - variability is an essential aspect of long term skill development, the wall offers this variability unlike a ball machine which hits the same pace and spin each time (unless you spend a fortune on one).

2. Should i look to buy online tennis video program or have weekly 1 hour coaching session (in summer i can effort outdoor coaching session) or try to get both?

Coaching from a good coach - try to find one who teaches using a constrains led method, that is setting challenges and guiding players to overcome them, rather than simply giving the players the answers (directive coaching). Directive coaching leads to dependance and less robust skill acquisition long term. Constrains led approach leads to a higher skill development and can even accelerate skill development if done well.

3. Is it a good idea to enroll him in any tournament or wait for one more year? If yes, which tournaments I should look into?

Depends on your kid! If he's competitive and wants to play and you feel he has the resilience and reflection skills then go for it - help him develop a growth mindset by reflecting with him using process/performance orientated questions (I like asking kids to "write" me the newspaper headlines as a psych exercise). If he is outcome focussed, maybe best not to throw him into comps too soon.

My biggest worry is that at camp (which is a decent indoor place) he is not learning strokes style in detail but they make kid hit the ball and play game. My understanding is that at younger age kid should focus more on the body movement and shot movement rather than just keep hitting the ball. Please let me know if my understanding is wrong.

See above regarding constraints led coaching. If the coach of the camp is using a game based approach to teaching, then having the kids hit and play is essential to learning (experiential learning) - where you will see a difference is in the reflection/questions the coach engages in - no questions/reflection = bad coach, open questions/guiding questions (not leading) which lead to reflection from the players = good coaching. Great coaches allow players to solve problems by designing learning drills that ‘shape’ efficient technique with little instruction - self organisation is incredibly powerful!

I am trying to create a process about: how to train 10 year old kid to play tennis.

-Raj

My points/suggestions in red above...

 

[Ash_Smith]

Disagree. But you gotta be solid on the fundamentals. Even intermediate kids need to reminded and work on fundamentals. They aren't going to develop that on their own by just hitting around or by watching pros on tv (do they even care to watch tennis on tv?)

Solid fundamentals can (should) be taught by designing learning challenges that shape technique and allow for self organisation, not through rigid direction.

 

[Mack-2]

Solid fundamentals can (should) be taught by designing learning challenges that shape technique and allow for self organisation, not through rigid direction.

Can you give a few examples of these 'learning challenges'? I understand how footwork can be learned through these 'learning challenges'. But how will one know to take the racket back with the shoulders through it?

 

[MikeMechanic]

I do not believe in private lessons nor do I believe in group-lessons with a coach who stands on one side of the net with a bucket of balls playing balls to the kids.

Much better is, I think, a group lesson where the kids play balls to each other while the coach walks around and gives advice. They can start on a small court, as they improve, the court can become bigger.

 

[jga111]

Its important for the foundations of clean technique to be in place - if that isn't then the standard of achievement can only go so far. Which may still be acceptable depending on how well you want your kid to do. If you want him to have an opportunity where there are no limits, he needs to be taught solid technique with repetitions so as to make part of his muscle memory. I would suggest a combination of this balanced by having fun, hitting balls with others, etc. With the technique under your belt you can then concentrate on other things like tactics, movement, etc..

Of course, all of this must be done with respect to your child enjoying himself, finding it fun.

 

[LGQ7]

. . .earlier in career and . . .

I don't think a 10 year old should even play tennis. And the word "career" and 10 years old should never be in the same a sentence, whatever "career" means. True story. A kid, I'll call "Lenny".

me: Lenny, what grade are you in?
Lenny: 4th grade
me: Are you learning the multiplication tables?
Lenny: Starting to.
me: Ok, what's 9 x 2 ?
Lenny: We haven't gotten to nines yet.

Physically and mental they're not there yet. Teach him ping-pong. When I was 10, I was playing ping-pong. Ping-pong will teach you everything you need to know about tennis. And I don't know if a 10 year old is even tall enough to play ping pong. Teach him ping pong. Take him to a pool hall with a ping pong table or a similar venue. If he can beat 90% of all comers, then he can learn tennis.

 

[courtking]

I don't think a 10 year old should even play tennis. And the word "career" and 10 years old should never be in the same a sentence, whatever "career" means. True story. A kid, I'll call "Lenny".

me: Lenny, what grade are you in?
Lenny: 4th grade
me: Are you learning the multiplication tables?
Lenny: Starting to.
me: Ok, what's 9 x 2 ?
Lenny: We haven't gotten to nines yet.

Physically and mental they're not there yet. Teach him ping-pong. When I was 10, I was playing ping-pong. Ping-pong will teach you everything you need to know about tennis. And I don't know if a 10 year old is even tall enough to play ping pong. Teach him ping pong. Take him to a pool hall with a ping pong table or a similar venue. If he can beat 90% of all comers, then he can learn tennis.

What a B.S. Do you have kids? My oldest son turning 10 today and he is playing, training with a group of kids from 14-16
My 5 year old son has been playing tennis since 2 years old
Tennis is probably the best sport for young kids to learn. They learn hand eyes coordination, patience, focus, discipline and etc. Best part is keeping them active and stay away from the tv and iPad.
Key is finding a good coach. One on one lesson for first few weeks to get the right foundation then moving on to whatever you feel comfortable. It is probably the best gift you give your kids.
If your kids love it and dedicate themselves to tennis then give them a chance to excel. Trust me, after learning tennis, everything else is so easy for them to learn. Be patience

 

[BMC9670]

I don't think a 10 year old should even play tennis. And the word "career" and 10 years old should never be in the same a sentence, whatever "career" means. True story. A kid, I'll call "Lenny".

me: Lenny, what grade are you in?
Lenny: 4th grade
me: Are you learning the multiplication tables?
Lenny: Starting to.
me: Ok, what's 9 x 2 ?
Lenny: We haven't gotten to nines yet.

Physically and mental they're not there yet. Teach him ping-pong. When I was 10, I was playing ping-pong. Ping-pong will teach you everything you need to know about tennis. And I don't know if a 10 year old is even tall enough to play ping pong. Teach him ping pong. Take him to a pool hall with a ping pong table or a similar venue. If he can beat 90% of all comers, then he can learn tennis.

Worst advice ever. I would agree that a 10 year old should not ONLY play tennis, overtrain, take it too seriously, etc, but you vastly underestimate the physical and mental capacity of kids.

 

[user92626]

For what it's worth, here are some things I have learned along the way as a tennis coach/parent (in no particular order - just random thoughts):

1. Don't make them compete before they are ready. If they don't have the tools, you're setting them up for failure and they may develop bad habits to cover for the missing tools.
2. Focus on strokes, technique and movement early.
3. Once solid fundamentals are learned, focus on using them to "play the game": strategy, game style, weapon development, assessing an opponent, etc.
4. Teach honesty - No cheating and no retaliation.
5. Focus on playing well and improving, not winning. Winning is a by-product of playing well. You can play your best and lose to a better player, make sure they know that's OK.
6. Don't chase points. Points will come from #5.
7. They're kids, don't let tennis be serious all the time. Let them have some fun with it, play fun matches with friends, goof off, etc.
8. Know when to push and when to back off. This is different for every kid. Effort is not the same as skill - push for effort but don't punish lack of skill. Effort leads to better skill.
9. Don't go into tennis thinking your kid will get a scholarship or be a pro. It will become apparent fairly quickly if they show something special. Many spend more than college tuition chasing scholarships or push kids too hard to be pros because they are blinded by their own ambition.
10. You said he loves tennis. Your #1 goal should be to keep it that way.

Good luck!

TennisCJC,

Thank you for your suggestion, basically after reading many replies I am getting the point (correct its wrong): First perfect their strocks and basic tactics and only after reaching at confortable level ( I am sure it will be judged by his coach) think about the tournaments......

You have summed it up in a one sentence.... thank you

Not necessarily directing at any particular persons, but I'm thinking if people waited to have "perfect strokes", solid "fundamentals" and be ready, no one would ever get to play. This place would be empty.

It's got to be tricky to be a parent in this situation and it's doubly tough for the OP when it's a "big money" investment.

 

[BMC9670]

Not necessarily directing at any particular persons, but I'm thinking if people waited to have "perfect strokes", solid "fundamentals" and be ready, no one would ever get to play. This place would be empty.

It's got to be tricky to be a parent in this situation and it's doubly tough for the OP when it's a "big money" investment.

I wouldn't say it has to be perfect, otherwise you're right. But if they can't hit the basic strokes (Serve, FH, BH at a minimum) with decent fundamentals, competing is only setting them up to fail. Personally, I had this experience with my son. When he was 8, he had decent forehands and backhands and could rally from the baseline just fine (yellow ball - this was before colored balls were widespread). However, he could not serve well at all - just had a hard time learning it. I had him play a couple small tournaments and it was a disaster. 2-3 double faults per game. No fun for either player. So, I waited until he was 10 and had a decent handle on all the tools needed to compete. From there, no problem. Not perfection by any means, just the basic fundamental strokes to be able to compete.

 

[LGQ7]

What a B.S. Do you have kids? My oldest son turning 10 today and he is playing, training with a group of kids from 14-16
My 5 year old son has been playing tennis since 2 years old
Tennis is probably the best sport for young kids to learn. They learn hand eyes coordination, patience, focus, discipline and etc. Best part is keeping them active and stay away from the tv and iPad.
Key is finding a good coach. One on one lesson for first few weeks to get the right foundation then moving on to whatever you feel comfortable. It is probably the best gift you give your kids.
If your kids love it and dedicate themselves to tennis then give them a chance to excel. Trust me, after learning tennis, everything else is so easy for them to learn. Be patience

What part of my comment is B.S.? and Why?

No I don't have kids. But I was a kid, and I've seen kids, and I've seen adults too.
I guess your son is a big boy now at 10 years old.

Tennis is not the best sport for young kids. Tennis is a game of coordination and fine motor skills. Kids should learn things with gross motor skills. Running, swimming, wrestling.

Everything you think they can learn in tennis, they can learn in ping-pong, which is essentially mini-me tennis, as kids are mini-mes.

"Key is finding a good coach." I can't tell you how wrong that statement is. A vast majority of learning is self-learning. The biggest problem with coaching is that it is COMMERCIAL. It is biased. Let me give you one simple example of self-learning. When I was a kid of 10 years old, I didn't have money to buy exercise equipment. I used a gallon milk bottle and fill it with water to make a weight. Because I had to make my own "gym", I can glance at a gym equipment and tell you what is its pros and cons IMMEDIATELY.

If ever I coach someone, and I have, the first thing I would say is : "When you learn from me, you will inherit my strengths AND my weaknesses." Ever heard any coach say that? Of course not.

 

[Chas Tennis]

For feedback on tennis strokes nothing compares to high speed video.

A minimal high speed video camera that is capable of showing all tennis strokes including the faster parts of the serve costs about $150 refurbished. Used models can cost less. Shutter speed must be fast to limit motion blur. I tested this low cost camera and the shutter speed in bright sunlight has small motion blur.
http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/index.php?threads/black-friday-sale-high-speed-video-camera.484212/

http://shop.usa.canon.com/shop/en/c...catalog/powershot-elph-110-hs-red-refurbished

 

[tennis_ocd]

For feedback on tennis strokes nothing compares to high speed video.

A minimal high speed video camera that is capable of showing all tennis strokes including the faster parts of the serve costs about $150 refurbished. Used models can cost less. Shutter speed must be fast to limit motion blur. I tested this low cost camera and the shutter speed in bright sunlight has small motion blur.
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It's a ten yo kid with a parent who doesn't understand the game or technique. The best high speed video money can buy is going to be utterly useless -- they have no idea what they're viewing. Put the money into a young tennis kid (i.e., 20, cheap -- no need to use the club pro) who connects and let the two of them have fun. Repeat 1x per week. Make sure dad is grasping coach and reinforce with some hand tosses throughout week. Throw in a cheap clinic or two. Keep it fun.

 

[Nellie]

With kids, I would encourage activities to improve eye-hand coordination, like ping-pong or juggling. I would also encourage activities to develop footwork, like basketball or soccer.

I will also mention that some of the best tennis players I know have parents that learned a very small amount of tennis to hit with their kids (parents stood in the corner of the court, and would move the ball around for the kids to chase).

 

[Oz_Rocket]

My 2cents worth. When they first start it all has to be about fun. Learning new skills, meeting new friends and enjoying themselves on court.

If you can afford it there is nothing wrong with teaching the correct technique from an early age. There is a lot to learn compared to most other sports to become even a competent social player so if kids get the fundamentals right early it just make playing the game easier.

A practice wall is fine (hitting with friends is better!) but I wouldn't recommend a ball machine or video camera. Save those for if your son starts playing at a higher level and needs what they can offer (advance stroke/technique improvement).

As for what mix of on court activities depending upon what you afford I'd say per week a 60min group lesson, 30min private or semi-private lesson and a few practice matches against other kids (assuming he can serve and rally enough).

When you introduce a kid to competition is a very individual thing. I have two boys, both of whom have sensational hand eye coordination. My youngest started tennis first but just hated the one on one competition. He loves team sports and moved away from tennis after a couple of years to play soccer and cricket. He's nowhere near as good at those but he loves them so I support him 100%. My other son has a real competitive streak. He loves the challenge and when he had a 3 month break from tournaments last year it nearly killed him.

The best guide would be to find out if any other kids he has lessons with play tournaments and see how he goes against them. If he is losing 6-0 to someone who loses most matches in low level local tournaments then he probably isn't ready. Even if he is ready you need to manage his expectations carefully. Matches are VERY different to what happens in lessons. Tell him he has to judge himself on how well he thought he played, not the result. Most kids, even those that go on to be very good, lose a lot when they first start.

Good luck with it and above all else enjoy the tennis journey with your son.

 

[VexlanderPrime]

The best case scenario is you have plenty of free time and dive into tennis with him, learning techniques, getting involved in his passion, doing something u both enjoy together.

Or just ship him off to every tennis clinic and coach you can afford.

Either way, unless his tennis talent is off the charts I'd manage his (and your) expectations and focus on his education with tennis being a fun hobby you enjoy together

 

[Curiosity]

I agree with all the points in post #9. That said, I think at age 10 it's a good time to teach your son to power his forehand, start it, by rotating his trunk, his upper body. This of course requires learning to use the "unit turn." I also think he should learn to use his non-hitting arm correctly in the forehand. These three elements are very difficult to learn latter. Trust me. The technique (for now) on the backhand and serve can be simpler for a few years.

Nick Bollettieri believe, and I agree, that racket speed is one thing that has to be learned young, on the forehand side. He put it this way: "If a kid doesn't learn to swing the racket fast by age 12 he probably never will." There is theory behind it, but I'll skip it. To learn to swing fast is to learn decent technique and then to be given a chance regularly, with his coach, to hit fast provided he sticks to good form. Fast even with long and in-the-net errors. The fast swing with good technique can be cleaned up, but slow cannot easily be made fast. One view.

This within the constraints of post #9. I do thin good forehand form has to be taught. Kids learn fast and make the taught form their own. It can be fun. Constraints-based drills can then be layered on, and game-based learning, to let the taught forehand form become natural, free, deeply known. Good luck. My 10 year old is now 29....