When to Introduce the concept of Topspin to a 5 year-old?

louis netman

Hall of Fame
Although I've been coaching since the 1990s, I'm relatively inexperienced with children under the age of 7.
Moreover, I've been of the foundational philosophy for stone beginners since using the Topspin Trainer,
which in my opinion, is the best tennis-training invention to this day.

I recently "inherited" a 5-year-old student who has had 20 sessions in China. She hits both FH and 2-handed BH with Continental grip.
She has traditional back & forth swing and currently begins each stroke with racket head already taken back.

Mom has more experience, and had the same swing, but I was able to immediately transition her (in one session) to modern continuous motion with SW FH grip.
I did the same with her backhand incorporating a loop.

In your experiences with very young kids, when would be a good time to introduce the concept of topspin and the use of different grips?
 

dennis

Semi-Pro
Tough question but one thing I would say is I see some pretty boring looking lessons where a child is too static for too long while the coach teaches some technical aspect of stroke mechanics. To me, better lessons look like movement and ball-reading skills are tested and improved, it's fun, and there are some technical stroke mechanic type things pointed out along the way.
 

10sbeast888

Hall of Fame
kids learn so fast!

give her a 23 inch racket and a foam ball, she'd learn the low to high in half an hour... not a big deal at all.

usually it's the adults that just have damaged brains and can't learn **** lol.
 

ChaelAZ

G.O.A.T.
Depends when they develop basic stroke mechanics. That ol' "brush up" was more than topspin generation, but swing path training. I've seen spin naturally develop as such.
 

johnmccabe

Hall of Fame
Although I've been coaching since the 1990s, I'm relatively inexperienced with children under the age of 7.
Moreover, I've been of the foundational philosophy for stone beginners since using the Topspin Trainer,
which in my opinion, is the best tennis-training invention to this day.

I recently "inherited" a 5-year-old student who has had 20 sessions in China. She hits both FH and 2-handed BH with Continental grip.
She has traditional back & forth swing and currently begins each stroke with racket head already taken back.

Mom has more experience, and had the same swing, but I was able to immediately transition her (in one session) to modern continuous motion with SW FH grip.
I did the same with her backhand incorporating a loop.

In your experiences with very young kids, when would be a good time to introduce the concept of topspin and the use of different grips?
Seen national #2 9 year old girl playing with very little topspin. Why not learn to control and place the ball without tons of topspin at 5?
 

socallefty

G.O.A.T.
Why wouldn’t you teach the proper grip, right takeback/swing path etc. that you want the kid to learn early? Those would facilitate topspin generation right from the start although the level of it will increase only slowly as the kid gets older. I am struggling with the concept of teaching topspin as separate and later rather than integral to teaching tennis in a textbook technique way from the start.
 

esgee48

G.O.A.T.
Try changing her mechanics with her mother’s permission. The child may like it or not. I don’t think that it is a good idea until she is stronger and can hit consistent deep groundies past the service line. I rather the child not learn moon balls too early cuz they will plateau.
 
Although I've been coaching since the 1990s, I'm relatively inexperienced with children under the age of 7.
Moreover, I've been of the foundational philosophy for stone beginners since using the Topspin Trainer,
which in my opinion, is the best tennis-training invention to this day.

I recently "inherited" a 5-year-old student who has had 20 sessions in China. She hits both FH and 2-handed BH with Continental grip.
She has traditional back & forth swing and currently begins each stroke with racket head already taken back.

Mom has more experience, and had the same swing, but I was able to immediately transition her (in one session) to modern continuous motion with SW FH grip.
I did the same with her backhand incorporating a loop.

In your experiences with very young kids, when would be a good time to introduce the concept of topspin and the use of different grips?
It's not hard they're so small they naturally tend to swing up to the ball.

In terms of the grip start with either holding at the strings in an Eastern grip in the service box, then move to the top of the handle hooking the middle finger through to ensure a topspin grip, then go to the handle.

5 mins topspin, simples

If a 2 handed backhand that's just a left handed forehand so same process.

Ohbh is doable too.
 

Dragy

Legend
Why wouldn’t you teach the proper grip, right takeback/swing path etc. that you want the kid to learn early? Those would facilitate topspin generation right from the start although the level of it will increase only slowly as the kid gets older. I am struggling with the concept of teaching topspin as separate and later rather than integral to teaching tennis in a textbook technique way from the start.
Agree, I would go with using SW grip and learning to hit high enough over the net with full swing. That will naturally create topspin. You can explain how spin works later :giggle:
 

louis netman

Hall of Fame
Why wouldn’t you teach the proper grip, right takeback/swing path etc. that you want the kid to learn early? Those would facilitate topspin generation right from the start although the level of it will increase only slowly as the kid gets older. I am struggling with the concept of teaching topspin as separate and later rather than integral to teaching tennis in a textbook technique way from the start.
That's typically the way I start with stone beginners (I'm of the" Foundational" school).
This 5 year old was taught in Shanghai with trad conti grips off both wings. In the video of her playing with her coach, she appears to be having fun.
Coach is feeding "on a dime" to FH, BH and she comes forward to hit FH and BH volley, and then ends with a smash.

I've worked with her for one session and she's kinda difficult.
I want to keep it fun and getting on the Topspin trainer, and doing ball drops doesn't seem like much fun.
I'm thinking of continuing in the trad conti until she has the ability to cover more ground while keeping a good contact point.
 

louis netman

Hall of Fame
Try changing her mechanics with her mother’s permission. The child may like it or not. I don’t think that it is a good idea until she is stronger and can hit consistent deep groundies past the service line. I rather the child not learn moon balls too early cuz they will plateau.
She's playing RED balls inside the service court.
 

louis netman

Hall of Fame
Why wouldn’t you teach the proper grip, right takeback/swing path etc. that you want the kid to learn early? Those would facilitate topspin generation right from the start although the level of it will increase only slowly as the kid gets older. I am struggling with the concept of teaching topspin as separate and later rather than integral to teaching tennis in a textbook technique way from the start.
I've already switched her to Eastern FH grip and continuous motion stroke...She now hits topspin off both wings.
 
Top