Fun Tennis Drills to Help Kids Improve Their Skills

10 and Under Tennis Equipment

• The United States Tennis Association's "10 and Under Tennis" program is designed specifically for your child̵7;s age, size and ability. The program̵7;s premise uses shorter nets, smaller court sizes and simplified scoring, helping your child achieve success early in the game. Even if your youngster doesn̵7;t participate in the program, using smaller child-size racquets and softer balls can give her confidence and make it easier when performing tennis drills. "Transition balls" are slightly larger than a traditional ball, creating slower speeds, as well as lower bounces. Racquet size and grip increases with age, nicely adjusting to your little one̵7;s growth spurts. As your child matures, tennis drills should be altered, adapting to his ever-changing attention span and concept of fun.

Body Positioning and Form

• There are many drills that can help tutor your child on correct body and court position. Once your little one learns the basic forehand, backhand and serve strokes, play "Freeze." Call out the appropriately named stroke, randomly saying ̶0;freeze̶1; at different times. Ensure your child̵7;s posture and stroke is correct, fixing errors as they occur. Next use a court positioning drill. Instruct your child to stand at center court, return each volley and then return to center court before the next ball is hit. Adjust hits depending on how quickly your little pro returns to midcourt.

Ball Handling

• If you learned the time-honored drill of dribbling or ball bouncing, this is a great drill to pass on to your progeny. Instruct your child to continually bounce the ball up in the air, trying to get to a specific number. In turn, dribble against each other, determining who dribbles the longest. Work on side shots. Situate both yourself and your child sideways on the same side of the net, approximately 10 feet apart. When you shout ̶0;go,̶1; watch your child skip towards you. When he gets within 5 feet of your position, drop the ball, critiquing his side shot. Perform five repetitions of both forehand and backhand strokes.

Accuracy

• Once your child gains proficiency at hitting the tennis ball, work on accuracy shots. Grab a hula hoop and stand a certain distance or angle away. Ask your little player to try and hit the ball through the hoop. Move to a different position once a correct hit is made. Set a timer for one minute. Determine how many accurate serves your child can make in the specified time frame. Use two ropes, setting up an alleyway on both sides of the court, or try using the doubles alley once your child becomes fairly accurate with his shot. Call out the name of a stroke such as ̶0;forehand,̶1; watching your child hit the ball on the other side of the net, hopefully landing in the alley. Play until an agreed-upon score is reached.