Getting a child to try tennis is easy. Getting them to love it takes patience, play and a little strategy. Here is what actually works, from a coach who has guided hundreds of juniors.
Start with play, not lessons. Before any formal coaching, let your child mess around with a racket and a soft ball — hitting against a wall, counting rallies with you, inventing silly target games. Children who arrive at their first session already comfortable holding a racket progress twice as fast.
Keep sessions short and celebrate effort. Forty-five minutes of high-energy games beats ninety minutes of drilling every time for under-10s. Praise footwork, trying again after mistakes and good sportsmanship more than winners — the attitude you reward is the attitude that sticks.
Make it social
Kids stay in sports their friends play. Group lessons, holiday camps and our end-of-term festivals give children a tennis circle of their own. If your child has a friend who might enjoy it, bring them to a free trial together — most of our long-term juniors joined alongside a buddy.
Let the coach do the coaching. The single biggest favour parents can do is cheer positively from the sidelines and leave the technical feedback to us. A relaxed child experiments, laughs and learns; a pressured child tightens up and stops enjoying the game.
Book a free junior assessment at Netcrest and we will show you exactly which stage — red, orange or green — fits your child, with a clear path to the next one.
