South County Community Tennis Association: Leagues: USTA Jr

Quickstart Information

Equipment
Just as kids need a court that suits their size, they also need the right size equipment. That's why both the racquet and ball are different from the equipment adults use.

Racquets
For an adult player to succeed at tennis, racquet control is essential. Same goes for kids. But since kids are smaller than adults, kids have trouble controlling full-size racquets. They're too long, they're too heavy, and the grips are too large. Kids need racquets that are proportionate in length and weight and have a grip that fits their smaller hands.

For 8 & under, the racquet should be 19", 21" or 23".
For 10 & under, the racquet should be 23" or 25".



Balls
Kids need a ball that's sized and paced to their playing abilities. A regulation tennis ball moves too fast, bounces too high and is too heavy for their smaller racquet. Each age group, therefore, uses a ball better suited to their size and unique playing ability.

For 8 & under, a foam ball or a very lowcompression ball moves slower, bounces lower and travels less distance.

For 10 & under, a low compression ball moves a little faster and travels farther than the ball used with the younger group, but it still has a lower bounce than the original.

Court Dimensions
QuickStart Tennis uses equipment that is scaled to the size and ability level of young children. Eight-and-under children will play on a court that is 36 feet long and 18 feet wide.

The net is 18 feet long and 2-foot, 9-inches in height. Portable nets and support systems are available from many manufacturers, or temporary nets can be constructed using tape or caution tape tied to existing nets, fences or even chairs.

A regulation net is used on the 60-foot court for youngsters 10 and under. If you are not using an existing court and net, the net height for the 60-foot court is three feet.

Scoring

For players who are 8 and under, there are only seven points in a game, so match play is short and sweet. Kids play the best of three games; the first to score seven points wins the game. The first to win two games wins the match. The longest the match will last is approximately 20 minutes.

Players who are 10 and under should play the best-of-three sets; the first to win four games wins a set. For the third set, the first player to win seven points wins the match.