Racket skills are the games that teach a child to control the ball with the racket before rallying over a net: balancing it, pushing it, tapping it up, bouncing it down and catching it. Start with Egg and Spoon and Walk the Dog, then move on to Bump-Ups, Tap Downs, Onesies and Pancake Flips as control improves.
The 6 drills
Tap a drill for the steps, and an easier and a harder version. Ages are a guide: go by what your child can do.
1. Egg and Spoon
Ages 4 to 8
You need: Junior racket, soft ball, a marker
Holding the racket face flat and steady while moving.
Hold the racket flat, like a tray, with the ball on it
Walk to the marker
Turn and walk back without dropping it
Easier: Walk slower, or use a bigger foam ball.
Harder: Walk around the marker, or go there and back twice without a drop.
Balance the Egg is a USTA Net Generation red ball activity, and Tennis Canada's cards for under 6s have a similar game.
Programmes for the youngest players start with the ball on the racket. USTA Net Generation's red ball practice plan opens with games such as Walk the Dog, Balance the Egg and Jacks before children rally with each other, and Tennis Canada's activity cards for children under 6 use the same kind of balancing game.
They also suit home practice. A child gets dozens of touches of the ball in a couple of minutes, alone, in a space the size of a hallway, and can count their own score.
Ball: a soft foam or red ball indoors, or a balloon for the very first tries. See tennis balls for kids.
A marker: a cone, a sock or a shoe, for Egg and Spoon and Walk the Dog.
Space: a clear area about two big steps wide, away from anything breakable.
How do I turn these into a practice?
USTA Net Generation's red ball lessons follow a simple shape: a warm-up, then skill games, then a team challenge. At home:
A quick warm-up game, such as Windmills for the shoulders and arms.
Two racket drills: one your child can already do, and one that is still a stretch.
A record to beat, such as the most Bump-Ups in a row.
Move on to the next drill when your child can do the current one most of the time, not before. For games against a wall, see tennis wall practice for kids.
What if my child finds it hard?
Every drill on this page has an easier version: use it, and go back up when it feels easy again. Stop while it is still fun, and keep score against yesterday, not against a brother or a friend.
Praise the effort and the way they did it (“you kept your eyes on the ball”) rather than talent. In a well-known set of experiments, children praised for being clever gave up sooner after a hard task than children praised for their effort (Mueller and Dweck, 1998).
