Choosing the right Racket

Straight-Forward Advice to Parents, always consult the Coach or a Shop Keeper whom you know has some Tennis background to his/her credit

8-10 year olds

Eight-year-olds that are strong players, and nine and 10 year olds should be using rackets with the following specs:

Size: a junior racket that is 26 inches long (1 inch shorter than full-size).
Construction: made of graphite or at least a graphite composite (contains some aluminium).
Grip size: small. Ask for a grip size 1 or 2.
Head size: around 95sq cm.
Weight: Light, around 250g is ideal.
Balance: The racket should be evenly balanced. Do not get a racket that has all the weight in the head. 10-11 year olds At around this age players should be moving up to their first full-size racket.

10-11 year olds

At around this age players should be moving up to their first full-size racket.
Size: 27inches. Do not be tempted by a long-body racket.
Construction: graphite.
Grip size: grip size 2 is recommended. That could also be described as 4 ¼ inches.
Head size: 95-98sq cm. Do not be tempted by an over-size head.
Weight: Light, 280-300g is ideal.
Balance: The racket should be evenly balanced. Do not get a racket that has all the weight in the head. 12-14 year olds Players will now begin to want the rackets that the pros use. Generally, this is okay as the rackets that are sold in the shops are lighter than the actual rackets that the pros use. The pros will customise their rackets with lead weights to get more power.

12-14 year olds

Players will now begin to want the rackets that the pros use. Generally, this is okay as the rackets that are sold in the shops are lighter than the actual rackets that the pros use. The pros willcustomise their rackets with lead weights to get more power.

Size: 27 inches. Do not be tempted by a long-body racket.
Construction: graphite, although a few of the rackets will have traces of various space-age metals in them. If it works for you, go for it!
Grip size: a grip 2 or 3 is recommended. That could also be described as 4 ¼ inches or 4 3/8 inches. It is important that the grip size is not too big as it can lead to incorrect grips being used.
Head size: We would recommend 95-98sq cm. Be wary of rackets with over-size heads.
Weight: Light, 280-320g is ideal. Balance: The racket should be evenly balanced. Don’t buy a racket that has all the weight in the head.
Balance: The racket should be evenly balanced. Don’t buy a racket that has all the weight in the head.

14 years plus

They won’t listen to you anyway, so I’d stop worrying about it if I were you! Their games should now be fully formed, so they will start to develop individual preferences towards certain manufacturers and styles of racket. Make sure that they have a go with a demo’ model before deciding to buy a racket.

All the major manufacturers make good rackets. Look for the rackets that the pros use – do not get tempted by the large ranges of ‘game improvement’ rackets, these are designed for people that are struggling to hit the ball. Pros wouldn’t go near them and aspiring pros shouldn’t go near them either.


Why parents play such a crucial role?

Why competition??

Maximising potential

Why Summer / Winter / Special Camps ?