How To Choose The Correct Tennis Ball For Juniors – A User’s Guide

Does my child really need a special ball to play tennis?

A traditional ball will bounce at a child’s head height or even higher making it impossible to strike at. This can lead to a poor grip on the racket and bad technique in general, that has to be re-learned later. Furthermore, there had often been injuries caused by the heavy rackets and balls. The Mini tennis ball totally changes the game for a child, making it so much easier to succeed.

Mini Tennis has become the standard way of teaching tennis to children in the UK, and indeed worldwide. It’s the ideal way for the under tens to discover the game, improve their skills and see amazingly quick results. If you have kids interested in tennis you will find the traditional sized yellow balls will only lead to frustration for them. You will soon discover that Mini Tennis starter balls are the ideal way to build on their early enthusiasm.

What makes the Mini Ball so much better for children to learn with?

The balls used are large and of lower compression, which means they don’t bounce so high, keeping the child within striking distance and creating lots of chances to hit the ball. Hitting more balls means players can rally longer and are able to work on their tactics not just hitting the ball, moving the player around the court. Another advantage to the slow pace is that they really force children to accelerate their racket when hitting them promoting a better technique. The unique colour combinations provide a better indicator of the spin that the player and opponent put on the ball, letting player know if they have executed the stroke properly. As the young players progress and grow the size of the ball changes too, supporting an easier transition to the adult game. By the time your child is ready to take on the senior game he will have mastered most of the nuances of tennis and be ready to take on traditional balls.

The three stage Mini Tennis Ball system

Mini Tennis balls are split into three stages: Red: approx. 4-8 years, Orange approx. 8-9 years, and Green approx.10 years. With each stage designed to fit a different age group your child develops in an environment where they are surrounded by players of a similar ability and age.

But do remember, children develop at different paces; it is really important to not rush through the stages and move on to the adult balls until they are ready. Clubs in the US encourage teenagers to use the mini tennis range to help them stay playing tennis for longer. We have also found that lots of clubs in the UK, Europe and US are running Mini tennis tournaments for adults to create a fun game with longer rallies and game satisfaction.

Mini Red

For young children a really light, slow ball is recommended so they have fun as well as learning to hit the ball. It’s the perfect starting point for children of the approximate age of 4-8 years. It provides the ideal opportunity for youngsters to learn the basics and have lots of fun while doing so. The ball is yellow and red in colour and 75mm in diameter, around 15% larger (75.9mm) than a regular ball making it so much easier to hit. It is made of rubber and felt, just like a regular ball, but travels 75% slower with a low bounce. Our durable Price RED 75 was designed and developed for the LTA for just this purpose, and was the first ever Mini red tennis ball on the market. Read more about the creation of Mini Tennis ball here.

Mini Orange

As they progress, they change to a smaller ball, still softer and lighter than a regular ball and with a slow bounce, so they continue to gain confidence and enjoy the learning. The Price Mini Orange was developed for this stage 2. Emphasis is placed on developing the players all round game, building on the technique and tactics they learned at the Mini Red stage. The balls are not quite as soft as the Red balls resulting in more bounce. While they are firmer they are still 50% softer than regular balls, and 50% slower through the air. They provide optimal performance for the age of the player. They are 64mm in diameter, very slightly smaller than a traditional ball.

Mini Green

With Mini Green young players take the step up to full sized tennis balls for the first time. With increasing skill, confidence and strength, the next move is to a ball that is same size and weight as a regular tennis ball, yet softer and slower and a little lower in bounce. The Price Mini Green was designed for this. Green balls are only 25% slower through the air than regular balls.

As your child continue to develop skill and strength there comes a point when it is time for the move to regular balls and the adult game in general, their Mini Tennis era has come to an end and hopefully a passion for tennis has been established!

Price Mini Tennis Range – the original and best!

The feedback from coaches and clubs here in the UK is that Price’s Mini Tennis Range is the BEST out there. The tennis balls last longer, up to two years, giving great value for money. The added bonus of free personalisation for coaches, clubs and schools ensures that balls don’t get lost.

Price has some extra special advice on how to give your balls extra life – we’d be happy to issue you with this on request if you place an order with us.

Join a club for the best possible start

Tennis is a great sport for any child to take up and is a perfect game for socialising and making friends. You will find that starting out at Mini Tennis really isn’t that expensive. At Mini Red level your coach will often provide a racket if needed, but if you would like your own racket they don’t need to be expensive. Keep a look out for tennis club open days and the LTA’s ‘Tennis For Kids’ starter courses. Your children can give tennis a go to see how they like it, the courses are usually for 5-6 lessons and a free racket and balls are included. To get the most from children’s tennis it’s worth signing up to be an LTA member, and it’s free for the under 10’s. They’ll get discounts on kit and a rating once they start playing matches. You can find out about the current ‘Tennis For Kids’ course here.

Here at Price of Bath we fully advocate the use of using Mini Tennis balls with juniors. Using yellow balls with children will too often result in the player simply striking the ball from a static position without being able to move freely and hit consistently and learn tactics. By matching the correct Mini tennis balls to your child’s needs you will promote longer rallies, greater skill, a positive experience on court and hopefully a lifetime love of tennis.

You can purchase our Mini Tennis Range here >>

Read more about how our very own Derek Price worked with the LTA to create the first Mini Tennis Balls:

The Story of the Mini Red 75 Ball