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How To Choose A Junior Tennis Racket For Kids

Our guide to selecting the right racquet for kids

 

Your child has just told you that they would like to try tennis for the first time. Or perhaps they are already playing regularly and are becoming more advanced. Whether your son or daughter is a beginner or an ambitious junior, you naturally want to make sure they are playing with the right racquet. We’re here to help.

 

Which ages are junior tennis racquets for? 

Kids don't need to be able to see over the net to pick up a racquet and try tennis for the first time - they can play from as young as 2 years old. Our junior range starts with racquets designed for children aged from 2-3, including products named after HEAD ambassador Novak Djokovic, and goes all the way through to frames for ambitious, up-and-coming players up to around 11 years old. From that age, kids tend to switch from a junior racquet to one of our adult frames.

 

How Do I Choose A Tennis Racquet For My Child?

The most important thing to get right is the size of the racquet. If you choose the correct size - and a racquet isn’t too big or heavy - your child is much more likely to have fun on the court, and there will be a reduced chance of injury. But if your child is playing with a racquet that’s too small that’s also not ideal as it can slow down their improvement and limit their fun.

 

 

When your child is new to tennis, it’s easier to go for a pre-strung racquet. It's also worth ensuring your child's racquet is robust enough to withstand some bumps and scrapes (because there are bound to be a few of those, on and off the court).

 

If your child plays with modern power, they will love the GRAVITY racquet series, while the SPEED is for kids who live to play fast. If your child likes to play with variety, they will adore the RADICAL racquet while the EXTREME racquet is for kids who hit the ball with lots of spin. If your child really gets into tennis and starts to play more often, you may wish to invest in a racquet designed for more advanced juniors. We produce kids’ versions of the adult racquets – the GRAVITY JR, the SPEED JR and the RADICAL JR – with the same technologies and similar performance characteristics as the frames for grown-ups.

 

How a racquet looks will matter to your child. Younger kids, and those trying tennis for the first time, love racquets with colorful and vibrant designs while older children and those who play more often will probably be looking for frames that look just like – or very similar to – adult racquets.

 

How do I make sure I get the right size tennis racquet for my child?

You will have noticed the numbers on our junior racquets page - each number is the length of a racquet in inches. Your child's age will help you to get the size right.

 

 

As a general rule, we recommend that a 2-3-year-old who is trying tennis for the first time plays with a 17-inch racquet. A child aged between 2 and 4 should pick up a 19-inch frame, and a junior between 4 and 6 should be using a 21-inch frame. Kids between 6 and 8 should be playing with a 23-inch racquet and kids from 8 to 10 would probably be best suited to a 25-inch frame. Kids between 9 and 11 should be looking at a 26-inch racquet. For comparison, a standard adult racquet is 27 inches.

 

 

If your child is significantly bigger or smaller than most of their friends, they might be more comfortable using the next size up or down.

 

If you're unsure whether a racquet is the right size, ask your child to grip it with their arm by their side and the head of the racquet pointing towards the ground. If the racquet is brushing the floor, it's probably the right size. But if the racquet's bumping against the ground, it's almost certainly too big, and if the racquet is some distance from the floor, it’s likely to be too small.

 

Can adults play with junior tennis racquets?

We don't recommend that adults play with junior racquets, which are designed for kids. Our adult racquets are designed for a range of abilities, from complete beginners all the way to advanced players, and include lightweight frames. We’re sure that adults will find a racquet that suits them in our adult range.

 

What size racquet should I buy for my child? 

 

Age 2-3 year old: 17 inches

 

 

Age 3-4 year old: 19 inches

 

 

Age 4-6 year old: 21 inches

 

 

Age 6-8 year old: 23 inches 

 

 

Age 8-10 year old: 25 inches 

 

 

Age 9-11 year old: 26 inches 

 

 

The HEAD Junior range - Choose the right Tennis Racquet for Kids

 

For kids who want ot supercharge their power and confidence:

 

BOOM JR (26 inches)

 

For kids who want to play with modern power:

 

GRAVITY JR (26 inches)

GRAVITY JR 25

GRAVITY 26

GRAVITY 25

GRAVITY 23

GRAVITY 21

 

For kids who like to play fast:

 

SPEED JR (26 inches)

SPEED JR 25

SPEED 26

SPEED 25

SPEED 23

SPEED 21

 

For kids with a versatile game:

 

RADICAL JR

RADICAL 26

RADICAL 25

RADICAL 23

RADICAL 21

RADICAL 19

 

For kids who love playing with spin:

 

EXTREME 26

EXTREME 25

EXTTREME 23

EXTREME 21

EXTREME 19

 

For kids who are new to tennis:

 

NOVAK 25

NOVAK 23

NOVAK 21

NOVAK 19

NOVAK 17

 

COCO 25

COCO 23

COCO 21

COCO 19

COCO 17

 

 

 

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