For kids starting out in youth tennis, is it necessary to spend a lot of money on gear?

The two most important equipment items are the racquet and shoes. I suggest buying a good-quality racquet and a pair of high-quality shoes.

Apart from that, just wear basic shorts and T-shirts and save the rest of the money for the actual tennis lessons—which are big expenses.

You need a good racquet that feels good in your hand, hits a clean ball, and is neither too heavy nor too light. You also need good shoes to have a good grip on the court, for protection to your ankle, and for comfort when you play long matches.

Investing heavily in showy or “cool” attire is mostly due to peer pressure—we all want to look great wearing tennis clothes but it doesn’t actually when you any points!

Posted by Gilad Bloom at 07:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

My young daughter plays tennis with both hands.  Is this okay?

Many young athletes start off hitting with two hands on both sides.  This is natural, because they are not strong enough yet to hit with just one hand.  Very few young athletes stay with using two hands, and those that do are ambidextrous and develop their own unique style.

There’s no need to pressure your child to go with one hand.  Give her the option to do what feels best right now.  In all likelihood, she’ll switch to her dominant hand at some point.

Of course, there are certain advantages to playing with two hands on both sides—increased power, crazy angles, and disguise.

At some point, teach your daughter a one-handed forehand—she’ll need it on wide shots.  If she does decide to stay with two hands, have her watch great athletes who play this way, such as Monica Seles, Fabrice Santoro, and Jan-Michael Gambill.

Posted by Gilad Bloom at 06:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)