Instructional Video | Buying a tennis racquet for a child age 12 years old and under is relatively easy and straightforward. It's all about age and the length of the racquet. The standard guidelines are listed below, but you should adjust for additional factors, such as child height, physical strength and playing experience. Choose a size up or two if a child height is taller than his/her average age group, or has exceptionally high physical strength. For example, if an 8-year-old is the size of an average 10-year-old, choose for a 10-year-old. The list assumes a beginner player. An experienced player will often do best with a size or two larger than stated. Most modern junior racquet are extremely light and are well suited for their age groups.
Age: Racquet Length
0-4: 19"4-6: 21"7-8: 23"9-10: 25"10-12: 26"12 up: adult size 27" and up
There are overlaps in the above list at ages 4, 10, and 12. At these ages, either size is equally likely to be suitable, but as a general rule, when in doubt, go with the bigger racquet. If a junior is just barely big enough for an adult racquet, he's probably better off with a standard 27" racquet. See our next instructional video for tips on buying an adult size racquet.
Juniors can outgrow racquets quickly, but it helps a lot that junior racquets tend to be inexpensive. Very nice junior racquets at sports shop these days will run roughly $20 to $50, and some of the $10 racquets at the big discount chains are quite good, too. However, when you look at the least expensive racquets, one crude test is to bang the strings on the butt of your hand to get a feel for their solidity. Avoid racquets that seem lighter or more flexible than the others in the bottom end of the price range.
There are overlaps in the above list at ages 4, 10, and 12. At these ages, either size is equally likely to be suitable, but as a general rule, when in doubt, go with the bigger racquet. If a junior is just barely big enough for an adult racquet, he's probably better off with a standard 27" racquet. See our next instructional video for tips on buying an adult size racquet.
Juniors can outgrow racquets quickly, but it helps a lot that junior racquets tend to be inexpensive. Very nice junior racquets at sports shop these days will run roughly $20 to $50, and some of the $10 racquets at the big discount chains are quite good, too. However, when you look at the least expensive racquets, one crude test is to bang the strings on the butt of your hand to get a feel for their solidity. Avoid racquets that seem lighter or more flexible than the others in the bottom end of the price range.
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