Tennis is one of the few sports where you can play and compete for life. Tennis clubs will provide your child with a place where they can go and be independent, meet friends and play sport.
At Don Perrin Tennis we firmly believe that children learn best when taught in a friendly and fun environment, we want them to learn, enjoy themselves and to progress through the different levels available when ready.
All children are different, some like the thrill of regular competition others just take part in the mini tournaments as part of their weekly lessons.
Whichever one your child is, competition play is one of the most effective ways for a player to improve.
There are many ways for a junior to compete, we run our 'inhouse' ratings box leagues & regularly enter teams into various local LTA sanctioned competitions. You will also find matchplays and tournaments on the LTA website. For more information please see our Competitions section.
Red ball mini tennis is for players aged 8 and under. Played on smaller courts with shorter rackets and softer balls. This is where the important skills and confidence needed for tennis are introduced. Movement and ball skills are a priority along with an introduction to rallying and playing the game. A red sponge ball is used indoors and a red felt ball is used outdoors.
Orange ball mini tennis is for players aged 8 and 9. It is played on slightly larger courts than red ball, with bigger rackets and balls that are not as soft as red balls. The child’s development continues with technical and tactical skills. An orange ball is used. It has a low compression that makes it bounce lower, giving the player better control at an important stage of their development.
Green ball is the next step after orange ball mini tennis and is aimed at 10year olds. It is played on a full tennis court, with bigger rackets and balls that are a little softer than yellow balls, which bounce slightly lower to help with technique and rallying skills.. This is the final stage before playing the full game. A green ball is used, which is ideal for players moving from orange ball to actual tennis balls.
Yellow ball is for players aged 11 and over. It is played on a full tennis court, with full size rackets and full compression yellow balls. This brings together all the technique and skills that you have developed through the stages of mini tennis can now be put into practice playing the full game. Yellow ball is played on a full sized tennis court for singles and doubles.