Tennis is one of the most popular and practiced sports around the world, and each day there are more kids who want to follow the footsteps of star players like Rafa Nadal and Roger Federer and become the new number 1 player on the ATP.

But this sport has not only gained its reputation thanks to its great players, but it has also gained it due to the myriad of physical and psychological benefits that practicing it brings. Training frequently increase the physical condition, improves musculature, develops the capacity for attention, enhances motor coordination and even encourages socialization.

Parents know all these benefits but might wonder what is the best age for children who experience this sport to start practicing it.

Differ from the case of most other sports, there is no exact age at which the practice of tennis should start. Whether or not a child is ready to receive tennis classes depends mostly on their skills, abilities, and capabilities rather than their maturity.

Many children of 4 years old have already shown quite an advanced motor coordination capacity allows them to start playing tennis, but it is essential to take into consideration that their capacity for attention is not yet very well-developed. At this age the constant distractions turn tennis lessons into a chaos with rackets and balls.

Although these classes do not serve the sole purpose to improve their technique, they will help the child become familiarized themselves with the equipment and the general ideas of the game. What is most recommended is allowing the child to use equipment such as his/her “training” rackets, nets, and balls that are suitable for his/her physical conditions.

Most experts say that the best age to start practicing tennis in a more mature age of 5 or 6 when the kids reach this age, they have already quite well-developed their psychomotor skills, their coordination and attention, adapting themselves much better to the requirements of the game.

This is the perfect age to let children experience the racket hits, hitting the ball and coming into contact with the general technique of this sport. The intention is to encourage children become familiar with the court, to its dimensions, to the handles, length and weight of the rackets and balls.