10/01/2026
6 things parents who want to raise a tennis pro need to know 🎾
1. Start with the right ball, not the right academy. A six year old on a full court with a yellow ball cannot reach the far baseline, so they swing hard and flat and learn a stroke they will have to unlearn. Red ball on a short court for the youngest players, orange for around 7 to 9, green for 9 to 11, yellow from about 11. The right ball arrives at a height and speed their body can handle, so they learn real technique from day one.
2. Under 9, the only goal is that they want to come back next week. Short sessions, loud, full of games that happen to teach racquet skills. A kid who leaves laughing had a productive lesson. A kid who leaves in tears because their grip got corrected from behind the curtain is quietly shopping for a new sport by 10.
3. Hours follow love, they do not create it. Under 9, one or two sessions a week, and a second sport is a feature. 9 to 11, two or three sessions with one of them match play. 12 and up, three or more if the player is asking for it. The asking is the whole point. A schedule the child did not choose is a schedule they resent by 15.
4. Pick a coach, then get out of the way. You are choosing a person your kid will see more than most of their teachers. Ask three things: are they cleared to coach kids (every coach at Match Point KC is USTA Safe Play approved), will they see my child every week (progress in tennis is mostly noticing), and do they coach the child or just the level. Then cheer from the lounge and ask what they worked on, not how many they won. The parents of our best juniors are the quietest people in the viewing area.
5. The cheap racquet is often the right one, and shoes matter more. A frame that is too long or too heavy teaches a kid to swing with their arm. The right racquet is the one they can swing fast without strain, so ask the coach before you buy. Our desk keeps loaners for exactly this reason. And tennis is a sideways sport while running shoes are built to go forward, so a proper court shoe prevents most rolled ankles.
6. Start tournaments later than you think and lower than you want. Red ball team challenges for the youngest, orange ball events from 7, green ball events for 9 to 11, and the yellow ball junior circuit from the month they turn 11. Winning comfortably at their ball color means they are ready to move up. Losing every match teaches one thing: that they hate tournaments. Let the player pack the bag, check the draw and know their court time. By 14, the ones who own their tennis are the ones still playing it.
Kansas City's top juniors train at Match Point KC in Blue Springs, Missouri. Indoor tennis and pickleball courts, lessons for every age, and a junior program from Red Ball to high performance.
See the levels at matchpointkc.com/junior-programs
