Tennis enjoys a position as the oldest of the racket sports, and has been an Olympic event since 1896, which has helped earn its place of prestige in the sports world.  Tennis is truly a sport for life with many who are senior citizens continuing to play for as long as they can walk and swing a racket.  Tennis is a great sport that provides a great many benefits and can easily be learned by small children up through adults who have never played before. 

General benefits of tennis include the aerobic workout and cardiovascular fitness.  Tennis also has the ability to help increase mobility, and quick reactions, agility, flexibility, dynamic balance and coordination.  This is a wonderful sport that also helps strengthen almost every muscle group, especially legs and arms.  Other benefits include increasing hand-eye coordination and the ability to develop fine motor skills.  Concentration, focus, and strategic thinking are also greatly improved in tennis. 

Children who tend to excel at tennis are quick on their feet, and outstanding hand-eye coordination, speed and excellent reflexes.  The ability to focus and concentrate on the ball are also very important towards the success of the athlete.  The rest of the necessary skills can be learned so the athlete improves. 

When you are looking to get your child started on tennis look for an instructor who will teach your child the basics such as proper racket handling, as well as footwork.  Your child can begin taking tennis lessons as young as 3 years old, however most children start when they are between 6-7 years old.  Formal lessons can begin much later and the child not be adversely affected.  You need a good instructor for your child’s beginning lessons who is capable of making them have fun, rather than feel like they are being drilled. 

For beginning lessons, group lessons are the best bet especially considering the financial costs.  They are much cheaper, as well as your child will likely enjoy learning with friends instead of just by themselves.  In group lessons, you want a small ratio of only 4-5 students per instructor.  If your child is very passionate about tennis and wants to learn more advanced instructions then you will want to find a coach who is certified by either the U.S. Professional Tennis Association, or the U.S. Professional Tennis Registry.  You want to look for good coaches who are already experienced in working with competition tennis players. 

Tennis can cause muscle sprains and strains to the elbows and ankles.  Shin splints are also common, as is tennis elbow.  One of the most common forms of injury is a stray ball on the court that causes the players to trip and potentially sprain an ankle.  Your child should wear good shoes so that their feet and ankles are well protected. 

There are several expenses with tennis that can add up quickly.  The first expenses is the tennis racket that your child will need, these for a beginner can be purchased for approximately $40, while a racket for an advanced and serious player can cost up to $200 easily.  Private tennis lessons can rack up huge expenses, which can run as much as $90 an hour, which is the single biggest expense is the lessons.  Otherwise, your child will need tennis shoes.  If you choose to allow your child to do competitions then you are going to need several rackets in case one breaks in the middle of a tournament, as well as shoes every few months.  Additional competition expenses include hotel expenses, gas and competition entry fees that must be paid.  Overall tennis makes a great sport and is something that parents should consider for their child.