Tennis Drills for Kids Ages 5-10

For kids ages 5-10, the best tennis drills are simple, visual, and full of feel. Start with stance, then loose arms, then a big stretch-and-release swing. The goal is not to make the child think like a coach. The goal is to help the child feel the ball, see the shape, and swing with freedom.

The Little Player

He walked onto the court with a racquet that looked a little too big and shoes that squeaked every time he bounced. He wanted to hit hard. Of course he did. Most kids do. But when the ball came, his feet froze, his shoulders squeezed up, and the swing got tight. The coach saw it right away. This was not a child who needed a speech. He needed a picture. Line up in a semi-open stance, the coach told him. Keep the shoulders separated from the hips. Suddenly the swing had a place to start.

Drill One

The first drill is the stance-and-face drill. The child lines up with the body a little open, the racquet face prepared for the ball, and the hips and shoulders not glued together like one stiff board. At first, it may feel strange. The child may look down at his feet and wonder, Am I doing this right? But then the ball comes. He turns. He swings. The shot feels cleaner. That tiny moment matters. It teaches him that good tennis starts before the racquet ever touches the ball.

Drill Two

The second drill is the loose-arm mirror drill. The coach does not ask the child to hit harder. He asks him to look. Watch the behavior of the arm. See how loose it looks. That is the whole lesson. A young player can understand this because it is visual. The arm should not act like a locked gate. It should act more like a rope that can whip, stretch, and release. The child sees it once, then tries it. The first swing may be clunky. The second may be better. Then, all at once, the arm starts to move like it belongs to the ball.

Drill Three

But here is where it gets interesting. Sometimes tennis gets easier when it stops sounding like tennis. So the coach uses baseball. He asks the child to make a big baseball-style stretch, then let the swing release. After that, the child does the same feeling with a tennis swing. Baseball. Tennis. Baseball. Tennis. The child starts to notice the secret. The two swings are not exactly the same, but the feeling of stretch and release can carry over. It is like finding the same song on a different instrument.

Drill Four

The fourth drill is the tension-to-release drill. The child learns to feel tension building from the hip, stretching through the arm, and then letting go into the ball. This is not about squeezing harder. It is about feeling the stretch, then letting the racquet release at the right moment. At first, he may try to control everything. His hand may grab. His arm may tighten. Then the coach gives the simple cue again. Let the control go. Stretch. Bam. Now the ball jumps in a new way.

Drill Five

The fifth drill is big swing, simple target. The coach asks for a bigger swing, but not a wild one. The child stretches, releases, and sends the racquet through the ball. This is where young players often discover something important. Big does not have to mean out of control. Big can mean free. Big can mean the body is helping. Big can mean the child is no longer poking at the ball like it might bite.

What Changes

At the start, the child thinks the drill is about hitting the ball. Then he learns the deeper lesson. Stance gives him a base. A loose arm gives him speed. Stretch gives him power. Release gives him freedom. The court starts to feel less like a test and more like a playground with lines. That is the real win for ages 5-10. Not perfect technique. A better feeling. A clearer picture. A child who wants one more ball.

Sources

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