Choosing a racquet can be confusing for even the most experienced player. There are many factors to consider, and many choices to sift through. Below is some information that should make choosing both adult and junior racquets a little easier. |
General Junior Racquet Guidelines
| AGE | RACQUET LENGTH |
| 0-4 | 19" |
| 4-6 | 21" |
| 7-8 | 23" |
| 9-10 | 25" |
| 10-12 | 26" |
| 12 up | adult size |
| These are general guidelines for age and racquet size. You should adjust for additional factors. |
| Of course, children grow at different rates. Select a racquet based on the age group they most closely match. You might move up a size or two to adjust for exceptionally high physical strength. |
| Experience is also a factor. The chart assumes a beginner player. An experienced player will often do best with a size or two larger than the chart indicates. |
| You will notice overlaps in the above chart at ages 4, 10, and 12. At these ages, either size is equally likely to be suitable, but as a general rule, when in doubt, go with the bigger racquet. |
| Junior racquets tend to be relatively cheap. Very nice junior racquets at a pro shop will run roughly $20 to $50, and some of the $10 racquets at the big discount chains are quite good, too. Locally, Big 5 and Walmart both have some junior racquets, and among online retailers, Midwestsports.com and Tenniswarehouse.com both offer huge selections. |
General Adult Racquet Guidelines
There are too many personal factors to consider for me to recommend a specific racquet for a beginner. Size, weight, strength, style of play, health and fitness. all of these things will factor in to your decision. I do recommend beginners buy a racquet they are comfortable swinging with their hand wrapped around the very end of the handle. A grip sizing method developed by Robert Nirschi MD, is to measure the distance from the second lateral palm line of the hand to the end of your ring finger of your playing hand. This measurement is the actual grip size he recommends (the illustration below is not drawn to scale). An adult will usually have a grip size anywhere from 4" to 4 7/8". Keep in mind that it's easier to increase handle size with an overgrip than decrease size. Use as large a grip as you can comfortably hold during match play. Beginner racquets tend to be relatively cheap. Locally, Big 5 and Walmart both have some racquets, and among online retailers, Midwestsports.com and Tenniswarehouse.com both offer huge selections. |
