What is Progressive tennis?
Progressive tennis is tennis for young kids and kids starting out for the first time on the court. Progressive tennis has been used successfully in Europe for the passed 30 years and produced some of the top players in the world.
Kids experience a higher level of success using the foam ball at the ½ court level and can start playing matches at an earlier age than before. Once they progress past the ½ court, they start on ¾ court which is a fantastic way for them to learn how to open up the court and transitition to the net, all the while maintaining a high level of consistency as the ball does not bounce as high and is a lot slower. Before they reach the baseline with the regular ball, there is a transition ball that helps the athletes get used to the full court and the distance before using the regular ball.
Basic guidelines for PROgressive tennis:
5-7 year olds: ½ court tennis
7-9 year olds: ¾ court tennis
9-10 year olds: transition ball at the baseline
These guidelines assume the athletes are playing fairly often and receiving good coaching. If the athletes are not playing as much, the guidelines can be modified to read the following:
Under 8 year olds: ½ court tennis
8-10 year olds: ¾ court tennis
10-12 year olds: transition ball at the baseline

These basic principles allow the athletes to progress at a rate that will not impede their technique as well as allow a high level of consistency with the different balls. This keeps the athletes interest high and develops a love for the sport.