The honest answer to "what tennis gear does my child need" is: less than you'd think, at least at first. Most junior programs, including ours, provide age-appropriate racquets and balls for trial lessons and the early weeks of a term, so there's no need to buy anything before your child has actually tried a session and decided they want to keep going. Once they're playing regularly, though, a few pieces of gear genuinely matter, and getting the sizing right matters more than the price tag. This guide covers what to buy, when to buy it, and what you can safely skip.

Do you need anything for the first lesson?

No. Comfortable sports clothing, enclosed sports shoes, a water bottle, and sun protection are all you need to turn up. We provide age-appropriate racquets and balls for trial and early lessons, so there's no reason to buy a racquet before your child has had a few sessions and you know they're sticking with it.

Junior racquet sizing, by Hot Shots stage and by age/height

Once your child is a term or two in and enjoying it, a correctly sized racquet makes a real difference to how quickly they progress; an adult-length racquet is genuinely harder to control for a small child, not just heavier. Tennis Australia's Hot Shots framework, which our programs follow, links racquet length to stage rather than strictly to age:

• Launch Pad / Red Stage: racquets from around 19 to 23 inches, matched to the smaller, scaled-down courts and softer balls used at this stage.
• Orange Stage: typically 23 to 25 inches as kids move onto a bigger court.
• Green Stage: around 25 to 27 inches, approaching a full-size court.
• Yellow Ball and Squads: 26 inches and up, the same general range as adult racquets from here.

If you'd rather size by age or height instead of stage, general guidance from tennis retailers and the USTA lands in a similar range: roughly 19 to 23 inches under age 8, 23 to 25 inches for ages 9 to 10, and 26 inches or longer from age 11. The exact cutoffs vary a little between brands, so treat these as a starting range rather than an exact rule. A simple sizing check that works regardless of age: stand your child up straight with the racquet held down by their side, head pointing at the floor; the racquet head should sit just above the ground without touching it. If it's dragging on the ground, size down.

For the stage your child is actually at right now, rather than a general age range, see our age and stage guide.

Grip size for kids

Most junior racquets up to around 26 inches come in a single grip size that's pre-matched to the racquet length, so you generally don't need to choose separately. It's only once racquets reach 26 inches and above that a couple of grip options tend to appear (commonly 4 inches or 4 ⅛ inches in circumference). A quick way to sanity-check fit: your child should be able to wrap their fingers around the handle with a small gap, about the width of a finger, between their fingertips and the base of their thumb. A grip that's too thick restricts wrist movement; too thin and the racquet twists in their hand on off-centre hits.

Tennis balls explained: what the colours mean

The different coloured balls used through Hot Shots aren't just for fun, they're slower and softer at each earlier stage so kids can actually rally and build confidence, rather than chasing a full-speed adult ball they can't yet control:

• Red balls: the softest and largest, used at Launch Pad and Red Stage, ideal for beginners still building basic hand-eye coordination.
• Orange balls: roughly 50% compression, a step up in pace once basic rallying skills are there.
• Green balls: roughly 75% compression, closer to a full-speed ball, used as kids approach a full-size court.
• Yellow balls: standard full-compression balls, used from Squads onward.

You don't need to buy balls separately for lessons, we supply them, but a cheap tube of the right compression level is worth having at home if your child wants to practise against a wall or in the backyard between sessions.

String tension for junior racquets

This is one area where it's genuinely fine not to think too hard: junior racquets come factory-strung at a sensible standard tension, and most kids will outgrow the racquet itself long before the strings need attention. Restringing is really only worth considering for older juniors (Yellow Ball/Squads level) playing several times a week on a racquet they're not about to outgrow, and even then it's worth asking your child's coach before paying for a custom string job.

Tennis shoes for kids: court shoes vs. runners

Regular running shoes are fine for Launch Pad and Red Stage, where movement is mostly light and game-based. Once kids are moving more explosively side to side on Orange Stage and above, a proper tennis or court shoe with lateral (side-to-side) support becomes worthwhile, since running shoes are built for forward motion and don't offer the same ankle stability on repeated direction changes. You don't need to buy court shoes on day one; it's a sensible upgrade once you can see your child is committed and moving more athletically on court.

Clothing and sun protection essentials

As a quick summary: comfortable, breathable sports clothing, a broad-brimmed or legionnaire-style hat, SPF50+ broad-spectrum sunscreen, and a water bottle cover the essentials. Our courts are outdoors, so sun protection isn't optional, even on an overcast day.

What we've seen parents overspend on

Active Kids NSW vouchers and cost help

If cost is a factor in gearing up as well as enrolling, it's worth knowing the NSW Government's Active and Creative Kids Voucher program can help offset lesson costs (currently $50 per voucher, up to two per child per year, for families receiving Family Tax Benefit Part A and/or B). It doesn't cover equipment purchases directly, but freeing up the lesson budget can make it easier to justify a properly sized racquet later on. See our full guide to tennis for North Sydney parents for the complete eligibility detail.

Quick checklist before you buy anything

• ✓You haven't bought a racquet yet if your child hasn't started lessons; we provide one for trial and early sessions
• ✓You've sized any racquet purchase by stage or by the "head just above the floor" test, not by age alone
• ✓You've checked grip size only if the racquet is 26 inches or longer
• ✓You've held off on court shoes until your child is moving athletically enough to benefit from lateral support
• ✓You've packed sun protection (hat, SPF50+ sunscreen) as a non-negotiable, regardless of what else you buy
• ✓You're planning to try a FREE TRIAL lesson before spending on anything beyond basic clothing and shoes

Summary

Buy less than you think you need at the start: comfortable clothing, enclosed shoes, sun protection, and a water bottle are genuinely all that's required for a first lesson, since we provide racquets and balls for trial and early sessions. Once your child is a term or two in, a correctly sized racquet (by Hot Shots stage or the simple floor test) makes the biggest practical difference, followed later by proper court shoes as their movement gets more athletic. Everything else, from string tension to matching outfits, can wait. If your child hasn't started yet, a FREE TRIAL lesson is the best way to find out how much they're actually going to use before you spend on anything beyond the basics.

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