what is the ideal age to start playing tennis?
819618
When you have stamina to lift the tennis bat and playwe can start
800663
From a personal level i would suggest a heavier racket overall. It will give you the power that new players seem to always want yet you wont kill you arm getting it. Instead you can focus more on placement.  With a lighter racket you need a faster, not necessarily stronger, swing. The absolute best thing to do would be to go to a tennis shop and try out the demos. It is the only way to try it. That is how i found my racket (babolat pure drive).\nDont listen to Lady, do not just pick a brand if you have any intention of continuing tennis past strictly recreational.
447118
The older you are currently the harder it will be,  many of the professional tennis players on the circuit today started as young as 5 and have been having coaching and training hard ever since.\n\nThis does not mean that you cannot make it though, you just need exceptional self belief and personal drive. If you want it badly enough, anything is possible!\n\nOn a practical note I would firstly recommend joining a tennis club if you havern't done so already. Get some coaching which is essential to helping you improve your technique and always try and play people that are better than you and will challenge your game.\n\nEnter tournaments as other people have mentioned and basically strive to play as frequently as possible.\n\nFinally you constantly want to set realistic but challenging goals.\n\nGood Luck! \nIf you believe you're going to make it, I believe you will too! Let me know your name and I'll watch out for you.
856506
I agree with the first answer, and being a tennis pro myself, they are the best to judge what level you are. Just an honest guess though, if you don't know about ratings and those things, you are probably a 3.0 level player. The best way to join the USTA is either at the tournament (they should have a signup sheet), or online at www.usta.com under membership. Also on usta.com, they will have a section devoted to understanding what level you are.
1114126
To become a tennis pro you need to 1st become a member of the USTA (Hopefully you will also be very young maybe younger then even 10 years of age to have any realistic chance of becoming a true pro) By doing this you will be able to play in all the sanctioned USTA tournaments. If you do well in these tournaments you will get a ranking and then if your ranked high enough you will start gaining access to some of the bigger & better tournaments, both regianally and nationally. These tournemants will be the "qualifying school" if you will, for the door into pro tennis. If you do well there you can gain access to the PRO tournys!
1076128
Between the ages of 18-21 usually.
631388
Just listing stuff on what is most likely required to be on a team,...high school team....\n\nYou need to know how to play tennis. To know at least the basics, not all the special techniques, but like forehand, backhand, overhead smash, serve (two ways to do it), etc. You should know how to do it and when do it. Also, you can't just have the knowledge of tennis, you could study and read about all you want, but you need to know how to play it. Are you able to run for the balls, able to hit them back? You need to practice, practice, practice. \n\nAnd for you, since you are a beginner, you should be practicing. Especially if you want to get on a team. And yes, preferably, get a proffessional to help you, or some lessons from an experienced player. You could watch tennis matches and read about it to know about the moves and tatics, etc. \n\nIt's not guaranteed that you will make the team, but it's still a chance that you would get in. The time, now and before the tryouts, just keep practicing...\n\nIf you want any more tips, just ask. ^^
855736
that age, he'd start off in go carting or karting.\n\njust ask the local round tracks or look on the web under karts.
1109488
Short story ok? My mom NEVER played tennis in her life..ever.  But she went to the courts one day with a friend (looking for guys, lol), and there was my dad.  They are still married, by the way. \nMoral of the story...do something you wouldn't normally do.  Go hang out where they are. Something that would be considered unisex, kinda like tennis.  Bars, online, etc. are usually not the best ways.
69509
In introducing a child to golf, or any game for that matter, don't worry about drills or any big formal training. Just take them out and let them try, teaching them just the basics they would need to know -- which for golf would be basically that they swing the club and hit the ball.\n\nYou can start them as young as they start to show an interest, and don't overlook those big plastic kids play toys. While not real golf clubs, they are a lot cheaper than the real thing and still enforce the basics of swinging the club.\n\nWhen you're ready to progress to real golf clubs, try just going to a driving range and using their clubs and don't overlook minature golf for working on putting skills. A real golf course with its vast size can be intimidating at first, but if the child has shown it can consistently hit the ball at the range, go for it.\n\nAnd if the child is still enjoying things at this point, it's probably time to finally consider bringing in training and drills and -- unless you are a scratch golfer and a teacher -- I would recommend bringing in a professional, who will be better suited to see where your child's game has problems and figure out the best way to work on them without having an adverse effect on the things they are doing right. Just remember, children's natural swings (be it golf, baseball or whatever) tend to be more closer to correct than what we start to do as adults, because after watching other people play and hearing all the talk on TV about how his pro does this or this is good and this is a problem, we try to make our swings match ... and often those things we're told are right for one person are wrong for us.\n\nThe biggest key is not to try and force anything on the child. If you push too hard, they probably won't have fun and, if they don't have fun they won't stick with any activity. Look at Tiger Woods ... he played early on, but he also has talked about how much he enjoys doing it. You generally never hear top level athletes, or even just casual athletes, talk about they're playing the game because their parents pushed them into it, but because of how much they love and enjoy it.
719964
i was once a good badminton player and now playing tennis almost 10 year already. badminton is speed and reflex, tennis is timing and placing. the major different is in your hand stroke. tennis needs your whole arm to get a good stroke compare to wrist-stroke in badminton. my advice is get enough time for practice. i believe you won't have problems with smash and overhead, but try to learn the various speed of the balls. good luck.
1120950
i'm always asking the beginners to learn the speed of tennis balls. by knowing the speed you will try to adjust your movement when you hit the ball. you need to understand that in a match the ball will never comes to you; you need to come and hit the ball. then you need to practice tennis strokes; study how other players hit the ball and try to duplicate. for this all you need is a never-ending practice.\ngood luck and enjoy tennis as i do.
1011160
yes atleast in India. Her killer qualities & a zooming forehand are a threat. She's beaten some top players. Her Hyderabad title has inspired more girls to hit the ball at age of six. Tennis is not now far behind to become as popular as cricket.
242586
It's cyclical.  The current crop of tennis talent just happens to be more reserved and focused on the mechanics of the game.\n\n10 years from now, we'll have our next pool of extraverted players.
1010434
I don't know what age for those guys.  I know Arnold Palmar would hit the golf ball over water for the ladies for a nickle at age 7.  I also know there are some great players who started around age 14 to 16.
1165232
3 1/2 to 4 years old. As early as you can. The earlier the better.
412650
Selecting the right tennis racquet for you depends upon your level of play. If you are a beginner, you should start with a power tennis racket . If you have been playing for a while, let's say for a year, you probably should opt for one which gives you more control. Regardless of your level of play, there is a third factor which a tennis player should be aware of: comfort. You should choose a tennis racquet  which fits your physique and level of play and thus you are most comfortable to play with. By choosing the right racket, you also avoid the pain associated with tennis elbow which incidentally afflicts almost 50% of all tennis players in America. So having the knowledge about raquets is important in ensuring that you have the right tennis equipment which will help you tremendously in your quest to be a better tennis player.\n\n\nFor the average player, a combination of power, control, and comfort is probably ideal. \n\nCategory 1: Power Tennis Racquets \n---------------------------------\nManufacturers usually indicate in their packaging or internet description what category the model that they are selling belongs. These racquets feature oversize to super-oversize heads, are lightweight (8-9.5 ounces), longer (27-29 inches), stiffer and are balanced head-heavy (or evenly balanced) to retain enough weight in the hitting zone. These are designed for players with shorter, slower swings and who want more zing and pop. \n\nCategory 2: Control Tennis Racquets \n-----------------------------------\nDenotes tennis racquets that would be used by professional and more advanced players. These models are typically heavier in weight (11.5-13+ ounces), have smaller heads (85-98), thinner, more flexible beams and are balanced head-light to allow for more maneuverability. The result is low-power and designed for players who provide their own power and prefer one that offers more control. Can be standard or extended length. \n\nCategory 3: ‘Tweener Tennis Racquets \n-------------------------------------\nThere are several models that offer a blend of features from power and control racquets. They are often lighter (9.5-11 ounces), balanced anywhere from slightly head-light to slightly head-heavy, have midplus (95-102 square inches) heads and are usually extended length (27.5-28 inches). These models offer low-medium to medium-high power and are most appealing to intermediate-advanced players, seeking enhanced maneuverability.