It is hard enough to keep your child interested in anything when they are ten years or younger. Let alone keep them interested in a sport that has more barriers to entry than most in the beginning. It was just too easy for kids to get discouraged from playing tennis at a young age, so the USTA developed the Youth Tennis Progression (YTP)!
This new progression system was created with your child’s age and physical stature in mind. Preventing early discouragement and allowing your child to fall in love with tennis.
The 10 & Under Youth Progression Tournaments have three different levels and use two different kinds of balls. On average sets are played to 4 instead of 6. Playing to 6 can take a little too long and can be a bit too taxing for this age group. These tournaments are non-elimination, allowing your child to play multiple matches. Non-elimination tournaments are great for kids under ten years old. They allow children to get the match experience they need by having them play multiple rounds which also prevents discouragement by eliminating the scarring experience of driving all the way to a tournament just to be sent home after 20 minutes.
The three levels of the Youth Progression Tournaments in order are Orange Level 2, Orange Level 1, and Green Level 1. The Orange Level tournaments use orange dot balls. Meanwhile, the Green Level tournaments use green dot balls. Kids also have the option to participate in Junior Team Tennis or JTT(will be described below).
Children will be awarded ‘stars’ for participation in a tournament or a team tennis season and ‘trophies’ for getting to the finals or winning tournaments. Each star and trophy are equal to one point. Children are required to gain 20 points to move on to the next tier of the Youth Progression. You can check out your child’s trophy and star collection at the portal automatically created for them in tennislink on the USTA official site (after you have signed them up with the USTA).
Orange level tournaments and orange dot ball JTT use orange dot balls and smaller courts. The orange ball court (Lines will be painted on a regular court) has a width of 21 feet and a length of 60 feet (A full court is 78 feet long and 27 feet wide). They use an orange dot ball which goes about half as fast as a regular ball and has a bounce a little under three and a half feet. The slower ball allows kids more time to think about what needs to get done while the lower bounce allows them to practice their strokes correctly. It is tough for anyone to practice stroke technique with a ball that goes above their shoulders which is why the lower bounce is so important. The smaller court allows kids to get to more balls creating longer rallies. All of this together creates a much more beneficial and fun experience for the children playing in the tournaments.
Green level tournaments and green dot ball JTT use green dot balls and regular sized courts. The green dot ball goes at about 75% of the speed a regular ball and has a bounce a little over three and a half feet. Just like with the orange dot ball the slower and lower bouncing ball gives children time to think about what they need to do while giving them better bounces to practice their strokes. Creating a better environment for kids to improve their tennis game.
Below we are going to go over the requirements to move from tier to tier in the Youth Tennis Progression.
Orange Level 2– This is the tier your child will start at. Below is how trophies and stars are awarded.
- Participation in a tournament = 5 stars
- Finalist in a tournament = 4 trophies
- Tournament Champion = 5 trophies
- Requirement to move on- 20 points (1 star= 1 point | 1 trophy = 1 point)
Orange Level 1– This is the second tier of the YTP. Below is how trophies and stars are awarded.
- Participation in a tournament = 3 stars
- Finalist in a tournament = 2 trophies
- Tournament Champion = 3 trophies
- Requirement to move on- 20 points (1 star= 1 point | 1 trophy = 1 point)
Green Level 1– This is the final tier of the YTP. Below is how trophies and stars are awarded.
- Participation in a tournament = 2 stars
- Finalist in a tournament = 2 trophies
- Tournament Champion = 1 trophies
- Requirement to move on- 20 points (1 star= 1 point | 1 trophy = 1 point). After your child passes the Green Level 1 tier they can enter into regular ball tournaments.
Junior Team Tennis– Your child can enter into either green ball JTT or orange ball JTT. The participation stars they get will depend on what tier of the YTP they are in.
- If in Orange Level 2 = 6 stars
- If in Orange Level 1 = 4 stars
- If in Green Level 1 = 3 stars
Age Requirements
- To play in these tournaments, your child must be in between the ages of 7 and 10. Your child will no longer be able to participate in the YTP on the first day of the month they turn 11.
I hope this was helpful! Please let me know what you think in the comments below!
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