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by Brent Johner (Owner)

Children’s Tennis – Calgary Store

April 25, 2012 in Tennis, Tennis Equipment, Tennis for Kids

Children's Tennis Calgary

Children's Tennis Calgary

Racquet Network’s southwest Calgary store carries a large selection of chidren’s tennis racquets, balls, shoes and accessories. We are also a major provider of tennis lessons for children of all ages.

Our new Calgary store is located at 4 10015 Oakfield Dr. We are open from 10:00am until 7:00pm Monday to Saturday. Our online Pro Shop is open for browsing 24/7. While our online Pro Shop does not list everything we sell, it will certainly give you a sense what we carry and what we have to offer to Calgary children.

Children’s Tennis Racquets

Free children’s tennis racquets are included in all Racquet Network children’s tennis group lessons registration fees. However, children who are not enrolled in our lessons progams can also purchase racquets from our store at the corner of Southland Dr and Oakfield Dr in southwest Calgary.

Children’s Tennis Balls

Racquet Network is also proud to carry the full graduated line of tennis balls, nets and racquets approved for children’s tennis by Tennis Canada, the USTA and the International Tennis Federation. Our product line up includes foam starter balls for small children, red and orange balls for players who are learning to rally and starter game balls for new players who are starting to play full three-quarter court tennis matches.

Children`s Tennis Racquets Calgary

Children`s Tennis Racquets in Calgary


Children’s Tennis Nets

Every Calgary cul-de-sac needs a children’s tennis net. Racquet Network carries highly portable and completely affordable children’s tennis nets that are perfect for street tennis or tennis at the lake. Simply set it up in your driveway or other safe location and kids can use foam balls and child-sized racquets to get some exercise and improve their basic rallying skills. (Parents should not underestimate the value of this unstructured play time. As with street hockey and ice hockey, street tennis is an essential step in every child’s development.)

Free Racquet/Shoe Fittings

Starting with a correctly-sized racquet is essential to early success for young tennis players. Racquet Network offers free consultation as well as racquet and shoe sizing for children of all ages. We also stay on top of developments regarding tennis lessons programs in the city of Calgary and can help guide you toward a program that is right for your child.

Private/Group Lessons

In addition to our group lessons which are offered at the Oakridge Community Centre, Racquet Network can arrange for private, semi-private and group lessons on City of Calgary Tennis Courts. If you have a group of four to six children of similar ages and are willing to commit to at least six one-hour lessons, we can book a tennis court and have an instructor come to your neighbourhood. Please call us at 403-238-0687 for more information.

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Avatar of Brent Johner (Owner)

by Brent Johner (Owner)

Tennis Lessons for 5-year-olds?

July 27, 2009 in Tennis for Kids, Tennis Lessons

Brent Johner is a certified tennis, squash, badminton and pickleball coach

Brent Johner is a certified tennis, squash, badminton and pickleball coach

I get a lot of calls and emails at this time of year from parents who are looking to enrol their 5 and 6-year-olds in tennis lessons.

Be very careful, I warn all of them. There are people out there who will take your money and give your kids tennis lessons even if they probably shouldn’t.

Most 5-year-olds lack the depth perception required for racquet sports. In fact, most kids aren’t really ready for racquet sports until the age of 11.

This is because racquet sports require high levels of competence in the areas of speed, speed-strength, strength-endurance, flexibility, coordination and balance, all of which are beyond the capabilities of most children under the age of 11.

Does this mean that children as young as five should not be introduced to tennis?

No it does not. Provided the coach is aware of the developmental limits for children of this age and provided the children’s parents do not have unreasonable expectations, it is possible to introduce children to tennis and other racquet sports at a very young age.

The younger the child, though, the more important it is to have a qualified, certified coach who is capable not only of teaching tennis, but who is also able to teach the fundamentals of physical literacy.

5 and 6-year-olds should be taught the basics of agility, balance, coordination and speed. It is important that they be taught how to throw and to catch at this age as well.

But nobody should expect children of this age to be able to hit adult tennis balls over an adult tennis net on an adult tennis court with even a moderate level of skill. If they are normal children, these skills will be beyond their routine capabilities for some time yet.

At this age, a child’s exposure to tennis should be limited to mini-court tennis – a version of tennis designed for children that uses large, slow-moving foam balls, smaller racquets, lower nets and smaller courts.

The main part of each lesson for 5 and 6-year-olds, moreover, should emphasize the basics of physical literacy — agility, balance, coordination and speed — rather than learning to hit forehands, backhands or volleys.

For many parents, this is exactly the opposite of how they were taught. In fact, most of their childhood memories revolve around images of a tennis coach standing at the net and feeding ball after endless yellow ball for children to hit over a standard tennis net.

Those days are long gone. Or at least, they should be long gone.

Parents who want the best for their kids nowadays should be looking for instructors who are equipped and trained to teach mini-tennis, half-court tennis and/or three-quarter court tennis. They should also be wary of any instructor who stands at the net and feeds adult balls to children under the age of 11.

Join the only network that pays you to play racquet sports.

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Avatar of Brent Johner (Owner)

by Brent Johner (Owner)

Shopping for Kids Tennis Lessons

June 17, 2009 in Tennis for Kids, Tennis Lessons

Brent Johner is a certified tennis, squash, badminton and pickleball coach

Brent Johner is a certified tennis, squash, badminton and pickleball coach

When shopping for tennis lessons for their children, parents have four different kinds of lessons to consider:

  1. recreational tennis lessons (large groups)
  2. group lessons (small groups)
  3. semi-private lessons
  4. private lessons

Recreational (Large) Group Lessons

Recreational tennis lessons consist of large groups and usually involve more than one instructor. The instructor to student ratio is typically eight-to-one. If the lessons occur outdoors, the price is usually very low: less than $20 per student per hour. If the lessons occur indoors, they will cost more.

Large group lessons like these are intended for students who just want to have fun with a tennis racquet in their hand. One-on-one instruction is minimal due to the large student-to-instructor ratio. Students in these programs can and probably will learn something about tennis. However, the emphasis in these programs is to create a fun atmosphere and teach kids to enjoy tennis.

Small Group Lessons

Small group lessons typically have a student-to-instructor ratio of six-to-one or less. The price for small group lessons is higher than for recreational group lessons. However, the fact that there are fewer students ensures that each will get more one-on-one time with the tennis instructor.

Students in small group lessons will typically spend less time waiting their turn and more time actively acquiring and improving tennis skills. Therefore the opportunity to learn more per lesson exists — although not all children will take advantage of this opportunity. Prices vary from $20 to $40 per hour.

Semi-private Lessons

Semi-private tennis lessons usually consist of one instructor with two or three students. Although good instructors will always ensure that students have fun at every lesson, the emphasis in semi-private lessons is focused on acquiring and improving tennis skills.

Compared to group lessons, semi-private lessons require more expertise, more one-on-one instruction and more equipment. As a result, the costs are higher than in group lessons — expect to pay $40 $60 per hour depending on the number of students.

Private Lessons

Private lessons ensure that your child will have the instructor’s full attention for the entire lesson. However, in most cases, this is not necessary. Most children will, in fact, learn better and enjoy themselves more in small group or semi-private lessons than in private lessons.

However, a small percentage of students will benefit from the one-on-one instruction offered in private tennis lessons. Foremost among these children are those with short attention spans and those who are exceptionally gifted tennis players for their ages. Expect to pay at least $60 per hour for private tennis lessons. If the lessons are indoors, add up to 50 per cent.

Join the only network that pays you to play racquet sports.

Register – Play Games – Report Scores – Get Free Stuff

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