Preparing your child for tennis camp means getting their equipment right, knowing what to pack, teaching them a few basic tennis terms before they arrive, setting the right expectations about fun and learning, and choosing a program with certified coaches and small group ratios. A child who arrives prepared, confident, and genuinely excited will get far more out of their camp experience than one who shows up on day one still figuring out which end of the racket to hold. This guide covers everything parents in North York need to know before their child’s first session.
How to Prepare for a Tennis Camp: The Complete Parent Guide
Preparing for a tennis camp starts well before the first morning on the court. The preparation that matters most happens in the weeks leading up to camp, not the night before. It covers equipment, mindset, basic vocabulary, physical readiness, nutrition, and the conversations you have with your child about what to expect. Getting all of these right sets the foundation for a genuinely great experience.
According to the Summer Tennis Camp Survival Guide from The Rocket Tennis, the best preparation begins with one simple conversation: ask your child if tennis camp is something they genuinely want to do. That enthusiasm makes all the difference. A child who chose to come is a child who will engage fully, listen to coaches, try new things, and come home happy. A child who was signed up without being asked may need a little more encouragement, which is fine, but starting that conversation early gives you time to build excitement before the first day arrives.
Tennis Canada’s most recent participation research found that 30% of Canadian parents planned to enrol their children in tennis programming in 2024, up from 23% in 2022. With the sport growing rapidly across Ontario and the Greater Toronto Area, more families from Willowdale, Bayview Village, Don Mills, and across the North York area are giving their children this experience for the first time. The preparation guide below is designed specifically for those families.
What to Pack for a Tennis Camp
What to pack for a tennis camp falls into four main categories: tennis equipment, clothing, nutrition and hydration, and personal care items. Every item in a well-packed tennis camp bag has a purpose, and missing even one or two key things can affect how comfortable and confident a child feels throughout the day.
Tennis Equipment Essentials
The most important items in your child’s tennis bag are the racket and shoes. The racket must be the correct size for your child’s height (see the sizing guide on our site if you are unsure), properly strung, and in good condition. A worn-out racket with dead strings plays completely differently from what a coach intends to teach, and this slows down the learning process. According to Wilson Sporting Goods, strings should be replaced as many times per year as your child plays per week. A junior player who attends two sessions weekly needs fresh strings about twice a year.
Tennis shoes with non-marking soles are required at most indoor and club courts across North York, including facilities near Cresthaven Park, along the Bayview and Sheppard corridor, and at programs throughout the Hillcrest Village area. Running shoes do not provide the lateral support needed for the side-to-side movements of tennis, and they can scuff indoor court surfaces. Make sure your child breaks in their shoes before the first day of camp if they are new.
Clothing and Sun Protection
Pack two to three sets of moisture-wicking athletic clothing per day of camp. Children move constantly during tennis sessions and will sweat through their clothes. Bring a hat or visor for outdoor sessions, and apply broad-spectrum sunscreen of at least SPF 30 before arriving each day. For spring and fall sessions at outdoor courts in the Cummer Park and McNicoll Park area, a light warm-up jacket is useful for cool morning starts. North York’s spring and fall seasons can shift quickly, so having a layer available is always smart.
Hydration and Nutrition
A reusable water bottle with your child’s name written on it is non-negotiable. Children dehydrate quickly during physical activity, and hydration should start before arrival, not when your child first feels thirsty during a drill. Pack water and a light, healthy snack for every session. Good options include a banana, cut fruit, nut-free granola bars, or a small sandwich. According to the Van Der Meer Tennis preparation guide, a banana is the ideal pre-session snack because it provides quick-release carbohydrates, potassium, and is easy on the stomach before physical activity. Avoid sugary processed snacks, which cause energy spikes followed by crashes during drills.
Other Essentials
Bring a small towel, a change of socks, and any required medications labelled clearly with your child’s name. Label every item your child brings, including the racket, water bottle, and bag, because equipment gets mixed up quickly in a group of active children. According to the Adidas Tennis Camps packing guide, overgrips are also a great addition to a camp bag. They are inexpensive, extend racket grip life, and improve comfort and control for players of all levels. A small snack bag with a few extras for the afternoon is always appreciated by children in full-day programs.
Quick Packing Checklist for Hillcrest Junior Tennis Camp
Tennis Gear: Correctly sized racket (freshly strung), non-marking tennis shoes, spare socks, overgrip
Clothing: 2–3 sets of moisture-wicking athletic wear, hat or visor, light warm-up jacket for cooler days
Nutrition & Hydration: Reusable water bottle (labelled), morning snack, afternoon snack, lunch if attending a full-day session
Personal Care: SPF 30+ sunscreen (applied before arrival), small towel, any required medications with instructions
Optional: Spare overgrip, vibration dampener, extra hair ties, change of shoes
Label Everything: Racket, water bottle, bag, shoes
What Are the 5 C’s in Tennis Every Camp Parent Should Know?
The 5 C’s in tennis are Competence, Confidence, Composure, Consistency, and Courage. These five qualities form the foundation of junior player development and are the core of what certified coaches work on during every camp session, from the youngest beginners to competitive 16-year-olds.
Understanding these five qualities helps parents set the right expectations for what progress looks like at camp. A child who arrives with very little Competence, meaning they have never held a racket before, will spend their first sessions building that foundation. Their Confidence will grow as small technical milestones are reached. Their Composure will be tested the first time they miss a shot in front of peers, and how they handle that moment is one of the most important learning opportunities a tennis camp provides. Consistency and Courage come later, through competitive practice and repeated match experience.
Parents from Henry Farm, Don Valley Village, and the Bessarion area who enrol their children in structured junior programs for the first time often find that their child’s confidence grows visibly even within the first week of camp. That is the 5 C’s framework in action.
What Are the 5 R’s in Tennis to Teach Your Child Before Camp?
The 5 R’s in tennis are Ready position, Reaction, Running to the ball, Reaching for the shot, and Recovery back to position. These five movement principles describe the complete on-court cycle of every rally and are the foundational movement pattern that coaches use as a teaching framework for junior players at every level.
Before your child’s first day of camp, help them practise the ready position at home. Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent, weight balanced on the balls of the feet, and racket held lightly in front of the body. This is the starting point of every single rally in tennis, and arriving at camp with even a basic understanding of it gives a child a meaningful head start. The remaining four R’s, Reaction, Running, Reaching, and Recovery, are taught progressively throughout the program by certified coaches.
How to Get Kids to Like Tennis Before Their First Camp
To get kids to like tennis before their first camp, watch professional matches together, introduce basic vocabulary in a fun way, practise simple bouncing and catching games at home with a racket, and talk about what they will learn at camp in a way that builds excitement rather than pressure. The goal before the first session is not to teach technique. It is to make the sport feel familiar, fun, and worth trying.
According to Silicon Valley Tennis Academy’s junior coaching guide, for some children, coaches need to introduce them to love the game and motivate them to appreciate one of the best sports in the world before any technical development is possible. The same principle applies at home. If your child associates tennis with a sport that interesting people play, and one that has exciting moments they have seen on screen, they will walk onto the court for the first time with curiosity instead of uncertainty.
Watch a Carlos Alcaraz rally on YouTube with your child. Bounce a ball on a racket face in the backyard and count how many times they can keep it going. Talk about the courts near Bayview Village Park or McNicoll Park where they might play. Small moments of pre-camp engagement like these do more for first-day confidence than any technical preparation.
Parents who want their children to fall in love with the game in a structured, playful environment will find that the junior summer camp at Hillcrest Tennis Camp is specifically designed for exactly this. The balance of fun activities, structured skill development, and genuine coaching attention creates the kind of first tennis experience that children remember and want to repeat.
What Does 6-2, 6-3 Mean in Tennis? (A Quick Scoring Guide for New Parents)
A score of 6-2, 6-3 means one player won the match in two straight sets. In the first set, they won 6 games and their opponent won 2. In the second set, they won 6 games and their opponent won 3. In a best-of-three-set match, the first player to win two sets wins the match. A straight-set win like 6-2, 6-3 means the match ended without a third set being needed.
Here is the full tennis scoring structure in plain language for parents who are new to the sport. A match is made up of sets. A set is made up of games. A game is made up of points. Points progress as: 0 (called “love”), 15, 30, 40, and then “game.” If both players reach 40, it is called “deuce,” and one player must win two consecutive points to take the game. To win a set, a player must win 6 games with at least a 2-game lead. If the set reaches 6-6, a tiebreak is played. The USTA explains that the first player or team to reach 7 points (winning by a minimum of 2) wins the tiebreak and the set, with a final score of 7-6.
Why is 0 called “love”? The most widely accepted explanation, from historical tennis research, is that the French word for egg, l’oeuf, which represents the shape of a zero, became anglicised into “love” as the game spread from France to England. Whatever its true origin, the scoring system is uniquely charming and one of the first things children at tennis camp love to learn. By their third or fourth session, most kids know the score without needing to be reminded.
What does “Y-3” mean in tennis? Y-3 is actually a sportswear brand, a collaboration between Adidas and Japanese designer Yohji Yamamoto, that produces tennis-inspired athletic apparel. It is not a tennis term or score. Parents who encounter it while shopping for camp clothes may see it on apparel labels. For camp, standard breathable athletic wear from any major brand is perfectly appropriate.
What Are the 8 Skills in Tennis Your Child Will Learn at Camp?
The 8 skills in tennis are: the serve, the forehand groundstroke, the backhand groundstroke, the volley, the overhead smash, footwork and movement, return of serve, and mental composure. Tennis camp introduces and develops these skills in a structured sequence, starting with the ones that generate the most early success and confidence in beginner players.
Most beginner camps begin with the forehand, because it is the most natural swing motion for children and allows them to make contact with the ball quickly. Footwork is taught from the very first session, because according to coaching expert Chris Lewit, who developed numerous nationally ranked junior players, world-class movement is the foundation of consistency. Without good footwork, a child cannot learn to be consistent, and without consistency, all other skills remain unreliable.
Junior tennis training research published on TennisMindGame states that tennis training consists of approximately 10% instruction and 90% repetition. Repetition of strokes and playing patterns is what makes them automatic. Parents should understand that camp is not about memorising rules or watching demonstrations. It is about hitting thousands of balls in a structured, encouraging environment until the right movement patterns begin to feel natural. That is exactly what qualified coaches are there to facilitate.
What Is the 10 Rule in Tennis?
The 10 rule in tennis refers to the advice that young players should limit heavy training volume to no more than their age in hours per week. A 10-year-old should train no more than 10 hours per week. A 12-year-old no more than 12 hours. This guideline comes from the Emory University Tennis Medicine Program and is designed to prevent overuse injuries in growing players.
For parents preparing their children for a tennis camp program, this rule provides important context. A well-structured junior camp program running 3 to 4 hours per day, 3 to 5 days per week, falls well within healthy development parameters for most ages. The danger is in adding camp on top of other high-volume sporting commitments without adequate rest. If your child plays another sport at a competitive level during the same period as tennis camp, talk to the camp coaches about managing training load appropriately.
What Is the 25-Second Rule in Tennis?
The 25-second rule in tennis is the time limit a player has to begin their serve after the previous point ends. According to ATP and WTA tour rules, players must put the ball in play within 25 seconds of the previous point. Shot clocks are now standard at all professional ATP and WTA tournaments to enforce this rule. In junior and recreational tennis, the rule is rarely enforced strictly, but teaching young players to play at a reasonable pace is part of developing good on-court habits and sportsmanship from an early age.
At camp, coaches teach children to have two balls ready before they serve, call the score out loud, and begin the point without unnecessary delay. These habits are part of what makes a child a good teammate and a pleasant opponent when they begin to compete. Parents who reinforce this at home by playing games where there is a simple timing structure help children arrive at camp already understanding the importance of pace and readiness.
What Are the 3 R’s in Tennis for Camp Readiness?
The 3 R’s in tennis for camp readiness are Routine, Reset, and Respect. These three mental habits are the ones that make the biggest difference in how a child experiences their first camp, especially on the inevitable days when shots do not go in and frustration builds.
Routine means arriving at the same time each day, having equipment ready, warming up consistently, and following the coach’s session structure without needing to be reminded. Reset means the ability to shake off a missed shot and focus on the next point without carrying frustration from one ball to the next. Reset is one of the most important mental skills in tennis and one of the first things camp coaches teach, often through a simple between-point ritual like closing the fist briefly, taking one breath, and looking at the next target. Respect means behaving well toward coaches, peers, opponents, and equipment, which is the foundation of the culture that makes a tennis program feel safe and welcoming for every child who participates.
What Are the Six Skills and Four Types of Tennis Players?
The six skills of tennis are the serve, forehand, backhand, volley, overhead, and footwork. These six technical areas form the complete foundation of the game and are the curriculum framework used by Tennis Canada and the ITF’s junior development pathway at every level from red ball through to competitive junior play.
The four types of tennis players are the Baseliner, the Serve and Volleyer, the All-Court player, and the Counter-Puncher. A baseliner plays primarily from the back of the court, relying on consistent groundstrokes and a good return game. A serve and volleyer attacks the net aggressively after the serve. An all-court player can adapt to all situations and is the most versatile type. A counter-puncher relies on consistency, speed, and defensive skills to turn opponents’ aggression against them. Most junior players in their early development years are natural baselines, but a good camp program exposes children to all four styles through game formats and match play so they can discover what feels most natural to them.
Children in the programs and camps at Hillcrest are introduced to all of these playing styles as part of their development, which builds a more complete and adaptable game than early specialisation in a single style would produce.
How to Stand Out at a Tennis Camp Tryout
To stand out at a tennis camp tryout, focus on effort, coachability, and attitude rather than trying to show off technical skills you have not yet fully developed. Coaches at every level of junior tennis development are looking for players who listen attentively, respond positively to corrections, move their feet consistently, and show genuine enthusiasm for every drill. These qualities are visible from the first session and are far more impressive to a certified coach than a few flashy shots surrounded by unforced errors.
According to the Silicon Valley Tennis Academy coaching guide, coaches look for proper grip and footwork, positive body language, commitment to effort on every ball, and the ability to handle both success and frustration gracefully. None of these qualities require years of experience. They are available to every player from their very first day, and the children who demonstrate them consistently are the ones who coaches remember, invest in, and give extra attention to.
If your child is attending their first tryout, remind them the night before that making every ball an all-out effort, saying “good shot” to a training partner, and sprinting to the ball rather than jogging is the strongest possible statement they can make about who they are as a player. Technical ability grows with time. Character is visible immediately.
The Billionaire Tennis Girl: Who Is the Richest Tennis Player?
The question about a billionaire tennis girl likely refers to discussions around tennis players who have accumulated significant wealth through prize money and endorsements. As of 2025, Serena Williams is widely cited as the wealthiest female tennis player in history, having earned more than $90 million in prize money alone during her career, alongside hundreds of millions in brand endorsements and business investments. Roger Federer is broadly considered the wealthiest male tennis player in history based on total career earnings including endorsements, with reported career earnings exceeding $1 billion when business ventures are included.
More recently, Carlos Alcaraz has become one of the most commercially successful young players, with major endorsement deals across global brands following his multiple Grand Slam victories before age 22. For junior players in North York, the message in these stories is not about the money. It is about what consistent, structured development from a young age, combined with genuine passion for the sport, can produce over a lifetime of dedicated play.
What Does the 80/20 Rule Mean for Preparing Your Child for Tennis Camp?
The 80/20 rule in the context of preparing your child for tennis camp means that 80% of your preparation impact comes from 20% of the preparation steps: specifically, having the right racket size, correct tennis shoes, a full water bottle, a healthy snack, and a child who genuinely wants to be there. Everything else, the brand of racket, the exact shoe colour, whether they have watched Wimbledon before, is secondary.
Parents who focus on these five core elements and arrive on time will give their child the best possible chance to have a great first experience. The preparation that parents often over-invest in, drilling specific shots in the backyard, downloading tennis apps, buying the most expensive equipment, has a much smaller impact on first-camp enjoyment than simply ensuring the child is physically comfortable, hydrated, equipped with the right tools, and emotionally ready for a new experience with new people.
For families near the Hillcrest Village and Bayview Village areas who are enrolling their child for the first time, a quick call or email to the camp team before the first session is one of the most valuable steps. Coaches who know a child is brand new can set up the environment to maximise their confidence from the very first ball. At Hillcrest, that is the standard practice for every new junior player who comes through the gate. Contact the team at 647-335-7473 or email info@hillcresttenniscamp.com before your child’s first session to let coaches know where they are starting from.
Experienced players who want focused individual attention to prepare for a new season or competitive program can also arrange private tennis lessons seven days a week at Hillcrest, where one-on-one time with certified coaches builds the specific skills each player needs most.
Tennis Camp Preparation: What Parents Should Do vs. What Children Should Do
| Task | Parent Responsibility | Child Responsibility |
|---|---|---|
| Equipment | Confirm correct racket size; check strings; buy non-marking tennis shoes; pack sunscreen | Carry their own bag; know where their racket is; remember their water bottle |
| Mindset Preparation | Talk positively about camp; set expectations about fun and learning over winning; avoid coaching from the sideline | Try every drill with full effort; listen to the coach; be kind to other campers |
| Nutrition | Pack water and healthy snacks; ensure child eats a light meal 1–2 hours before camp | Drink water before they feel thirsty; eat their snack during breaks, not during drills |
| Drop-Off | Arrive a few minutes early; say a confident goodbye; communicate any concerns to the coach, not the child | Say hello to coaches and other campers; find their spot on the court; start warming up |
| Post-Camp | Ask “what was your favourite thing today?” rather than “what did you learn?”; celebrate effort, not results | Tell parents one fun moment from the session; rest and hydrate for the next day |
| Ongoing | Communicate with coaches about progress; attend occasional sessions to watch (from a respectful distance) | Practise the basic ready position and ball bouncing at home; think about goals for the next session |
Sources: Van Der Meer Tennis junior camp preparation guide; The Rocket Tennis summer camp survival guide for parents; Silicon Valley Tennis Academy junior coaching guide; Adidas Tennis Camps packing guide; Tennis Warehouse junior camp packing recommendations; TennisMindGame junior training plan framework; Evolve Tennis Academy first tournament parent guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should a beginner child bring to their first tennis camp session in North York?
A beginner child should bring a correctly sized junior racket, non-marking tennis shoes, a labelled reusable water bottle, a light snack (banana or granola bar), a hat for outdoor play, sunscreen already applied, and a set of spare clothes. That is the complete list for a first session at a camp like Hillcrest Tennis Camp near Cresthaven Park in North York’s Hillcrest Village. Nothing else is required. Coaches provide the balls, the drills, and all the structure. The child simply needs to be comfortable, hydrated, and ready to move. First-day nerves are completely normal, and experienced coaches at programs throughout the Bayview Village and Don Mills area know exactly how to welcome a new player so they feel safe and ready to participate from the very first warm-up.
How do I choose the right tennis camp for my child in North York?
The right tennis camp for your child in North York is the one with the lowest student-to-coach ratio, certified coaches with documented experience teaching children, age-appropriate equipment and ball formats, and a program structure that progresses clearly from beginner to advanced. The Summer Tennis Camp Survival Guide recommends reviewing the coach-to-camper ratio, the head coach’s accessibility to all players regardless of skill level, and ensuring the teaching style aligns with how your child learns. Programs with a 6:1 or better ratio for beginners and 4:1 for advanced players, like those at Hillcrest Tennis Camp on Cresthaven Drive, give each child the individual attention needed to make real progress rather than simply participating in group activities where most children are waiting rather than practising.
What is a “let” in tennis and should I teach my child this before camp?
A let in tennis is a serve that clips the top of the net and still lands in the correct service box. When this happens, the point is replayed and the server gets the same serve again. Teaching your child this rule before their first camp session is a great idea because it comes up regularly in play and knowing the answer confidently is one small way to help a new player feel prepared. At camp, coaches explain all the key rules within the first few sessions, so your child does not need to memorise a rulebook beforehand. But knowing “love,” “deuce,” “let,” “fault,” “forehand,” and “backhand” as basic vocabulary before day one removes the language barrier that can make a new sport feel more intimidating than it needs to be.
Why is zero called “love” in tennis and how do I explain this to my child?
Zero is called “love” in tennis because of the French word “l’oeuf,” meaning egg, which was used to describe the oval shape of a zero on a scoreboard. As tennis spread from France to England, “l’oeuf” was anglicised into “love.” This is the most widely accepted historical explanation for the term. Children absolutely love this explanation because it turns an unusual word into an interesting story. Telling your child that love means zero before their first camp session makes the scoring system feel like a puzzle to solve rather than a confusing system to memorise. By the end of the first week, most junior players at camps throughout North York can call a full game score without any help from their coach.
How do I prepare a shy child for their first tennis camp experience?
A shy child benefits most from arriving early on the first day so they have time to observe the environment before it fills up, meeting the coach in a calm moment before the session begins, and having a parent who says a warm but brief goodbye rather than lingering and reinforcing the anxiety. Talk to the camp director before the first session and let them know your child tends to be shy. A good coach will make a point of engaging your child by name in the first warm-up activity. According to the Silicon Valley Tennis Academy guide, the best camp environments for shy children are those where the coach makes every participant feel seen, valued, and capable from the very first point. That is the standard coaches at Hillcrest are trained to uphold for every child who comes through the courts on Cresthaven Drive.
How much should my child practise tennis before starting camp?
A child who is new to tennis does not need any prior practice before starting camp. Camp is designed to begin at exactly the level each child is at, and a qualified program will group children by ability so that beginners are always in an environment where the challenges match their current skills. If your child is completely new and you want to do something to help them feel ready, spend 10 minutes in the backyard bouncing a ball on a racket face together. That simple activity builds hand-eye awareness and makes the racket feel comfortable before the first coach drill begins. Families from Newtonbrook, York Mills, and Banbury-Don Mills who do this one small activity together in the week before camp typically notice that their child arrives on the first day with noticeably more ease around the equipment than peers who have never touched a racket before.
Give Your Child the Best Possible Start in Tennis
Every child who walks through the gates at Hillcrest Tennis Camp is welcomed by a coaching team that takes their development seriously, from the equipment check on day one to the progress feedback at the end of the season. Director Peter Nielsen, a Tennis Canada National Coach with over 40 years of experience and more than 17,000 students coached, leads a team that treats every new junior player as an individual with unique potential.
Head Pro Roshun Razik, a former Davis Cup player and OTA-certified instructor, leads on-court instruction with international-level expertise. Our courts on Cresthaven Drive in North York’s Hillcrest Village accept junior players aged 4 to 18 at all levels across our spring, summer, and fall programs. Group sizes stay at 6:1 for beginners and 4:1 for advanced players so every child on court gets the individual attention they need to genuinely improve and have fun doing it.
Families from Bayview Village, Don Mills, Willowdale, Newtonbrook, Henry Farm, York Mills, Lansing, Banbury, Bessarion, Don Valley Village, and across the Greater Toronto Area bring their children to Hillcrest because they trust that the experience will be positive, structured, and genuinely worth their time. Explore the full range of junior and adult programs for the upcoming season. Call 647-335-7473 or email info@hillcresttenniscamp.com and the team will help match your child to the right program, group, and coach for where they are starting from today.
