Why getting players to catch first is a waste of time: Just let kids play tennis

In tennis coaching, it's common to hear the advice that young players should start by learning to catch before they hit. The idea is that catching a ball develops coordination, timing, and hand-eye control, which supposedly transfers over to hitting. But, from an ecological dynamics perspective, this approach misses the mark. Catching and hitting are fundamentally different skills, and placing too much emphasis on catching may actually slow down a player’s tennis development. So why not just get kids playing tennis from day one?

Here’s why focusing on catching as a prerequisite to hitting is misguided, and why getting kids to hit from the start is a much better approach.

Catching vs. Hitting: What’s More Challenging?

At first glance, catching seems like it should be easier than hitting. After all, you just need to stop the ball in your hand, right? But, in reality, catching a ball requires precise hand-eye coordination, timing, and control. You need to judge the ball’s speed, trajectory, and spin, and then guide your hand to intercept and stop it.

In contrast, hitting a tennis ball doesn’t require you to stop it—instead, you’re redirecting its momentum using a racquet, which makes the task less about fine motor control and more about timing and coordination.

In fact, catching may be more challenging for beginners because it requires stopping the ball’s motion, which involves a very different skill set than hitting. When hitting, players can use the ball’s speed and momentum to guide their stroke, without the need to bring the ball to a complete stop. So, while catching might improve some aspects of hand-eye coordination, it’s not necessarily the best way to prepare kids for the dynamic nature of tennis.

The Ecological Dynamics Perspective: Catching and Hitting Are Different Skills

From an ecological dynamics perspective, catching and hitting a tennis ball are distinct skills that involve different types of interactions with the environment. In ecological dynamics, affordances—or opportunities for action—are task-specific, meaning that what the environment offers a player changes depending on whether they are catching or hitting the ball.

• Catching: The affordance here is to stop the ball by intercepting its flight. Players must perceive the ball’s trajectory, speed, and spin, and control their hand to stop it.

• Hitting: The affordance is to redirect the ball using the racquet, coordinating the entire body to send the ball back over the net with the desired spin, speed, and direction.

While both actions involve perception and movement, the goals of the tasks are different. Catching requires precise control to absorb the ball’s energy, while hitting involves generating force and guiding the ball to a target. These are two distinct coordination tasks, so learning to catch won’t automatically make a player better at hitting.

Why Hitting a Tennis Ball is More Relevant for Player Development

In tennis, hitting the ball involves coordinating multiple body movements, from footwork to swing mechanics. Players have to position themselves correctly, time their swing, and generate power while adapting to the ball’s speed and spin—all in a constantly changing environment.

By focusing on hitting from the start, kids develop skills that are directly transferable to playing tennis. Hitting the ball engages the perception-action coupling that’s central to ecological dynamics. Players learn to perceive the ball’s flight, adjust their movement based on that information, and coordinate their body and racquet to achieve the desired outcome.

When kids start playing tennis, they quickly learn how to adapt to the ball’s trajectory, how to time their swing, and how to adjust their positioning on the court—all critical elements of the game.

Getting them to hit the ball as early as possible ensures they are engaging with the most important aspects of tennis: perception, decision-making, and coordination in a dynamic environment.

Why “Repetition Without Repetition” is Key

In tennis, no two shots are ever the same. The environment is constantly changing—the ball’s speed, the court surface, your opponent’s position, and even the wind are all variables that affect how you play. According to motor control expert Nikolai Bernstein, effective skill development in sports requires “repetition without repetition,” meaning players need to practice achieving the same outcome (e.g., hitting the ball over the net) but using different movement patterns each time.

This principle is especially important in tennis, where variability is the name of the game. When you focus on hitting, rather than catching, you’re allowing players to engage with this variability from the start. Instead of practicing one static skill (catching), they’re learning to adapt to the constantly changing environment of a real tennis match.

The Myth of Transfer: Catching Won’t Make You Better at Hitting

Coaches who advocate for catching as a prerequisite to hitting often argue that the skills transfer between the two tasks. But from an ecological dynamics standpoint, this isn’t entirely true. While both catching and hitting involve tracking the ball and reacting to its movement, the motor skills required are different.

• Catching: Focuses on precision, stopping the ball, and controlling the hand to grip the ball.

• Hitting: Involves a full-body movement, generating force, and directing the ball with the racquet.

Because the two tasks have different goals and involve different body mechanics, the transfer of skill between them is limited.

If the goal is to develop tennis players, it makes much more sense to focus on hitting from the start.

Let Kids Play Tennis From Day One

Instead of delaying a child’s progress by focusing on catching, why not get them hitting the ball right away? Hitting is a skill that can be developed through play, experimentation, and game activities. When kids are allowed to play tennis from the start, they begin to engage with the key elements of the sport: perception, decision-making, timing, and adaptability.

In fact, playing tennis—whether structured or unstructured—allows kids to explore different movement solutions, learn how to deal with varying ball speeds and spins, and develop the problem-solving skills they need to succeed in matches.

This is exactly what ecological dynamics promotes: learning through interaction with the environment in a way that mimics the real game.

Conclusion: Don’t Waste Time on Catching—Let Them Hit!

Catching might seem like a good foundational skill, but it’s a waste of time when the goal is to develop tennis players. From an ecological dynamics perspective, catching and hitting are two entirely different tasks, and the transfer of skills between them is minimal. Kids learn best by doing, and in tennis, that means hitting the ball.

By focusing on hitting from the beginning, you allow young players to engage with the most relevant elements of tennis—timing, coordination, and decision-making—while developing their adaptability in a dynamic environment. So let’s stop delaying their progress with unnecessary tasks like catching, and get them playing tennis right away!