BRUNSWICK — Maine Pines Racquet and Fitness has a special offering this year for kids ages 4 to 7.

Youth can join Maine Pines professional tennis instructors on the courts for free Red Ball Tennis. The Red Ball Tennis program will be held from 5 – 6 p.m. on Mondays and/or Wednesdays.  No hidden costs, just register for the session(s).

Red Ball Tennis is a tennis program introduced by the United States Tennis Association (USTA) in 2010 to make the game of tennis easier for children to learn and succeed.  The court, balls, racket and net are all adapted to the size and strength of younger players.  These alterations create better opportunities for children to hit the balls, improve tennis skills and advance development, with the goal of developing basic athletic skills as well as hand eye coordination.

The court dimensions are smaller, the rackets are shorter (23 inches or less) and the tennis nets lower than the standard 3’ of regular tennis, at the Red Ball height of 2’9”. Additionally, the balls used are larger and have less compression — with a lower compression, balls don’t bounce as high, keeping them within a younger player’s strike zone.  The Red Ball tennis program name is reflective, as suspected, from the coloring of the balls.  The unique red coloring provides better visual for youth.

“We want to focus on playing and having fun in this introductory program, and engage kids with physical activity,” stated Andrea Georgian, Maine Pines Tennis Professional. “Within our Red Ball lessons, the children will learn to play tennis and also learn about good sportsmanship on and off the court.”

As young players progress in age and ability, the size of the court and balls will change, as they transition to the standard adult game.  Maine Pines welcomes local youth to this free Red Ball program giving them an opportunity to try tennis and get involved in a physical activity having fun and learning life lessons that sports can offer.

For more information on the program or to register a child for one of the monthly sessions, contact Maine Pines, 207-729-8433 or stop by to talk to instructors and see the facility and register in person.