This article courtesy of TennisLife Magazine
Low compression balls
Low Compression or Transition Tennis Ball FACT SHEET
Transition balls have become more widely used in the United States in the last few years due to the USTA’s 10 and Under Tennis and QuickStart Tennis initiatives. Since transition balls are very different than standard tennis balls, it shouldn’t be too surprising that there is a great deal of misinformation about these balls. The purpose of this Fact Sheet is to concisely present the basic FACTS to help teaching pros, coaches, and parents make the best decisions on which balls are best for them. The fact is that all transition balls are NOT alike.
The first step is to make sure the balls you purchase meet the USTA or ITF specifications by looking for “approval” markings on the packaging. Manufacturers like Oncourt Offcourt pay thousands of dollars for this testing, but realize one thing. There is a “range of acceptability” within this testing process and therefore balls from different manufacturers will have different qualities in terms of play and durability. Deciding if you need foam, red, orange, or green is the easiest decision you will make since it is based on skill level and court length used.