Babolat
Alioth Mini JR
A junior round frame built around a lighter swing weight and a smaller grip — for kids under 8 learning to hit the ball cleanly, not to crush it.
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Full spec breakdown
Listing checked at publish date
Highlights
What makes this racket stand out
Round head with a large central sweet spot — forgiving on the mishits that define a child's first months on court
290g (±10g) with low balance — one of the lightest frames on the market, so small arms can actually keep it up through a full session
33mm profile and reduced grip circumference with IMPROVERGRIP positioning — fitted to a child's hand, not a scaled-down adult racket
The feel
How it's built to play, by shape, core and construction — rated low / mid / high rather than on a false 1–10 scale. Higher isn't always better; it depends on the game you want.
Balance — where the weight sits
Even
Handle / low
Head / high
The spec sheet
Weight
280–300g
Shape
Round
Level
Beginner
Style
All Around
Balance
Low
Core
EVA
Face
Fiberglass
Thickness (mm)
33
Our verdict
What the shape, core and construction tell us about how this racket is built to play.
The short version
The Alioth Mini JR is a properly scaled junior racket rather than a marketing exercise — the grip, weight, and balance all match what a child under 8 can physically handle. It won't grow with the player; once a child can swing 320g comfortably, they'll need to move on. Buy it for what it is: a first racket designed to make the first six months of padel feel possible.
Strengths
Children under 8 starting padel for the first time
Junior players who need a frame light enough to swing through the ball without compensating with technique
Keep in mind
Teenagers or adults — the grip size and 290g weight will feel undersized and unstable in a full-grown hand
How it's built to play
The Alioth Mini JR is Babolat's entry-point racket for kids under 8, and it should be judged on that basis alone. It's not a small version of an adult frame — the weight, grip, and balance have all been pulled down to match a child's body, which is the part most junior rackets get wrong.
The face is fiberglass over an EVA core, with a hybrid carbon-fiberglass frame. Fiberglass on the hitting surface flexes slightly at contact, which gives the ball a small trampoline effect — useful for a child who can't yet generate their own swing speed. The EVA core is firmer than a soft foam would be, but at this weight the ball isn't coming off hot anyway, so the choice makes sense for durability rather than power.
The Holes Pattern System redistributes the perforations across the face to widen the usable hitting zone, and the Cover Heart fills in the throat for extra surface area near the bottom of the face — both real benefits for a beginner who mishits low and off-centre. The 33mm profile sits below the adult competition standard of 38mm, which keeps the overall mass down and makes the frame easier for a small hand to control through the air.
On court the racket does what it has to do: it gets out of the way. At 290g with low balance, a 6- or 7-year-old can actually hold it up at the net and swing it through a forehand without dropping the head. The round shape puts the sweet spot in the middle of the face, where children naturally make contact when they're still learning to track the ball.
Power is minimal, which is correct for the user — at this stage, a junior racket that launches the ball is a junior racket that teaches bad habits. The Alioth Mini JR keeps the ball in front of the player and rewards clean contact over swing speed, which is what a first racket should do.
FAQ
What age is the Babolat Alioth Mini JR designed for?
Babolat designs the Alioth Mini JR for children under 8 starting padel for the first time. The 290g weight and reduced grip circumference are sized to a young child's hand and arm — older kids and teenagers will outgrow it quickly and should look at a full junior or adult entry-level frame.
How does the Alioth Mini JR compare to a standard adult beginner racket?
An adult beginner racket typically sits at 355–365g with a standard 100mm+ grip — far too heavy and too thick in the handle for a child under 8. The Alioth Mini JR drops to 290g and uses a smaller grip with the IMPROVERGRIP guide, so a child can actually close their hand around it and swing through the ball without dropping the head.
Should I choose the Alioth Mini JR or a cheaper supermarket junior racket?
Supermarket junior rackets often just shrink the frame and leave the weight high, or use plastic faces that don't return any energy. The Alioth Mini JR uses a real fiberglass face over an EVA core with a carbon-reinforced frame, which means the ball actually comes off the strings — important if you want the child to make progress rather than get frustrated.
Is the Alioth Mini JR safe for a child's arm?
The combination of a round shape, low balance, fiberglass face, and 290g weight is the lowest-risk profile for a developing arm — light frames don't load the elbow on impact the way an adult 380g diamond would. That said, kids should still use correct technique and play in age-appropriate sessions to keep risk low.
Can an adult use the Alioth Mini JR?
No — the grip is sized for a child's hand and the 290g weight is too light to stabilise an adult swing. An adult beginner with arm sensitivity should instead look at a full-size round, low-balance racket in the 355–365g range, which is the equivalent profile scaled for grown hands.
Made for elbow-conscious players.
A junior round frame built around a lighter swing weight and a smaller grip — for kids under 8 learning to hit the ball cleanly, not to crush it.
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