Learning to Play Tennis

The server’s score is always announced first. So, for instance if the server has two points and his opponent, the receiver, has none, the score is 30-love. If a game is tied at 40-40, it is called “deuce”. If the server gets the next point, it’s called server advantage; if the receiver gets the next point, it’s called receiver advantage. It’s advantage because the player who has it only needs one more point to win. Should they not make this one point the game goes back to deuce. Scoring is perhaps a bit complicated, but necessary to understand as you learn to play tennis.

The Tennis Court

We’ve now covered scoring, the first step to learn as a tennis beginner — let’s move on to understanding the court. A tennis court is 78 feet long by 27 feet wide, and divided in half length-wise by the net. At each end of the court, there are white baselines — here, the serves are taken. These are also the out-of-bounds lines — a ball must not bounce beyond them or it’s out and the player who hit the ball loses a point.

Each side of the court is lined with two white marks to indicate the width of the court for singles play and the larger width for doubles play. The short white line extending from the net to halfway down the court is the service court. As a tennis beginner, you can’t learn to play tennis without understanding these rules of the court. With ample practice time working on tennis strokes, the right tennis techniques may be in fact a element that can propel a tennis player allowing them to hit shots they never could with their old and inefficient tennis strokes. That means that all of the tennis strokes can be improved, the tennis forehand, backhand and serve are the three biggest tennis strokes in the modern game. All three tennis strokes are also incumbent upon having good tennis technique to make these tennis strokes work.

Tennis Singles

OK. Now that you understand the court, let’s learn to play tennis with some specifics. As already mentioned, a tennis beginner can play a singles or doubles game with either one or two players on each side of the net. The game — and, each point — begins with a serve taken from behind the baseline. The ball must bounce into the diagonally opposite service court. (Your serve may be your most difficult stroke as you learn to play tennis.) The play — or point — continues until one player fails to hit the ball back or hits it out-of-bounds.

I’ve spent years in attempts to understand tennis techniques and secrets that few people ever learn in tennis lessons. Most competitive junior tennis players have the privilege of time and money to develop and learn tennis techniques, but maybe you don’t. Tennis techniques are an important part for every tennis player and even small changes in tennis technique can result in big improvements.

Learn the Tennis Serve

So, as you now know, learning to serve is essential as you learn to play tennis. Here’s how (for right-handed players — left-handed players should reverse the directions): Stand with both feet behind the baseline. Assume a sideways stance with your left foot pointed towards the right hand net post. Hold the ball in your left hand. Raise your left hand throwing the ball upwards about one foot in front of your left foot and about eighteen inches above your reach. While the ball in the air, move your racket back and up. Hit the ball at full stretch, with your racket arm straight, at the highest point possible. You are switching the weight of your body from your back foot to your front foot to give added strength to your shot.

Hit the ball with an “up and over” action as if you were throwing the racket at it — and, after hitting the ball, follow through with your swing. This follow through will propel you forward into the court, prepared to hit the returned shot. Good! You’re progressing well in your efforts to learn to play tennis! If you’re unhappy with your serve — perhaps even miss the ball when you swing — don’t worry; this is common when you first learn to play tennis.

Tennis Doubles Game

But would if it’s a doubles game? How do I learn to play tennis then, you wonder?! Who serves? With doubles, the serving position rotates across teams and partners. For instance, if team partners A and B were playing doubles with team partners C and D, partner A would serve first and then it would rotate to partner C and then back to partner B and finally to partner D.

Also important to know when you learn to play tennis: At the end of the odd-numbered games in a set, including the first game, the players exchange ends of the court. This is true in both singles and doubles games.

What else do you need to know as you learn to play tennis?

Well, as you learn to play tennis, you need to know how to continue the play. If the serve is successful, the play may continue with a variety of shots. Often, play will continue with groundstrokes. Groundstrokes are shots taken after the ball has bounced once. These can be hit with a forehand or a backhand stroke. The forehand stroke is made with the face of the racket, the palm of your hand facing the ball. The backhand stroke is made with the reverse side of the racket, with the palm of your hand facing away from the ball. To successfully learn to play tennis, you’ll need to learn to hit forehand shots; and to successfully learn to play tennis, you’ll need to learn to hit backhand shots.

Tennis techniques has adapted for every new generation of tennis players. Tennis forehand technique has evolved, from old school closed stances, to rotational angular momentum hitting styles.

Learn to play tennis with a forehand stroke

Begin with the grip. The most common grip in tennis is the eastern forehand; the eastern forehand grip is also the best choice as you learn to play tennis. Use it for your forehand drive and the majority of your shots. Place your hand flat on the racket strings, and then slide your hand down to the handle. Wrap your fingers around the racket. Your first finger should be forward slightly as if you were holding the trigger of a gun. Keep all tensions out of your fingers. The eastern forehand grip is often called the “shake hands” grip by those who have just begun to learn to play tennis, because, in essence, you are shaking hands with the racket. For most people, it is the preferred grip for serving — particularly, when you first learn to play tennis.

Learn the Tennis Backhand Stroke

Again, begin with the grip. Whether you choose to use a one handed backhand or a two handed backhand, it’s important to grip the racket closer to the top bevel with your dominant hand. For a two handed backhand, the non-dominant hand should grip the racket underneath the handle, and keeping your palm rested firmly on the racket handle. Fingers should be free of tension, and not too close together. The grip for the two hander should have your other hand adjacent to the first. It’s necessary to practice both the forehand and backhand tennis strokes as you learn to play tennis.

Choosing the Right Equipment

Finally, choosing the right equipment is essential as you learn to play tennis. Proper grip size avoids pain. To measure the correct grip size, hold your racket hand out palm side up, and measure from the crease of the ring finger to the tip of the ring finger. This should be the measurement around your racket handle, generally about four inches in diameter.

Even your choice of shoes, socks, and other clothing are important considerations when you learn to play tennis. As opposed to running shoes, tennis shoes are made to withstand side-to-side movement. They should have a herringbone tread for longer lasting protection and grip. Socks should be thick and able to absorb sweat, thereby preventing infections such as athlete’s foot. Generally, tennis clothing is white, a color chosen to best reflect the sun and keep the player cooler. (Wear the appropriate gear even when just beginning to learn to play tennis!)

Tennis is a Lifelong Sport

If you learn to play tennis, it can be your first step toward a lifetime of fitness and pleasure. And now that we’ve discussed how to learn to play tennis with the basics, you’re ready to get out on the court. There’s no better way to learn to play tennis than with practice; with practice, you’ll not only learn to play tennis, you’ll learn to play tennis well.

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All of these areas of how to play tennis must be mastered in order to achieve good results on the tennis court. For a tennis beginner, how to play better tennis is often a demanding and physically tiring task. But with the proper physical and mental training, how to play tennis for beginners will soon be an inherent skill.

Basic Rules of How To Play Tennis

In order to know how to play tennis, a good understanding of the tennis rules and court dimensions of the game must be understood. Tennis is played between two players, this is called singles or two teams of two players, four in all, this is called doubles. Play starts when the player whose turn it is to serve attempts to hit a ball into play. Play will then continue should the receiver manage to return the ball back to his opponent. This phase is called a rally. The point is contested between the players. This rally continues until either the ball lands out of play, or hit’s the net without managing to pass over to the opponents side or bounces twice before a player can return it to his opponent. The primary rule is that a player can only hit the ball once before returning it to his opponent.

The point is won by either player whose opponent causes one of these actions to happen: Points are played for until one player wins a game by accumulating four points with a difference of at least two over his opponent. Games are won once one player has won 6 games to win a set or if necessary, continues as the rules require that a set can only be won by a two clear games margin over the opponent for example: (7-5 games). Matches are made up of 3 or 5 sets. Once a player has won 2 sets in a 3 set match, or 3 sets in a 5 set match play is then concluded and the winner declared because the opponent cannot catch the winner so the match is finished without all the sets being played.

Tennis Scoring: Tiebreaker

The tennis scoring is an essential element tennis for beginners should know about. If we win six games by a margin of two or more, then we have won the set. And if suppose both of us have reach 6-6 each, then we have to continue to reach 2 points to win the game, that is we have to continue to try to reach the margin of 2, for example: 8-6, 9-7, etc. Or, we can play tie-break to decide the winner. This choice is determined to be in advance in the Tournament play, but in some recreational play, we can choose whichever option appeals to us at the moment.

In the tennis tie-breaker, the standard tie-breaker point is 7, that is best of 7. We have to win two points by a margin. If supposing, we receive the game preceding the tie-break, then we have to serve the first points of the tie-break, starting from the right. The opponent then serves the next two points. The first point from the left and the second from the right. Both players have to continue serving the two points per turn. These tie-breaker points are counted as 1, 2, 3, etc. When the points reach a total of 6 and each multiple of six, then we can switch ends of the court.

When we want to start a new set, then we must have our previous set ended with an odd numbered total of games. The tie-break is counted as one game. We can switch ends after every odd game through each set. If we want to begin a new set we must have received the previous set from the last game or we must have received first in the tie-breaker which will determine which player will serve.

Tennis Points

As a beginner learning how to play tennis, they must also understand the way a tennis point is scored. A tennis player can serve from the left side of the baseline for the second point of the game and the opponent can continue to alternate right and left to start with each point of the game. If supposing we win the first point, then at the start of next point, the score must be announced first. For example like “15 all” or “15 love”. The points will be like this love-0, then 15, 30, 40 if we win the points and if our opponents also get point till 40 then it becomes Deuce. And in case we get a point after the Deuce, then it becomes Advantage. Then after Advantage, if we win the point then we win the game. And if we lose a point after the Advantage, then it will again go to Deuce and then continue.

If a player wants to know how to play tennis, the tennis court dimensions is essential to learn. The shot selection and strategy behind lies in knowing the tennis court and it’s geometry. Tennis for beginners starts with a key understanding of the tennis court.

The Tennis court

Let’s take a walk around the tennis court to get familiar with the layout. The net divides the court into two equal sides, the net is stretched tight. It is slightly lower in the center, with a drop of a little more than 10 centimeters if stretched out correctly. If we move from the net to the parallel line furthest from the net we come to the baseline. The player serves from the baseline to hit the ball into play.

In the middle of this line is a short center mark which is important when the player is ready to serve. Half way between the baseline and the net is another parallel line, this is the service line, and you will notice it is not as wide as the baseline.

To the right and left of the service line is a line that runs vertically from the baseline to the net, this is the limit of the singles sideline.

The service box is where the server will aim to hit the ball to make it’s first bounce in the receiver’s part of the court. As this serve needs to be as accurate as possible, beginners learning tennis should practice their accuracy as often as they are able.

The lines on the extreme left and right of the tennis court are the doubles sidelines; they mark the width of the tennis court when a doubles match is being played.As a tennis beginner it is best to concentrate on just getting the ball in the service area, later on they can focus on better placements leading to more skill. The player can then work on increasing speed and spin and other more advanced techniques.

How to Prepare for a Game of Tennis

When getting ready to play tennis, the beginner should consider their clothing. Many players prefer to wear comfortable shorts or a short sports skirt for a female player if the climate is favorable. A short sleeved sports shirt is recommended and sports or tennis shoes are very important to maintain grip when on court. The apparel should be comfortable and allow for maximum movement.

The tennis beginner now needs to select a suitable racket. The important criteria for a beginner tends to be different than for a more experienced player. Good advice should be from the tennis coach, if available. Essentially, the player should comfortably be able to grip the handle of the racket to hold it firm when hitting the ball. There are many rackets designed for tennis for beginners. It would be advisable to select a racket with a larger head as it offers more power and a larger sweet spot. The tennis balls are made of rubber and covered in felt.

Tennis for Beginners and The play sequence for a tennis point

This is where tennis for beginners really begins. Knowing the tennis scoring system and how a typical tennis point is played will be crucial in tennis for beginners.

The sequence of play is as follows; one player is elected the server, that player will continue to serve until the game is decided then the serve will pass to the opponent in singles this alternation continues until the match is decided. In doubles, the serve passes between the two teams with each player taking a turn at serving in a fixed rotation.

When ready to serve, the server will aim to hit the ball into the service area diagonally opposite his position on the service line. The first serve, for example is served from right side to the receiver’s right side service.

For subsequent points, the server alternates between right and left until the game is concluded and service passes to the opponent. The server can stand anywhere behind the baseline and between the centre mark and the sideline. The receiver can stand anywhere on their side of the net.

The server throws the ball into the air and may hit it overhand or underhand, some tennis beginners prefer the latter method to start with. The ball needs to land in the service area; this also includes the lines that mark its dimensions, without hitting the net. If it hits the net but also lands in the service area, the server is permitted to serve again. The receiver can only return the ball after it has bounced correctly in the service area. The server loses the point if after two attempts the ball does not land in the receiver’s service area. Play continues until one player has accumulated four points and at least two more than his opponent.

Skills Development for Tennis Beginners

In order for tennis beginners to develop their tennis skills, apart from practicing their serve, the two most important ground strokes are the forehand and the backhand. The forehand and backhand needs to be practiced as often as possible. As the player becomes more skilled, additional tennis strokes can be added as well as the refinement of the tennis technique. Right from the start, the tennis beginner needs to concentrate on how to play tennis by developing the right technique for the strokes. This will make the ball easier to control, while making the direction of the shot more successful and physically less tiring.

Beginners should pay close attention to their positioning on the court when receiving. They should attempt to always be able to reach the ball at the correct distance for the return. Always consider the position of the opponent, where are they moving from and where to. As the beginner grows in confidence, there is the possibility to become more of a shot maker controlling the shots in the rally and the opponents ability to respond.

These basics of how to play tennis are good starting points for where a beginner can learn the basics of the game of tennis. Tennis will be a journey with ups and downs and with obstacles in the way of your goals. By following a steady path to improve, a tennis beginner can learn how to play tennis in a fast and easy manner.

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It also will help you to network with an entire new group of friends who also play the game. Another great advantage is that tennis can be played between the sexes.

Have you ever heard that saying, “It’s a lot harder than it looks”? Well, tennis is like that. You will not look anything like those pros that you see on television during your first months of picking up a racquet.

In fact, it might be helpful to erase those images of your favorite pro player gliding around the court effortlessly, hitting shot after shot inside the lines with tremendous power.

I repeat: you will look nothing like that player in your first few months. Concentrate on you and take great pride in the small advances that you will make. Tennis can be a difficult sport to pick up as an adult, but with the proper approach, you can be hitting the ball consistently over the net in a fairly short amount of time.

Here are some helpful steps to take to figure out how to learn tennis:

As with any new endeavor, especially if you want to know how to learn tennis, it will be helpful to find one or more like-minded people to encourage you when you want to quit and to hold you accountable when you want to skip a workout or lesson. Tennis is an extremely social sport and your first dip into it should have a social aspect as well. Find a friend or two who also want to learn the game and proceed as a group. This will also give you a built-in partner or partners on the same skill level as you, which will make for fun hitting together soon. Having a support network around is key to how to learn tennis.

How to Learn Tennis By Watching Other People

If you haven’t already, watch some matches on television to get a basic understanding of the sport. Note how the score is kept, where players stand, what they do each game, what rules you can pick up while watching. The rules of tennis are super simple, another part of the appeal of the game.

You basically have to hit the ball over the net on the fly after not having let it bounce more than once on your side.

While you’re watching the tube, pop in an instructional video or two and watch those as well. You might even want to pick up your racquet and follow along.

Pay close attention to how the instructor hits the forehand and backhand, the foundations of the game, called ground strokes. This is a good second step in how to learn tennis.

How to Learn Tennis by Taking Lessons

As you get organized and arrange your first lesson, you can also go out for individual practice. Find a wall that is at least six feet tall and practice hitting forehands and backhands against it. These types of walls can be found many times where courts are located. Often, one side of one court will have a small wall attached to the back fence, usually made out of wood.

Practice Makes Perfect

If no one is on that court, help yourself to a little practice. Don’t try and hit the ball hard, just try to make solid contact after one bounce and develop your hand-eye coordination. Don’t get discouraged if you miss a ball or two; you are training your eyes to align with your hands, which is not easy if you think about it. It will take time to master this skill. Hold your racquet with a firm grip, placing it in your hand as if you are shaking hands with it.

How to Use the Non-Dominant Hand

Use your dominant hand to hit your forehand. You can practice the backhand using one or both hands for support and guidance of the racquet. Do your best to keep the ball from flying over the wall and challenge yourself to continually exceed the maximum number of times that you can hit the ball off of one bounce.

You might be shocked at the amount of progress that you make after even 30 minutes of this drill. Such individual court time is an invaluable part of how to learn tennis.

Now that you have a decent understanding of the rules and have hit the ball a bit, it’s time to get training from someone who has played the game a lot longer than you. Here, you have several choices, depending on your budget and commitment to getting better:

How to Learn Tennis in Group Lessons-

You can take a group lesson at the local YMCA or recreation center. These are usually free of charge and can be a lot of fun to get started. You can also take a group lesson at a country club or other private facility. This will cost a bit, but not too much, and also includes the fun group dynamic.

Take Semi-Private Lessons – You can sign up for semi-private lessons with a professional at a private facility. If you have a friend or two that wants to get serious about tennis, this is a good option if you can afford it.

How to Learn Tennis with Private Tennis Lessons –

The final option is the most expensive: private lessons with a coach, just you and him/her working one-on-one for an hour or two a week. This can run as much as $90/hour, but your improvement will be rapid.

Most beginners start with a group lesson of some sort. The laughs that you will share on the court will keep tennis fun, as it should be. You will definitely need lessons to develop some of the more difficult shots in tennis, such as the serve and volley.

How to Learn Tennis – Be Social

Even if you don’t plan on rushing to the net when you play singles, you will most likely play doubles with friends and will need to know what to do when standing at the net during those games.

Tennis is a technique sport, meaning that players of all sizes and shapes can enjoy it and the biggest and strongest don’t necessarily win. That’s one of the beauties of the sport. However, because it is a technique sport, certain movements need to be ingrained properly if you are to become a consistent player.

That’s why you need outside training.

Sure, there are people who simply pick up a racquet and start hitting, but no matter how athletic they are, they will reach a certain plateau (perhaps intermediate level) and never advance past it without lessons.

Lessons are an important factor in how to learn tennis.

Once you have completed a cycle of lessons and want to see how you are doing, arrange for regular times to hit around or play with your friends. If the truth be told, “just hitting around” with friends has limited benefit to the person who is learning how to play.

It is far more beneficial to play a real match, because many players can hit the ball hard when there is nothing on the line, but real matches train you early to trust your strokes, even in pressure situations.

Developing a Passion for Tennis

More than most sports, tennis is about self confidence, and you’ll need a large measure of that in the early stages. Look up tennis leagues in your area and other events.

The USTA has constant leagues and tournaments based on different playing levels; some even feature beginners like yourself. Once you find a group of players with whom you share a similar skill level, try and establish a certain time each week to play. It goes without saying that you will advance more quickly playing singles than doubles. Try to do both to maximize your fitness benefits and also continue to make tennis fun and social

Hopefully, these tips have proven to be helpful on how to learn tennis. Don’t be discouraged as you learn the game. You will get better with practice and instruction and will then have a sport that you can play for the rest of your life. There are many hours of fun to be had on the court. Get your start now!

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On TV, tennis looks likes it is really easy to play because the pros have spent a majority of their lives practicing and working really hard. It goes without saying that they have the natural talent for the game as well. At the club level, there are some beginners who just seem to have a more innate ability to play the game.

They have an immediate grasp of the fundamentals of tennis. Other beginners have to work harder at getting to a certain level. In either case, the correct basics should be taught and reinforced repeatedly until it becomes almost second nature. We’re not talking solely about stroke mechanics, though these are undoubtedly a big part of the game. Tennis is more than just strokes.

You also have to consider your equipment and physical conditioning. There is also a mental side. It is your brain, after all, that lets you conceive strategies and execute tactics. It is also what makes you focus, concentrate and have feelings.

To thoroughly understand all the fundamentals of tennis, it is helpful to break down the game into the physical and mental aspects. We will consider first the physical part.

The physical fundamentals of tennis can further be subdivided into these components:

• Strokes – this pertains to techniques in striking the ball
• Footwork – this covers proper movement on court
• Physical fitness and conditioning – this includes strength, flexibility, speed, agility and stamina. It also covers eyesight, reaction time and coordination.
• Equipment – your racket, strings and shoes

Fundamentals of Tennis: Strokes

The most commonly discussed fundamentals of tennis are the techniques of properly executing the main strokes as listed below.

Fundamentals of Tennis: The Forehand groundstroke

1. The acceptable grips are the continental, eastern, semi-western and western. For beginners, the eastern grip is usually taught. This grip is just like shaking hands with the racket.

2. Wait for the ball by standing on the baseline facing the net with knees bent comfortably and weight on the balls of the feet. Hold the racket in front with arms relaxed.

3. Take the racket back while pivoting the hips and turning the shoulders. Body weight loads up on the back foot (right foot for right handers). How you take your racket back depends on what you’re comfortable with as long as it is a smooth and continuous motion.

4. Swing for the ball with a relaxed arm and a loose wrist. Then on contact, hit the ball out in front at the same time as you firmly snap your wrist through the ball. The shoulders and trunk uncoil while body weight is transferred from back foot to front foot as you step into the shot.

5. Follow through completely by finishing with the racket over the opposite shoulder. Then recover back to the waiting position.

Fundamentals of Tennis: Backhand groundstroke

1. Acceptable grips are the continental, eastern and double handed grips. Double handed grips are usually a combination of a continental or eastern grip with the dominant hand and an eastern forehand or semi-western forehand grip with the non-dominant hand.

2. Wait for the ball as you would on a forehand groundstroke.

3. Take the racket back in a smooth and continuous manner that you are comfortable doing. Pivot the hips, turn the shoulders and load your weight on the back foot.

4. Swing for the ball with a relaxed arm/s and loose wrist/s. Hit the ball in front and firmly drive through it, uncoiling the shoulders and trunk. Transfer your body weight from back foot to front foot as you step into the shot.

5. Follow through completely. One handers should keep the elbow straight and two handers should finish over the opposite shoulder. Recover for the next shot.

Fundamentals of Tennis: Serve

1. Hold the racket with a continental grip. The non-dominant hand holds the ball using the fingertips. Line up sideways to the net with feet body width apart. Your leading foot is pointing diagonally to the baseline and the back foot is parallel to the baseline.

2. Toss the ball up and fully extend the tossing arm. Take the racket back behind your head. Look up to the ball. Bend your knees, coil your trunk and turn and tilt the shoulders.

3. Launch up to the ball with your legs by pushing off the ground with your feet. Take the racket to the back scratch position by cocking the wrist back fully. The elbow goes up and extends, followed by the wrist which pronates the forearm to contact the ball. At this point, the arm and wrist are both fully extended. The shoulders and trunk uncoil.

4. Follow through by continuing pronating the forearm and extending the arm out toward the target before coming around and finishing on the opposite side of the body. Land with the leading foot as weight transfer is completed.

Fundamentals of Tennis: Volleys

1. Hold the racket with a continental grip in front of your face. Focus on the ball and keep on the balls of your feet.

2. Turn your shoulders as you step forward to meet the ball with the racket out in front and above the wrist.

3. Adjust to the height of the ball by bending your knees, not your waist.

Fundamentals of Tennis: Spins

Topspin – this is applied by hitting the ball from low to high

Slice – backspin or underspin shots are the reverse of topspin and are created by hitting the ball from high to low

Lob – this is a shot that is hoisted high up in the air over a player at net. It is also sometimes used to disrupt the rhythm of a baseline rally. It is hit by opening up the racket face before contact and following through upward.

Drop shot – this is an underspin shot that lands short over the net and is meant to make an opponent who is at the baseline try to scramble forward. It is hit like a slice but much more softly.

Fundamentals of Tennis: Footwork

Proper balance should be maintained at all times in executing all kinds of strokes. Throughout a point, you should keep on the balls of your feet with your knees bent. Take small adjustment steps as you set up for your shots. Never plant your feet firmly on the ground.

Fundamentals of Tennis: Physical fitness and conditioning

Strength – whole body strengthening is ideal because tennis is a sport that can cause imbalances in the musculoskeletal system. Particular attention is paid to certain areas that could be vulnerable to injury, namely, the shoulder (especially the rotator cuff), the elbow and the wrist.

Flexibility – this goes hand in hand with strength and is important to prevent injuries.

Speed – this refers to the rate at which a person can move along one direction. Developing speed is important for tracking down shots hit far away from you.

Agility – this is closely related to speed and pertains to the ability to get moving from a stationary position, change directions and change speeds.

Stamina – how long can you play without getting too tired? You never know if a match will last 30 minutes or 3 hours so it is always better to be prepared.

Eyesight and reaction time – you are always told to focus on the ball but you have to know that you can actually see the ball. When you do see it, you have to react appropriately and quickly as well.

Coordination – having a smooth stroke and timing the ball well can only be developed through constant practice and drills.

Fundamentals of Tennis: Equipment

When people talk of the fundamentals of tennis, they hardly mention anything about equipment. It seems like it would be much better to acknowledge how significant a role it plays in developing your overall game.

Racket – your racket should be whatever you feel comfortable hitting with. It is always advisable to demo a stick first before buying it.

Oversize rackets, heavier rackets and stiffer rackets provide more power

Smaller head sizes and more flexible frames provide more control

Strings – use any kind of string that you feel comfortable with

Natural gut is more elastic and retains tension better. It provides the most power and control but is expensive, high maintenance and not so durable.

Synthetic gut is less expensive and requires less maintenance.

Polyester is stiffer and more durable than synthetic gut but provides less feel. These are commonly used by heavy topspin players.

Kevlar and titanium these are very stiff but durable strings.

Textured strings provide more bite on the ball for extra dwell time, control and spin.

Shoes – use any tennis shoe you feel comfortable with. Cross trainers can also be used but running shoes are not recommended because these do not provide the stability and balance for lateral movements.

The mental and psychological fundamentals of tennis cover the following areas:

Fundamentals of Tennis: Strategy and tactics

this represents a player’s approach to playing a match, taking into account his strengths and weaknesses in all aspects of the game and comparing it with those of his opponent. It also covers proper decision making on court from situation to situation, both in between points and within specific points.

Maximize the spaces where you can possibly hit your shots while minimizing your opponent’s. This is done by proper court positioning and shot placement. Basically, the more you control the centre of the court, the better off you are. Also, the deeper your shots, the better. Another thing to remember is that the more you push your opponent back and the more you move forward, the better your chance of winning the point.

Use your strengths and exploit your opponent’s weakness as much as possible. Corollary to this, minimize exposing your own weakness while avoid feeding or playing into your opponent’s strengths.

Be decisive about what to do before the point starts and commit to your shots once the ball is in play. Before the point, you should know where to serve and what kind of serve to hit or where to stand for the return and what kind of return to hit.

Proper court positioning is dependent on where your opponent is and what shot he or she will be hitting. As much as possible, you should be standing at a place that bisects the possible angles of your opponent’s shot.

Fundamentals of Tennis: Concentration and focus

this is also usually called mental toughness.

Focus only on the things that matter. Usually, that would be the ball.

Don’t be distracted by things that you cannot control like the crowd and the atmospheric conditions.

Be calm, but be determined.

Learn how to deal with pressure situations and this includes handling bouts of nervousness.

Deal with the fear of playing a better opponent or the fear of losing to someone who you think is inferior to you. Just enjoy the game because no one wins by playing in fear.

Respect all opponents as well as the umpire, linesmen and ball kids.

The fundamentals of tennis should be inculcated at the beginning of a player’s development. There is no substitute for having the correct foundation when your objective is to build as much success as possible.

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