Tennis beginners may become frustrated with the learning process if they are still learning the proper tennis basics. Anything worth learning will be difficult at first, but once the mountain is climbed it will make the rest of the learning process easier in learning the fundamental tennis basics of the game.

Winning tennis matches is easier once the tennis basics are in place, so players can follow a steady progression towards advanced tennis. Tennis basics involve the groundstrokes, volley and serve strokes.

Tennis Basics: The Forehand Stroke

In modern tennis, the forehand stroke is considered as one of the main tennis basics as well as the most important stroke. It is also the most magnificent and destructive weapon by many professional tennis players in the name of Roger Federer, Serena Williams and many others. In fact, this stroke is normally used by players to hit winner shots. In addition, a forehand shot is a type of tennis basics shot that can be hit in any position of the court.

The Basics of the Forehand Stroke:

• From the ready position, you have to create the energy from your legs. It is also important to use the proper tennis footwork to move towards the ball.
• Once you are in the right position along the path of the ball, be ready to move your hands towards the direction of the incoming ball. This movement also allows you to begin the shoulder and the upper body rotation.
• The next step is to bring your racket back in a circular loop. As you do this step, imagine yourself as if you are making a circle. Then drop the racket when you start to bring your racket forward. Acceleration at this stage provides power to your forehand (one of the main tennis basics shots). To produce topspin, the forward swing of the racket should also be from a low to high direction.
• Do not move your head/eyes away from the ball as you are about to make contact with the tennis ball. For beginners, the ideal height to hit the tennis ball is more or less at waist height but the ideal height may increase as you become more confident in hitting this tennis shot. A higher point of contact helps you hit a more powerful stroke.

Tennis Basics: The Backhand Stroke

• Always start with the proper ready position and hold your racket using the backhand grip. Then turn your shoulders and hips as you are about to start your backswing.
• Then step out towards the path of the ball and transfer your weight from your inside foot to your outside foot.
• The next step is to move your inside foot forward and start transferring your weight from your outside foot to your inside foot. You have to do this at the same time as you are about to start your forward racket swing.
• For beginners, learning the tennis basics, it is recommended to hit the ball when it is just in front of you and at waist height level. For best results, avoid waiting for the ball to reach to your side to hit it. In addition, you have to transfer your weight to your front foot when you make contact with the ball. To produce enough power on your shot, do not leave your arms alone to do the job but allow your whole body (legs and torso) to generate power. Lastly, to add more power on your one-handed tennis basics shot, you should be able to generate more power as you push up and move forward your legs.
• Keep your weight on your front foot during the contract and also maintain your balance during the follow-through and even during the recovery steps.
• Practice is the key point in mastering any of the tennis basics. During the contact point, practice and make sure your that you keep your chin over you front foot and maintain this position several seconds after the contact.
• As with the other tennis basics, when you do practice the backhand, try not to force your movements. Do it as natural as you can and in the end you will be able to hit the ball with more power and accuracy. Remember that the racket is a lot heavier than the ball, thus it help a lot to provide power on the shot.

Tennis Basics: Volley Shots

The volley is one of the most challenging shots in tennis. Technically, it is a bit tricky to hit. For you to hit the shot perfectly, you need to be physically and mentally alert to quickly react to its very fast pace. However once you master this basic tennis shot, it can become one of your greatest tools in tennis.

To benefits of developing the confidence to hit a volley and play at the net are numerous. Firstly, you can put pressure on your opponent. The tennis volley is also one of the ways to hit easier winner shots. But remember that volleying can also put you in a vulnerable situation. The court is wide enough to cover when you are playing at the net. Thus you need to be exceptionally fast and alert to cover the different angles of the court when you are volleying.

The Basics of Hitting A Volley:

• The ready position is crucial in the tennis volley. Since proficient use of the volley includes dealing with very fast pace shots, an incorrect ready position will just delay your ability to hit a clean volley. The ready position for volley shot is slightly differs from the ready position of other tennis basics shots or the groundstrokes. The racket head is position slightly higher than in the ready position for groundstrokes. Your elbows should also be well in front of your body.
• When the ball is on its way towards you, you have to move your hands and head towards the direction of the ball. These movements bring your racket head in front of you. If you are able to execute the perfect movements, automatically your upper body and your legs follow (moving towards the ball).
• To execute a good volley, a big backswing is not needed but instead a short cut one is enough. You make contact with a ball in a punchy manner and do it just in front of your body. It is important to execute the contact using your wrist and forearm. In this way you are able to hit the ball in a downward direction at a very fast pace.
• When you make contact with the ball, it is also best to have your racket head in a slighty open position. These two techniques (downward movement and the slight open racket face) enable you to create topspin in your shot. As a result, you hit a low-bounce ball making it hard for your opponent to return.
• In volley shot, the follow-through is towards the direction of the ball. After the follow-through, it is essential for you to recover quickly to the right recovery position and be ready for your next return.

Tennis Basics: The Drop Shot

The drop shot is one of the tennis basics and possibly the best shot to win points if the execution is right and timely. The tennis drop shot is often learned once the other tennis basics have been learned. To make the drop shot more effective, it has to have a surprise effect on your opponent. And to make this happen, your drop shot must be powerful and has a lot of topspin. In addition, only hit a drop shot when your opponent is pressed behind the baseline. Another way make this shot more effective is to hit it with a backspin making your shot harder to return.

The Basics of How to Hit a Drop Shot:

• You can’t hit a drop shot anytime you want. There are special situations that dictate a correct use of this shot. The ideal ball to do it is when the ball is moving at a fast pace and when it is not that low. Remember not to make your opponent guess that you are going to hit a drop shot. For the best disguise, your shot preparation must look like as if you are going to hit a normal forehand or backhand with topspin.
• The next step is to shorten your backswing in a more downward direction. Then position your racket face in a slightly open manner. As you are about to hit the ball, make sure to keep a loose racket grip.
• During the point of contact, make sure that your racket face is positioned underneath the ball. This movement allows you to create backspin resulting to a low-bounce ball.
• An ideal tennis drop shot is when the ball has to bounce back to the net or bounces on the ground many times before it reaches the service line. In this way, your opponent will have difficulty in reaching and hitting the ball. If he does hit it, most likely it will be a weak shot and you can return back a winner shot easily.

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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.

Learn to Hit a Forehand Like Roger Federer

If you want to jumpstart your forehand and play like the PROS, check out my 70+ page Tennis Ebook that will immediately show you how you can take your forehand to the next level.

The Modern Forehand Domination Ebook is guaranteed to improve your tennis technique, and increase power, topspin and accuracy of your tennis forehand!

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Learn How to Hit a Forehand Like Federer, Nadal and Djokovic

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