The aspect of tennis that makes it so interesting is also the reason it can be so frustrating. Taking into account where and how the ball lands each time, you have an almost infinite number of ways to hit the ball. Learning the fundamentals of the serve, forehand, backhand and volley will help get you started on the road to tennis success.
Serve
The service motion in tennis is based on the throwing motion. Hold your racket like a hammer and pretend to throw it over the net. Notice that you must throw the racket like a tomahawk, upward, with your your thumb facing downward at the finish. Practice throwing balls over the net, with your hand finishing across your body and your thumb pointing at the ground after each throw. Serve balls with this same motion, tossing the ball high and in front of you, hitting the bottom of the ball up and letting your arm finish across your body, with your thumb pointing down. This motion will put a spin on the ball that brings it back down into the court.
For the correct grip, place your hand flat against the strings, then slide it down the length of the racket, ending in a shake-hands grip. Your grip should be similar to the one you would use to hammer in a nail.
Forehand
Hitting a forehand requires the striking skill, used with slight variations in golf, baseball, hockey and tennis. Take your serve grip and turn the racket slightly to your left, if you are a right hander. The top knuckle of your ring finger should rest against the fat bevel on the handle. Swing the racket forward, ending with the racket finishing across your body, with your elbow near your chin and hand near your ear. Make sure your elbow is near your body at contact -- a key mistake with the forehand is using a roundhouse motion that results in your racket traveling from high to low, instead of low to high, with your elbow out at contact.
Backhand
The easiest backhand is a left-hand dominant, two-handed backhand, which is similar to a left handed forehand if you are right handed. This lets you use the large biceps, pectoral and deltoid muscles. Use your serve grip for your right hand and your forehand grip for your left hand. Place your hands next to each other on the grip and swing forward with your left hand pushing the racket and your right hand providing stability. Finish with your left hand near your right ear and your elbow near your chin.
Volleys
Less is more on the volley. Let the ball hit your racket and pop back over the net, rather than trying to smash the ball. If you place your large racket head in front of the small ball, the ball should hit the strings and rebound back across the net. If your racket is traveling north to south at contact, your face may be closed and the ball will travel sharply downward, into the net.
Practice the motion for a forehand volley without a racket, holding your right hand up, palm forward, with your fingers pointing on a 45-degree angle to the right. Have someone toss balls to you while you bump them back with your hand moving forward, not up and down. Practice with your racket, using a serve grip. Place your racket in front of the ball before it gets there, with your palm facing forward.
Practice hitting backhand volleys by bumping balls with the back of your right hand to learn the motion. Your thumb should be pointing upward. Next, practice left-handed forehand volleys with a racket. Add your right hand to the racket, hitting volleys with two hands. When you are able to do that, practice one-handed volleys, releasing your left hand just before contact. The key to the backhand volley is to use two hands to balance the racket until just before contact.
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