Master the basic tennis strokes - How to play tennis

Back to basics! Here we will give you a great image and video guide to master the basic tennis strokes. Great for beginners. Learn to play tennis with us!

The Basic Tennis Strokes

How to hit a serve:

Stand sideways to the net with feet apart.
Hold the racket like a hammer (continental grip).
Toss the ball straight up and a little in front of you.
Lift your racket behind your head, like you’re throwing something.
Hit the ball high, when your arm is fully stretched.
Let your racket swing across your body after hitting.

The forehand is the most common groundstroke. Here's how you nail it:

Use a comfortable grip (eastern or semi-western is great to start*).
Turn your body sideways when the ball comes.
Bring the racket back early, and point your non-hitting hand toward the ball.
Step forward and swing to hit the ball in front of you.
Let your racket finish high, over your opposite shoulder.

Eastern Grip

What it feels like: Like shaking hands with your racket.

Semi-Western Grip

What it feels like: Like holding the racket a bit underneath, almost like “cupping” it.

A stroke where the back of your hand faces the net as you swing. Do it like this:

Stand sideways with non-dominant shoulder facing the net.
Swing the racket across your body.
Hit the ball in front of your body.

A quick shot hit before the ball bounces. Here is how to do it:

Stand close to the net.
Keep your racket up and punch the ball before it bounces.
You can do both backhand and forehand volley - check the images and videos to see how.