When you’re beginning a new sport, you want to learn as much as possible about how to play it. The very basic, most beginner steps of learning to play tennis are the physical movements you make on the court, and those can include some complicated shots. Here are five great tennis shots for beginners to learn all about.

Groundstrokes

Groundstrokes are some of the most common shots in tennis, and they include both your forehand strokes and your backhand maneuvers. What are these, though? A forehand shot is a groundstroke played on a player’s dominant side, while a backhand shot is played on your non-dominant side. There are many variations to these, but they can both hit as a slice, a topspin, or a flat shot.

Serves

The serve is regarded as one of the most difficult tennis shots to master, but one of the most important to learn. A serve is made at the beginning of each point of the match, where a player will serve by tossing the ball in the air and attempting to hit it over the net with their racket. 

Returns

Immediately after a serve comes a return. At the start of the point, one player will serve, but the other will immediately return using a variation of some kind of groundstroke. In order to play your return well, a player must keep their eye on the ball as their opponent serves it, and ensure that they’re in the proper place on the court to hit the ball.

Volleys

A volley is a specific shot where you hit the ball before it hits the ground. This is typically played directly in front of the net and speeds up play for your opponent. Volleys are useful shots to have in your arsenal, and they don’t have to be difficult. They can be either forehand or backhand and are often hit using a continental grip.

Specialty Strokes

What specialty shots a player uses depends on what kind of player they are. Passing shots are useful when you need the ball to bypass an opponent near the net. Tweeners happen when the ball is shot from between the legs, a very difficult motion in a match. A drop shot uses a slice to keep the ball short on the court. Specialty shots are useful but may seem arcane to the beginner.

The Tennis Shots You Need To Know

The most important thing to know about tennis lies in your shot work, and with enough practice, you’ll be ready for the match in no time. With these five types of shots, you’ve got a great foundation to begin learning how to perfect your tennis match.