There’s a lot of jargon in every industry, and tennis is no stranger to technical terms! If you’re floundering during your first session or searching in vain for a dictionary, look no further than these five tennis terms that every beginner needs to know!

Serve

When you serve the tennis ball, you hit it to your opponent. There are lots of different ways of doing this, and lots of different ways to practice- but it’s one of the simplest and easiest tennis terms to learn, and crucial if you want to continue to learn the sport.

Grip

Your grip is the way that you’re physically holding your tennis racquet. There are lots of different types of grips, and you’ll want to know several of them to become a better tennis player. Like a serve, a grip is something you’ll want to practice a lot before premiering it out onto the court.

Ace

An ace is great- and for lots of different reasons! If you hit the ball with your racquet, over the net but not out of bounds, and your opponent can’t return it, that’s an ace. There are lots of different ways to serve an ace, but the easiest way to learn is to practice!

Fault

The opposite of an ace could be called a fault- it’s the failed version of trying to hit the ball. You can hit a fault in lots of different ways- from knocking the ball out of bounds before it crosses the net, or missing your swing, or even something wilder. A double fault is when you make two faults, and that round’s point goes to your opponent- which is not something you want to happen in the middle of a match!

Volley

A volley is a type of shot- specifically, it’s when you use your racquet to block the tennis ball and serve it back to your opponent. It’s not necessarily done while swinging your racquet- instead, it’s a stiffer version. Think of it more like punching the tennis ball with the racquet than actually swinging it over the net.