If you’re new to tennis or your child is just beginning to play, it’s important to remember that the terminology involved can get very confusing for someone who is just getting started. Before you can really dive into the game, it’s essential that you understand there are five basic strokes any instructor will teach. 

1. Serve: This is the shot that will begin the game. Every player gets two serves for each point. It’s a difficult shot to learn because it’s the only one where you both start and finish the stroke and it requires you to toss the ball pretty high in the air, but it’s one that you have to get good at if you’re going to play well. 
2. Forehand: For most players, this is the strongest shot. It has the player hitting the ball with their dominant hand after it has bounced once on the court. It’s a groundstroke, and it’s one of the two most common shots you’ll see in any match. 
3. Backhand: This is the other type of groundstroke, and it can either involve one or two hands. The shot begins with the racquet on one side of the body, then moves forward and across, ending on the other side of your body. It is hit with the back of your dominant hand pushing into the stroke itself. 
4. Volley: This type of shot happens when a player hits the ball out of the air instead of giving it the traditional one bounce. It can be hit from the forehand or the backhand side, and it can be incredibly tough to hit. 
5. Overhead: This type of shot is anything you hit over your head. It looks a lot like a serve, and in most cases, if you master the serve, it’s pretty easy to master this shot too. 

While there are certainly other strokes players use, these will at least get you started down the path toward understanding the game.