Tennis for Beginners: How To Play Tennis

Basics of Tennis
OK, for those of you that know nothing about tennis there are the usual basics that need to be covered. First, though, we will only mention the obvious points, like you do need a tennis court (or somewhere similar to play), a person to play with, a tennis racket, and a ball. A net is initially optional if you are just learning to hit the ball to the other person, but for any real game it would be necessary and these items are all available at a local sports shop, or for rent at a rent at a recreation area for a minor fee.

To begin, you would need to have a basic idea of how the scoring works, and in tennis it is a little unusual. To begin with it doesn’t start at 1 or 0 or anything normal like this. It starts with 15 (makes you feel good doesn’t it!). The next point is 30 and the next after that is 40. The next point is called game point or set point or match point (depending on which you are playing) and is the winning point. Ok, what if you are real bad and your opponent has 30 points and you have nothing. Well that is called 30-love or love-30 depending on whose serving, because the server’s score is announced first and love is what is used in place of "0".

When a game gets to a tie at 40 it is called deuce. The next person who gets the point (whether server or receiver) is called server (receiver) advantage, because they only need one more point to win. Should they not make this one point the game goes back to deuce. It is possible for 2 people to agree to not play the advantage score and just go from deuce to the next person who gets a point wins.

The game begins with one player serving. This is done by throwing the ball up in the air and hitting it before it hits the ground, without running and walking, however the feet may move. Although most people do serve overhand and high in the air, underhand is not against the rules, so this is a correct method. The ball must be hit into the server box diagonally to the person serving who begins on his right side behind the lines and changes sides (right, left, right) at each point.

When playing doubles, the serving position rotates a: across teams and b: partners...so if team partners a & b were playing doubles with c & d were playing person a would start serving and it would rotate to c and then back to b and last to d. At the end of the odd numbered games in a set (including the first game) the players (in singles and doubles) exchange ends of the court. In professional matches, players are given 90 seconds to rest between games and beginning with the 3rd set they are given a two minute rest period.

Some other important things about the equipment - The grip must fit right or it will hurt. To measure the correct grip size: hold out the hand that you will be holding the racket with, hold it palm side up and measure from the crease to the tip of the ring finger and that is the measurement around the handle. Generally this is around 4 inches in diameter. Of course it is usually a bit bigger for men and older players than for women and younger players. It is important to maintain the grip because should it wear out it could be dangerous.

Shoes and socks are important considerations also. Shoes should have a herringbone tread for longer lasting protection and grip. As opposed to running shoes, tennis shoes are made to withstand side to side movement and not just forward steps. Women, because they generally arch higher than men, should take care to get shoes with more arch support. Socks should be thick and absorbent in order to absorb sweat and thereby prevent infections such as athlete’s foot or other various infections.

Shirts and other clothing are also important. Generally tennis outfits are white because they better reflect the sun and thus are cooler. Although recently many famous tennis players have been experimenting with wearing other colors, it is best to wear what is comfortable for you while playing, whether it is tight or loose.