Tennis Tips - How to Play Tennis

Tennis is one of the greatest sports to learn to play, which becomes even more exciting as you get better at it and are able to handle the more difficult shots with aplomb. Here are a few tennis tips that will help you to learn how to play tennis better:

• One of the first things you will be learning is how to volley. Hence, you need to get a tennis racquet and begin practicing hitting the tennis ball backward and forward. A volley is a tennis shot that needs to be hit fast, hence practice swinging the racquet within a short range of 1-2 feet. Also, keep in mind that while making the shot you need to keep your wrist stiff.
• As a tennis player another tennis stroke that you need to be proficient at is the service. Practice serving consistently into the correct area of the court, which is either of the two small boxes near the net, on your opponent’s side.
• In fact, in the modern version of the game, which usually involves a big ‘first serve’, you need to develop the correct technique. The power of the service should be generated from the arm and legs, and not the wrist, which is a mistake most beginners make.
• Focus your attention on the ball. This is one of the most important tennis tips to master. Right from the moment it leaves your opponent’s racquet to the moment you hit it with yours, your eyes should never leave sight of the ball.
• And another tip is not waiting for the ball to bounce before running for it. So, you need to observe the trajectory of how your opponent’s racquet swings, anticipate the spot where the ball is going to come, and begin moving towards that area.
• Get acquainted with the various styles of grips. How you grip the racquet will determine your playing technique to a large extent. So you need to find out the technique involved in it and use one that you find is natural and comfortable for you.
• If you are a tennis player who plays mostly from the baseline, then you need to be aware that the more towards the right you hit, the more you will recover towards your left, and vice versa. Put differently, when you hit the ball in the direction of one sideline, your recovery will be in the direction of the other.
• In order to get more control over your volleys, grip the racquet closer to its head, which is also known as choking up the racquet. As you start getting stronger and better, you can gradually shift your grip towards the handle’s end.
• One of the most important shots every tennis player needs to master is the single-handed backhand stroke – even those who have a strong double-handed backhand. The key to executing a single-handed backhand shot successfully is the position of the non-hitting hand while making the stroke. As you start making the forward movement of the hitting arm, the non-hitting arm should extend back, away from the body.
• Develop a powerful forehand. Apart from practicing the technique of the shot itself, it is a good idea to strengthen the muscles of your forehand by doing isometric exercises. This will enable you to unleash the kind of power you want to generate from this stroke.
• Be aware of what your strengths are and then utilize them. A large part of winning points consistently is knowing which shots you can play most comfortably, along with the shots that you find most difficult. Hence, during a match situation, when you get the chance to play a shot that you are strong at, make the best of it.
• During a match, utilize the time between points to plan how you will return a serve or execute a serve. Planning beforehand, apart from being fun and smart, is also a good psychological ploy. Because, thinking about what you need to do to win can be one of the best ways of thinking positively - which is a large part of playing better tennis as well as winning.
• Keep in mind, all sports are also about competing mentally. In tennis, as in other sports, it is not only about skill and technique, but also about developing mental strength and confidence. While it is necessary, of course, to concentrate on skill, technique, form, and other physical aspects of the game, however one of the most important tennis tips is learning to develop the mental strength to have a positive attitude no matter what.