Start Playing Tennis

Playing tennis is a great way to stay physically fit, make friends, and to improve your endurance and strategy. If you want to start playing tennis, then you need to get the right racket, learn the rules, and get the basic strokes down. It takes some practice to learn techniques like serving, volleying, the forehand, and the backhand, but once you put your mind to it, you'll be hitting the courts and acing your opponents before they know it.

Steps

  1. Buy a decent tennis racket and high quality tennis shoes at your local sports store or tennis store. If you can find a tennis pro shop, tell them you are just starting out -- they should be able to help you find all the gear you need. Wilson has good tennis rackets.
  2. Read and learn about tennis, including what all the tennis terms are, how to avoid injuries, how to hit a proper ball, etc. Try to approach tennis in your early stages from the standpoint of having fun, so that you don't get lost in the sometimes more confusing aspects of the sport.
  3. Find a local tennis club and become a member with the plan that is most appropriate to you. Most tennis clubs offer private lessons, usually with the first few lessons complimentary. Attend a few meetings, at least to get tips on how to avoid injuries and exercise proper form.
  4. Participate in a fun match play event to meet the pros and other regulars at
  5. Start to learn how to serve.
    1. Hold the tennis ball in one hand and your racquet on the other. To hold the tennis racquet, hold the grip as if you are shaking someone's hand or by holding the racquet so that the face is perpendicular to the ground then slide your hand down the racquet with your thumb on one side and the remaining fingers on the opposite.
    2. Throw the ball high enough so that the racket may hit the ball forward.
    3. Hit it hard, so that it may go over the net. Hit it diagonally over the net; also hit it in the sweet spot of the racket. (The sweet spot is the center or the place of the racket which has no vibration.)
  6. Start with the forehand.
    1. Wait until the ball bounces just once on the court when it’s coming to you or it’s on your side of the net.
    2. Hit the ball on the sweet spot.
  7. Learn the backhand next.
    1. Use this technique, if the ball isn’t in the side where your racket is at hold your racket with both hands on the grip like a baseball bat. You can either use a two-handed backhand or a one-handed backhand. Make sure you get a good grip.
    2. Hit the ball on the sweet spot upwards to generate topspin, and it would go over the net.

Tips

  • And also do push ups to gain extra strength in your arms and it will help you in playing better shots,
  • Tennis is always more fun with friends, so if you can, invite friends, family, and coworkers to start the sport with you. Most tennis clubs allow guests of some kind, but definitely check with your tennis club beforehand.
  • Don't get discouraged by the complexities that can arise while playing tennis. With any game that's as old as tennis, there are loads of different strategies, shots, player archetypes, and formations.
  • Be very friendly to the people at the club, and before you know it, you'll be invited into many leagues, team tennis, and maybe your level tournament.
  • Play practice matches to help improve your performance. After you feel like you have improved considerably, start looking into playing in tournaments.

Warnings

  • Don't spend a large amount of money on this if you're not going to play very much; memberships can be very pricey, and so can shoes, rackets and balls.
  • Pace yourself: playing too much of a sport like tennis before you "know the ropes" has the potential for big injuries, like the dreaded "tennis elbow" or "tennis knees".
  • If you use the wrong technique, you can get injured very seriously.

Things You'll Need

  • A racket that fits your particular arm length (shorter racket for a taller person/longer arm), hand size (a handle which will fit in your hand), and arm strength, (generally a higher string tension for stronger arm allows for more accurate shots, lower tension for more power).
  • Tennis shoes that fit comfortably and allow for quick turns and easy jumping (do NOT use running shoes).
  • Plenty of tennis balls.
  • A friend or partner to play with, or 3 friends if you are playing doubles.

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