Tennis

Basic Skills

Forehand

(1) Pivot with outside foot and turn shoulders sideways. This starts with racket take-back. Both hands stay on the racket during this step. (2) Take the racket back completely by using both their shoulders and their arms. (3) Swing to contact by pushing off the outside leg, then rotate their bodies back toward the net, and drop their rackets down and swing forward. (4) Follow through to complete the forehands by extending out in the direction you’re hitting and bringing the racket across their bodies in a smooth, relaxed motion.

Two-Handed Backhand

(1) Pivot and shoulder turn racket take-back by virtue of your shoulders turning sideways. (2) Take Your Racket all the way back. You’re now allowed to use your arms to take the racket back. (3) Swing to Contact by dropping the racket down and swing it forward. Your contact point is out in front of your body, about waist-high. (4) Follow through completes your two-handed backhand motion by smoothly decelerating the tennis racket and your body. The racket finishes up, over your shoulder.

Service

(1) Toss the tennis ball in front, and high enough so that you can reach up with straight arm when it starts coming back down. (2) At the same time the backswing gets your racket up above your shoulders, elbow should be slightly bent and racket pointin upwards. (3) The weight transfer and knee bend happen simultaneously with the backswing and toss. (4) Complete your backswing, bend your knees and begin transferring your weight forward. (5) To begin the swing, drop the racket behind your back, push up and off with your legs so that you are just barely coming off the court at the exact moment your racket is pointed straight down behind you (6) Swing up to the tennis ball, pronate your wrist so that the racket face to the ball at the contact point. (7) Finish the serve with follow through which completes your service motion by smoothly decelerating the tennis racket and your body.