How-To: Basic Tennis Drills

Using your imagination, the possibilities for tennis drills can be endless, which is why we won’t be able to cover everything out there. There can be dozens of variations for basically the same exercise, but the best ones you’ll find are the ones that focus on the key areas you want to improve. The most important concepts to understand about tennis drills is to find drills that are both effective and efficient, building the core skills you’ll need in the most productive manner possible.

There are essentially two types of tennis drills: the first would be on court tennis drills and the other would be off court tennis drills. On court drills are mostly used to help you practice your shots and control of the ball so that you’ll be better able to dictate the direction of the game. Off court drills primarily help players with their movement around the court, for better flow, an increase in stamina, and strengthening of the muscles.

Exercising with tennis drills isn’t just a one time thing either, it’s best to perform them daily. Kind of like going to the gym, people don’t just go to the gym to be strong for a day, they go and continue going to keep themselves strong. The same can be applied to tennis; players want to keep their shots consistent, their stamina lasting, their control precise, their movement fluid, and their muscles healthy. So here are just a few examples of basic tennis drills you can use, but remember, there are a ton out there you can learn or even create on your own!

On Court Tennis Drills

Forehand Tennis Drills

Topspin drill: Start by standing close to the service line at the center of one side of the tennis court. Ask your coach or your friend to go to the other side of the tennis court and stand across from you. Ask this friend or coach to softly toss the ball so that it bounces below the height of the net to your forehand side. When the ball gets to your side, hit it with a very firm forehand stroke. The stroke should roll over the ball in order to give it topspin. Focus on brushing your tennis ball with the racquet strings, and bring the racquet from low to high.

When you master this drill, the tennis ball will dip after it clears the net and then bounce in the baseline.

This drill will force you to hit your tennis ball with an exaggerated and firm upward swing. If you hit the ball using this swing from the baseline, the ball will always sink inside the opposite baseline.

5 forehands: Have someone on the opposite side of the court feed you 5 shots to your forehand side. With each ball, slowly bring yourself to the net.

Backhand and Forehand: Have someone opposite of you feed balls to the corners of the court at a medium-fast pace. Your goal will be to reach each corner in time to hit a forehand or backhand.

Backhand Tennis Drills

Backhand slice drill: Stand at the baseline. Ask a coach or your friend to hit shots to your backhand. The shots should be of slow to medium speed. Your feet should remain perpendicular to the baseline when you approach and execute this shot. You can use stutter steps to help keep your feet in this position.

Hold your tennis racquet with both hands. However, the supporting hand should only be used to guide the other hand. It should be released on impact.

Swing the tennis racquet with a downward angle. This will help to give the ball more backspin. Keep the face of the racquet angled upwards in order to send your tennis ball over the net. Your motion and your grip will help to put slice on your tennis ball. You have to practice this drill a lot in order to master it. The ball has to go over the net, but the lower it is over the net, the better.

Serve Tennis Drills

First and second serve accuracy drill: This drill helps to improve the accuracy of the tennis player’s service. This way, the player will be able to hit any part of the service box when they serve the ball. This drill involves practice. The player should aim for a place on the service box, and they should use a ball hopper and aim their serve on that spot. The player can place cans on the service box, and try to aim at them. They should practice this for both the first serve and the second serve.

Live tennis serve drill: After practicing alone with cans, the player can practice with their coach or another player. However, instead of playing the entire game, they can practice their serve only. The person who serves most inside the service box wins.

Volley Tennis Drills

“V” volley drill: First off, use some tape to form a “V” starting at the center of the net extending to the “T” of the singles sideline. The first player should be at the center of the service line, which is the line between the baseline and the net. The second player will be on the other side of the court. The second player will hit the ball, and the first player has to practice how to move towards the net in order to hit a volley. If the ball is within the V, perform a crosscourt volley. If outside the V, perform a down-the-line volley.

After the first player hits the ball, they have to return to the service line as they wait for the ball to be tossed back to them.

The cover volley drill: This drill is performed with more than two players. One player stands on one side of the court. All the other players stand on the opposite side of the court in a straight vertical line. The player who is alone on one side of the court will feed the ball to the first player on the queue. However, this first player will quickly move out so that the second player in the queue hits and returns the ball. This should be done until all the players in the queue have had their turn.

Volley drill with one arm behind the back: Right handed players will place their left hand behind their back, while left handed players will place their right hand behind their back. They will then practice to hit the volley with their dominant hand. This will force their dominant hand to be more prepared to hit the volley without any interference from the non-dominant hand. It will also help the player develop more strength on their dominant hand so that they can be prepared to hit harder volleys.

Smash drill: A person will hit a lob for the other player so that they can perform an overhead. This will help players move around the court in an overhead position.

Off Court Tennis Drills

Footwork Tennis Drills

The backward skip: Jog forward and then return to your original position without turning back. This drill will help to strengthen your muscles for jumping and backpedaling movements.

Sidestep shuffle slide: Simply maintain a low center of gravity as you do several sidestep shuffles.

Carioca: This is similar to the sidestep. However, instead of doing a normal sidestep, one foot will cross the other foot as you move along the sides.

Heel kicks: This drill is done by jumping in position with your hands outstretched so that the tip of your toes touch the stretched hand.

Split and sprint: This drill involves a split and a sprint. The split is when you perform a short hop on the same spot with your feet apart. The sprint involves running forward as fast as you can. Therefore, you will split first, and then immediately break into a sprint.

Warmup Tennis Drills and Exercises

Jump rope: Each player is given a jump rope, and they warm up using several jumping techniques. This can include single foot, double feet, or alternating feet.

Squat jumps: Stand with your legs body width apart. Go into a squatting position before jumping as high as you can. Ensure that your legs remain straight. After you land on your feet, go back into the squatting position and repeat the exercise fifteen times.

Back sprints: The player sprints backwards as fast as they can to one end of the field. They then jog forward to the other end. They repeat the back sprints and forward jogs until they are satisfied.

Sprint stops: The player places two cones approximately ten yards apart. They sprint as fast as they can from the first cone to the second cone. They then jog slowly back to the first cone.

Ball pick up drill: Balls are placed in a straight line on one end of the field. The player runs, stoops down to pick up the first ball, and runs back to where they started to place this ball down. They repeat this exercise until they pick up all the balls on that line.

Suicides: This will help you sprint faster and help you make quick turns on the court. This is best done on side by side tennis courts. Beginning on a starting line, you will run to the next line and quickly turn back and run back to where you started. You will then repeat the process, running to the next furthest line until you’ve run the widths of the courts.

Stairs/Run up a hill: This will strengthen the player’s legs while also helping you to run longer and play longer (build up stamina).

Wall Sit: Sit against a wall or a pole and have your legs bent at a 90 degree angle, making it look like you are sitting on a chair. Hold your position for 5-10 minutes and this will help to strengthen your thighs.

Medicine Ball: The person needs to hold a heavy ball and perform a swing. This will strengthen the player shots and will help the player tennis form.

Agility Tennis Drills

Skip for height: Skip forward and maintain the right posture while doing so. Ensure that the knee that is up is extended and flexed. When the right knee is up, the left hand should also be up, and vice versa.

Square Carioca agility drill: Place cones on the four corners of the court. Stand on one corner of the court with your knees bent and one foot in front and the other foot at the back. Put all of your weight on your front foot. Bend your elbows and place your arms on your chest. Ensure that your head is up. This position is referred to as the two point stance. Sprint from the first cone to the second cone. Once you get to the second cone, do the carioca (side step with one foot crossing the other foot) until you reach the third corner. Do reverse pivots until you get to the fourth corner. Do another carioca until you get to the first cone. Repeat this drill as many times as possible.

Ladder shuffle drill: Start with the two point stance. The ladder should be in front of you. Jump into the first square of the ladder with both feet. Then move laterally out of the ladder. If you choose to move towards the right, you should execute a right sidestep, with your right foot first followed by your left foot. Move in to the next square of the ladder. Move in with the left foot first followed by the right foot. As soon as the right foot gets in the square, move the left foot outside the ladder immediately. When the right foot is also outside, step into the third square of the ladder. Do this move quickly, and remember to maintain your balance throughout this drill. There are also other variations you can use with a ladder.

More Resources on Tennis Drills:

• Tennis Drills HQ
• Tennis 4 You
• Tennis Drills TV

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How-to: Tennis Footwork

Good tennis footwork affects everything from your timing, balance, power, and consistency. The main focus of proper tennis footwork is to allow you to reach any ball that comes your way, and this will require you to always stay on your toes. Running around the court with just your heels causes you to be a step slower when compared to staying on your toes, and preparation is vital in such a fast-paced sport. It’s the difference between getting to the right position in time or having the ball fly right by you, each and every time.

Being able to get into the right position gives you options, and having options can give you the lead over your opponent by putting you on offense. If you observe a match of tennis, you’ll notice that tennis players are not taking long strides to reach the ball. It’s actually the exact opposite. Light, quick, short steps are key to reaching the ball early, since these precise movements are what allow you to get in just the right position. So, always, always stay on your toes, even if you aren’t a majestic ballet dancer.

Because of this, strong legs are a must in tennis. If your legs happen to be weak, it will affect your entire performance on the court, wasting most of your valuable energy just to get to the ball. If staying on your toes constantly isn’t enough to tone your legs, you can always strengthen your leg muscles by exercising. Some amazing exercises you can use for stronger leg muscles are jogging, lunges, running up incline surfaces, or just typical tennis drills that focuses on the legs. If you routinely exercise, you will notice a vast improvement in your stamina.

Tennis Footwork Techniques

Now, let’s move on to tennis footwork techniques, shall we? In this section, we’ll be talking more about what the best practices for moving around the court are. Some of the things we’ll be talking about include the ready position, the split step, the side shuffle, the cross step, and all four tennis stances.

Ready Position

Before you start approaching a ball, you will most likely start off in the most common position in tennis–the ready position. The ready position requires your legs to be shoulder width apart with your weight equally distributed on both toes and your racquet in front of you held by both hands. Your hips and knees will be slightly bent as well. What this position allows for is a stance that helps you to run in any direction the ball is sent.

The ready position should be used whenever you are anticipating the opponent’s next shot, and should be done when you are at the center of the court.

Split Step

Another tennis footwork technique you can use is called the split step. The split step is a position similar to the ready position, but consists of short hops in the direction of the ball. With the split step, you will be in the ready position stance and perform a short hop just before running. The split step should be done right when your opponent makes contact with the ball, and upon landing on the ground again, you’ll be able to move to where the ball is faster.

If used correctly, the split step will allow for a more explosive way to get to the ball.

Side Shuffle

Once you’ve hit the ball, you might be confused on what to do next. Well, your main priority after you’ve hit the ball is to head back to the center of the court. Of course, the fastest way to get to the center of the court is to run directly there, but this can backfire if your opponent returns the ball in the opposite direction of where you are running. That’s where the side shuffle comes into play. While not the fastest way to recover, the side shuffle is a great recovery method because it allows you to move east or west depending on where the ball is headed, so it is much more safe and useful in a match. To perform a side shuffle, adopt the mindset of a crab and shuffle sideways. The outside foot (furthest away from the center) will move in while the inside foot (closest to the center) moves out toward the center. Your two feet should never touch as you perform the shuffle.

Cross Step

After hitting a shot from far away, you would need a technique to get back to the center as quickly as possible. Fortunately, there’s the tennis footwork technique known as the cross step, or crossover step. In order to perform a cross step, you will cross your leg, one over the other, in the direction you choose to move to. This allows you to cover more ground but will not let you change directions once it’s been done. What’s great about the cross step, however, is that you can quickly switch to the side shuffle method right afterward.

Tennis Stances

A main focus of tennis footwork are the four tennis stances you can take before you hit a ball, and they are used for both forehand and backhand. Each stance is used differently around the court, however, and which stance you should use is highly dependent on how much timing you have. The four tennis stances are:

• Closed stance
• Neutral stance (square stance)
• Open stance
• Semi-open stance

Closed Stance

The closed stance–or classic stance–is a stance where both your feet are turned sideways parallel with the net/baseline. This allows for complete and proper shoulder and body turn, and although it isn’t used for forehand very often, is used mainly for backhand shots. The closed stance is mostly used while at the center of the court, and is best for returning shots. To recover from a closed stance, you will rotate your back foot to the other side as you hit the ball and side shuffle back to the center.

Neutral Stance (Square Stance)

The neutral stance is a stance where your back foot is parallel to the baseline while your front foot is stepping in at a ~90 degree angle. This stance allows you to step into the ball meaning you can add more power to your shot. This stance also gives you the option to approach the net. The way to recover from this stance is by having your back foot align with your front foot and then side shuffle back to the center.

Semi-Open Stance

The semi-open stance is used when you don’t have enough time to perform a neutral stance. Both of your feet will be diagonal relative to the net, at about a ~45 degree angle. This is a very flexible stance, where it allows for both full shoulder rotation and a complete follow through on your shots.

Open Stance

The open stance is a very powerful position that allows you to hit powerful shots. Basically, both of your feet will be facing the net in a straight line. Your upper body will be doing the rotation instead, which creates torque for your swing. This provides additional force on the ball, allows for full shoulder rotation, and helps you to recover more quickly by putting you back in the position where you can side shuffle back to the center.

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How-To: Tennis Backhand

To perform a backhand, you will need to use a Continental grip (the one-handed can use a variety of other grips), and you have the option of either having two hands on the racquet handle or just one. You might be able to guess what the advantages and disadvantages are already, but we’ll go over what they are a little later. So first off, we’ll be going over the tennis backhand that is easier to learn, namely, the two-handed backhand.

Two-Handed Backhand

In the 1970s, no one would talk about a two-handed backhand because no one used it. Over time, however, the two-handed backhand had slowly made its way into today’s professional tennis, mostly in women’s tennis. Besides being more consistent overall, a two-handed tennis backhand is also a lot more powerful, easier to learn, and easier to apply topspin to.

In order to perform a two-handed backhand, you will have to:

1. Start off in the ready position.

2. Once you’ve marked the ball and predicted where it will land, you will want to approach the ball while taking one of the four stances: open stance, neutral stance, semi-open stance, or the closed stance.

Index knuckle and heel pad of left hand on bevel 7. For the right hand, index knuckle on bevel 2 and heel pad on bevel 1.

3. Next, you will have to hold the racquet with both hands, with your most dominant hand below the other. Your most dominant hand will be using a Continental grip while your other hand will either be using an Eastern or Semi-Western grip. If you understand the different bevels of the tennis racquet, your index knuckle and heel pad of the left hand will be on bevel 7, while the right hand’s index knuckle will be on bevel 2 with the heel pad on bevel 1.

4. The motion for a two-handed tennis backhand will be similar to how you would hit a tennis forehand; hitting the ball from low to high.Your dominant hand will be there to position the racquet for the full stroke, while your other hand will be applying the power.

5. Everything else applies to the backhand just like it would the forehand, so you’ll need to follow through in order to apply as much power as you can.

One Handed Backhand

A one-handed backhand brings in a lot of flavor into the game of tennis and can give a player more fluidity and a better feel for the ball. However, a two-handed tennis backhand is often better in most situations, mainly because it is more consistent, reliable, precise, and powerful. Where the one-handed backhand excels at is mainly while at net and for wide balls, although this is used less and less as time goes on.

So, in order to perform a one-handed tennis backhand, you will have to:

1. Start off in the ready position.

2. While approaching the ball, you will need to pick a stance (which will depend on timing), of which there are four: open stance, neutral stance, semi-open stance, or the closed stance.

Index knuckle and heel pad on bevel 1

3. Next, determine what kind of grip you’ll be using–Western, Eastern, Continental, or Semi-Western. The most popular grip to use for a one-handed tennis backhand is the Eastern backhand grip, which will require the index knuckle and heel pad to rest on bevel 1.

4. Swing your racquet back, putting most of your weight into the back foot. You can use your less dominant hand to guide where your racquet should be. Your dominant hand and arm should be tightened at this point, so that both you and your racquet are one.

5. The contact point should be about an arm’s length away and not too close to your body. You will hit the ball with a full swing, hitting the ball from low to high.

6. Of course, you will want to finish off with the follow through, which is especially important for a one-handed tennis backhand since it’s considerably less powerful than a two-handed tennis backhand. A full swing should leave the racquet above your head at the very end.

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How-to: Tennis Forehand

The tennis forehand is a rather simple stroke to learn although difficult to master. In order to perform a forehand, you should hold the racquet handle with either a Eastern, Western, or a Continental grip–although this will depend on what type of forehand shot you’ll be hitting. The best way to perform a tennis forehand is by bringing your dominant hand and foot back, applying most of your weight into this position. Doing so allows you to put an incredible amount of force into the ball once you shift your weight from the back to the front at the point of contact. This helps you to add more power to your shots while also allowing you to transition through the natural motions of the follow through (which is super important). However, there are a few different types of tennis forehand shots to choose from.

Types of Tennis Forehand Shots:

• Flat shot
• Topspin
• Slice
• Inside out forehand
• Moon ball
• Swing volley

Flat shot

The flat shot is a very fast tennis forehand that will travel straight through the court, giving your opponent less time to react and return the ball. The grip you would use is a Western grip.

1. Starting off in the ready position, keep an eye on the ball as it approaches.

2. Move toward the ball while bringing your racquet back, marking the point at which you will hit the ball. Take one of the four stances: open stance, neutral stance, semi-open stance, or closed stance (depending on how much timing you have).

3. Once you’ve chosen your stance, apply most of your weight into your back foot, transferring all of that weight to your front foot as you hit the ball.

4. Follow through by swinging your racquet toward your opposite side. The follow through gives you a full swing, which allows you to apply all of your power into your shot.

Topspin

A topspin shot is a tennis forehand that utilizes topspin, which causes the ball to gravitate toward the ground more quickly, allowing for a higher bounce that is hard to return. For a topspin shot, you would need to use a Eastern or a Western grip.

1. To start off, begin in the ready position.

2. As you move towards the ball, you will have to take one of the four stances (based on timing): open stance, neutral stance, semi-open stance, or closed stance.

4. Up to this point, the topspin shot is exactly like the flat shot. The main difference between the two however is the racquet motion you use to hit the ball. In order to perform a topspin shot, brush the ball with the racquet face in an upward motion. Doing so will give the ball topspin, which will cause it to fall toward the ground more quickly, resulting in a higher bounce.

5. Of course, finish off with the follow through, making sure your racquet goes through the natural motions of the full swing.

Slice

The slice shot is a tennis forehand with backspin, which will cause the ball to bounce lower while also changing direction while it moves through the air and bounces on the ground. You’ll be using the Continental grip grip for this shot.

1. Be prepared in the ready position.

2. Approach the ball while taking up one of the four stances: open stance, neutral stance, semi-open stance, or closed stance.

3. Once you choose a stance, have your racquet back above your shoulder.

4. The swing required is a brushing motion, which you can imagine as a sideways slash at the outside of the ball. Opposed to a flat shot where you hit the ball directly at the center, a slice focuses on generating backspin by hitting the ball from high to low.

Inside Out Forehand

An inside out forehand is a shot where you run around your backhand in order to hit a forehand instead. This shot is mostly used when you have more time to control the general direction of the ball. You can use any tennis forehand technique for this shot.

1. Start in the ready position.

2. Determine where the opponent’s ball will land.

3. Instead of running around your backhand, which requires a lot of energy, it is best to side step your way towards the other side of the ball. At this point, which shot you choose to perform is up to you, but the best strategy is to either hit a winner or hit a shot that will set you up for a winner.

Moon ball

The moon ball is effectively a lob with topspin. This shot can be a good change of pace with your strategy because it will give you more time to recover from certain situations.

1. The way you start off is in the ready position.

2. Approach the ball, taking one of the four stances: open stance, neutral stance, semi-open stance, or closed stance.

3. Once you pick a stance, you will need to bring your racquet back. Instead of a topspin shot where you hit through the ball, you will be hitting it while your weight is in the back foot.

The moon ball is a tennis forehand that is mostly used as a defensive shot but it doesn’t stop you from playing aggressively. One way to use it aggressively is by hitting the ball above your opponent’s head while they are volleying at net.

Swing Volley

The swing volley is a very aggressive approach shot where you perform a tennis forehand before the ball has had the chance to hit the ground, giving your opponent less time to react to the shot. You can use any tennis forehand technique for this shot, although the flat shot and topspin shot are most common.

1. The position you start off with is in the ready position.

2. You will need to run to the ball before it can bounce, and it’s easier to hit when you are in the air–one or two inches off the ground is sufficient.

3. Instead of using weight and shifting it from the back to the front, you will be using the momentum of the approach to produce the shot’s power. So, how hard you hit the ball will be wholly dependent on how fast you move toward the ball.

4. When you reach the point of contact, the best way to hit the ball is by swinging straight, which will cause the ball to fall proportional to the amount of topspin you add.

The best place to aim for is away from your opponent, which will give you enough time to approach the net and assume the ready position.

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How-To: Tennis Volley

What is a volley in tennis? A tennis volley is essentially any shot that is made near the net, typically before the ball has had the chance to bounce on the ground. A tennis volley is necessary when you won’t have enough time to hit the ball before it bounces a second time or when you want to attack the net as part of your strategy.

Any short shots that land in the forecourt should be counteracted with a volley, which will require you to move from the baseline closer to the net. How a tennis volley will play out will depend on your play style, however; how you choose to approach the net, what type of tennis volley you use, and whether you want to fall back is up to you.

Timing

Serve and Volley

For the people that like to move up to the net after they serve, this is known as the serve and volley technique. To perform the serve and volley, there are three tips that will help you to approach the net with a serve:

1. Serve towards the outside of the court, which will cause your opponent to run after the ball, effectively giving you time to run up to the net and setup for their return.
2. Serve close to the T of the service box, which will also cause your opponent to chase down the ball giving you time to attack the net.
3. Serve towards your opponent’s body, which will cause an awkward return that is often weak, easily setting you up for an effective volley game.

Baseline Approach

The baseline approach is when you move from the baseline to the net in order to volley, and should take place should your opponent hit an approach shot, which is when your opponent hits the ball close to the service box. This forces you to attack the net since you will either a.) be too late to return it as the ball will bounce twice, or b.) hit the ball in the mid-court, which often results in a weak return and is the worst place to be on the court (hence the metonym, “no-man’s land“).

For a proper baseline approach, you will have to run up to the mid-court and hit the ball while using that momentum to get to the net. The best way to guarantee a successful baseline approach is to hit the ball away from your opponent. Hitting it away from your opponent will buy you time to approach the net and can give you the opportunity for an easy put away shot. 

Types of Tennis Volleys

• Punch volley
• Block volley
• Touch volley
• Low volley
• Drive volley
• Low volley counter
• Overhead

Starting Off With the Tennis Volley

All tennis volleys use a continental grip except for the drive volley. The best way to hit a volley is by holding your racquet at a 45 degree angle while turning your waist.

As you start out learning the tennis volley, a good exercise to train with is to practice catching the ball with the face of your racquet. You can do this while at net with someone hitting the ball to you. The objective is to use your racquet to follow the ball at the point of impact to absorb the shock and push it back. The skills this exercise teaches are flexibility and the proficiency to have a better feel for the ball, which are immensely important when attacking the net.

Punch Volley

A punch volley is a type of volley that doesn’t use a full swing. The reason that it doesn’t use a full swing is because a full swing takes too much time and energy to do. When you volley, you are most likely at the net which means you have a limited time to return the ball. As opposed to if you were at the baseline, you would have time to setup your return; in the case of a volley, the best way to fix the timing is by shortening the swing. To hit a ball hard and fast with a short swing, you need racquet speed, which is exactly what a punch volley is. Just a short swing with a punching motion.

Block Volley

A block volley is used when the ball is coming at you really fast and your only option is to block it. As the name implies, it’s a block so your racquet is going to act like a wall. This requires a stable arm in order to do. There is no swing in this type of tennis volley; the block volley uses the speed of the ball to send it back at the same pace. If the ball has no pace, then a block volley would not suit the situation.

Touch Volley

A touch volley is very useful because it is like a drop shot, although done in the vicinity of the net. It is mostly used when your opponent is sticking by the base line, and all you have to do is give the ball a slight touch to throw your opponent off-balance. This volley is just like a punch volley but without the fast swing.

Low Volley

While you are at the net, sometimes you will get some shots that are really close to the ground. The best way to return them is by using a low volley. Even though it’s the best way to return a low shot, it is also one of the hardest tennis volleys to perform as it requires you to be close to the ground, which could result in hitting the ball into the net. To perform a low volley, you need to be in a neutral stance and have a really good knee bend because you will have to get close to the ground. 

Drive Volley

The drive volley is the most aggressive tennis volley. It is a shot that uses a full swing and is hit without the ball bouncing. This shot is different from the other volleys because it generates both topspin and power. The contact point is at shoulder height. To hit this shot you would need to use a western or a semi-western grip. You would also need to add your weight to your front foot, moving forward as you drive the ball back.

Low Volley Counter

A low volley counter is used mostly as an approach shot. The point of contact is below the knee. To perform this shot, you need to run forward and return the shot with a block using your weight and momentum. Even though the low volley counter and drive volley are both considered approach shots, this shot is a lot different than a drive volley because you don’t use a full swing although you still use the continental grip.

Overhead

An overhead is also known as a smash, or an overhead smash. You can think of an overhead as a combination between a serve and volley. You’ll be taking a service stance and smashing the ball down exactly like a serve. For the overhead, you will also need to move your feet and your torso. Since the ball can be anywhere in the court, you will have to chase the ball. If the ball is moving behind you, you would have to run backwards while looking up at the ball; try your best not to trip on your heel while doing this. If the ball is going to be in front of you, you would have to run forward to meet with it. Compared to a serve, you are standing still while you hit the ball, but for an overhead, you still have to take a neutral stance while moving into position to hit the ball. Another difference is that in an overhead, you don’t drop your racquet like in a serve, but instead you start with the racquet over your head. 

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How-to: Tennis Serve

Positioning

Before we show you how to serve in tennis, let’s take a look at positioning. When a game starts, the player begins by serving on the right side of the court behind the baseline, alternating sides after each point. The only requirements for the tennis serve here are that you don’t pass the center line–conveniently indicated for you with the center mark (that little line that juts out from the baseline’s midpoint)–and that you don’t step into the court before you’ve made contact with the ball. Where you choose to serve on your side of the court is up to you, however.

For singles, a strategic plan is to serve close to the center of the court for the best coverage, as you’ll already be at the center for your opponent’s return.

For doubles, the best position to stand is at the corner since you will have two people to cover the middle, with each player covering their own respective corner.

How to Serve in Tennis

Now then, let’s go over how to serve in tennis. Once you’ve chosen the position where you’d like to serve, it’s time to perform the actual motions. For a tennis serve, the goal is to hit the ball diagonally from where you stand into the opposite side’s service box. You can see from the picture below that there are four separate service boxes, and as long as the ball lands within the correct service box–landing on the white lines is okay–without hitting the net or net cord, the point can continue.

If you fail your first serve, it is called a fault, but you will have two attempts at completing your serve. Missing the second serve will be a double fault, which will result in the loss of the point. If the ball happens to hit the net or net cord and then lands into the correct service box, you are given a re-do, officially known as a let. You are allowed an infinite number of lets (although this rarely happens), but we don’t recommend it as it doesn’t lead to much progress.

All types of tennis serves practically use the same serve stance, which is a back foot that lies parallel with the baseline and a front foot at an angle around 45 degrees. The different serves move across the court in different ways, so having practice with all of them can help you outplay your opponent. As we describe the different serves, we’ll be explaining it for right-handed players so if you’re left-handed, just assume that the opposite is true.

You will also need to know the correct way to grip your racquet for a tennis serve. The most all-inclusive grip is the continental grip, which is used in all of the serves (the only exception being the slice serve, which can also use an eastern grip). For a continental grip, you are going to want to hold the racquet so that it is perpendicular with the ground. To practice the continental grip, try hitting a tennis ball against the ground with the side of your racquet continuously. You’ll know if you’re gripping the racquet correctly if you can consistently hit the ball like this.

Before Each Serve

Before a serve, you’ll want to perform a ball bounce before each attempt. This is mainly for preparation (changing grips) while also getting a feel for the ball and the court. All you’ll need to do is bounce the ball once or twice with your left hand (if you’re right-handed, and vice versa for lefties) and bring the ball and your racquet face together before you perform the actual serve.

Types of Tennis Serves

There are four different types of tennis serves you can learn, some of which have different learning curves:

• Flat Serve
• Slice Serve
• Top Spin Serve
• Kick Serve

Flat Serve

A flat serve is the strongest tennis serve out of the four, and it’s also the easiest to learn (since it requires no spin). This will probably be the first tennis serve you learn as you progress, and most other tennis serves are variants of the flat serve. Here’s how to serve in tennis, beginning with the basic flat serve:

1. Hold the racquet grip with a continental grip in a semi-loose fashion. You don’t want to hold the racquet too tightly or else it will restrict the fluidity of your power.

2. Line the front of your right shoulder up in the direction you want the ball to travel. Don’t make this too obvious because you want to catch your opponent off-guard.

3. While having the ball in the left hand and the racquet in your right, bounce the ball a couple of times in preparation for the serve. Afterwards, bring the ball to the racquet face and shift some of your weight onto the front foot to prepare for the ball toss.

4. Next is the ball toss. Toss the ball up in the air vertically at a decent height (about as high as you can reach with your racquet) and a little in front of you (so that if you weren’t to hit the ball, it would land in the court close to the baseline). Point your tossing hand in the sky for guidance and remember to not step into the court or cross the center mark until you’ve hit the ball.

5. After tossing the ball up, bend your knees while shifting most of your weight from the front foot to the back foot. This helps to concentrate all your power to the right side of your body, as well as helping you to jump to to the point of contact to hit the ball. It’s really important to time everything right or else you will end up jumping too early or too late.

6. Bring your racquet behind you with the elbow bent in preparation of the serve. Pretend like you are about to whip something, preferably an inanimate object that cannot feel pain.

7. As the ball reaches its apex and just starts to descend, swing your racquet over your head until it’s fully extended to come into contact with it. Again, imagine that the ball is further in front of you and you are about to whip it. Swing with as much force as you can muster while turning your shoulders; the sweet spot of your racquet will lie slightly above the center of your racquet.

8. After you have hit the ball, follow through by bringing your racquet down toward the bottom of your opposite foot, making sure to bend your elbow in the process. Shift your weight now to your front foot and step into the court and prepare for your opponent’s return.

Advantages:

• Leaves little time for the opponent to react
• Can get some easy points
• Helps you save energy
• Fastest tennis serve
• Easiest to learn

Disadvantages:

• Serve and volley players have less time to get to the net
• Harder for shorter people to get over the net without spin
• When the opposing opponent returns the shot, it will come back stronger because the shot was returned using the power you generated

Slice Serve

A slice serve is a little like the flat serve, although the way in which you hit the ball is slightly different. Instead of emphasizing on power, the ball will bounce really low and can either move toward the outside of the court or towards your opponent’s body, which can effectively disorientate them. This is a good tennis serve to use to get your opponent guessing.

The grip used to perform this tennis serve is the continental grip (can also use an eastern grip). With the serve motion you would need to toss the ball at 2 o’ clock but for left handed players, you would throw it at 10 o’ clock. This is to get the ball farther away from you in order to perform the slice serve properly.

You will also need to bend your knees to help you jump in the air to reach the point of contact. At the point of contact, you will be hitting the ball on the outside with a brushing motion (left to right for right-handed players and right to left for left-handed player), rather than dead center like a flat serve. This brushing motion helps to create side spin, which will help it to curve in the air and also once it bounces on the ground.

Advantages:

• Can throw your opponent out of the court
• Can run into your opponent’s body, causing an awkward return
• Bounces low
• Easy to learn

Disadvantages:

• This tennis serve lacks topspin so it has a higher chance to hit the net

Topspin Serve

The topspin serve is a tennis serve that travels straight like a flat serve but bounces high for your opponent, which can put you on the offense as you have time to setup. It is also the most consistent serve out of the four, as it’s easy to get over the net.

The topspin serve also uses a continental grip (can also use a eastern grip). The biggest difference between how a topspin serve is executed vs. a flat serve is the way in which you toss the ball and where you make contact with it.

With the toss, you would have to throw the ball directly above your head or a little bit behind your head. This differs from a flat serve in which you would toss the ball slightly forward so that it would land within the court close to the baseline if you were to let it fall.

As for the point of contact, instead of hitting the ball as it descends with a downward motion of the racquet, you will be hitting the ball with an upward motion. So, before the ball reaches its apex, your racquet will be behind you face down with a bent elbow, moving from 6 o’ clock to 12 o’ clock. You will be hitting the ball with a brushing motion in order to create spin and the harder you brush the ball, the more spin it will have.

Advantages:

• Bounces high
• Easy to learn
• Gives you a lot of time to approach the net
• With enough practice, can make for a consistent serve

Disadvantages:

• Easy to see coming and easy to return
• Loses its effectiveness if the ball is hit as the ball is rising

Kick Serve

The kick serve is the hardest tennis serve to learn out of the four, although it’s also the most difficult to return. You can think of a kick serve as a mix between a topspin serve and a slice serve. A kick serve is different from the rest of the serves as it will have some combination of topspin, backspin, as well as side spin, so you can only imagine how devastating this tennis serve will be if executed properly.

The ball will have to be tossed behind your head. This is because in order to execute a kick serve properly, it will have to be hit while it’s in motion.

The grip to use is a continental grip, just like for most other serves. And just like a topspin serve, you will be hitting the ball with an upward motion in order to create topspin. But, the ball will be behind you, which makes it difficult.

The point of contact will be at 11 o’ clock (left-to-right brushing motion) for right-handed players and 1 o’ clock (right-to-left brushing motion) for left-handed players. You can imagine the brushing motion as if you were swinging the racquet from 8 to 2 o’ clock (for right-handed players, vice versa for lefties). In order to have a better view of the ball, it is best to lean back more than you normally would for a flat serve.

Advantage:

• Ball bounces high, moving away or into the opponent’s body
• Ball changes direction once it hits the ground
• Works well against inexperienced players
• Gives you a lot of time to approach the net
• Hard to return

Disadvantage:

• Difficult to learn
• Loses its effectiveness if the ball is hit as the ball is rising

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