Tennis tips for beginners, Game Rules to follow.

Tennis is a very popular sport. In fact, approx. 87 million people play tennis around the world. Here are some tennis tips for beginners.

Tennis tips for beginners, Game Rules to follow.

Tennis is one of the most watched sports on TV and is widely accepted as one of the most popular individual/non-team sports in the world.

In fact, when analyzing Google Trends Data for tennis compared to other sports at a global level, tennis appears to be ahead of many sports in terms of its search interest.

As expected, major team sports such as football (soccer) and basketball are more popular, though tennis appears to attract more overall interest than other individual sports such as boxing, swimming and cycling.

To my surprise, our research has revealed that tennis is most popular in Bulgaria. With an impressive 35600 average monthly searches for “tennis”, I found that there are approximately 5080 searches performed per million people in Bulgaria. 

Tennis tips for beginners 

Here are some tips for beginners:

• Mini Tennis Warm-Up

The first tennis tip we want to serve up is the “mini” court method.

This warm-up allows the player to slow down their swings and get a better feel for the ball. To begin, both you and your partner should stand in the middle of the service line.

Then you will simply rally the ball back and forth. The goal is to keep the ball live for as long as possible, simply by hitting gentle taps.

For better consistency, try to hit the ball at waist height and land your shots halfway between the net and your partner.

• How To Hold a Tennis Racket

In tennis there are three main ways to hold a racket: western, eastern, and continental grips. There is no single grip that is right for everyone, and many players use grip variations.

Most players naturally hold the tennis racket in an eastern forehand grip. Many tennis pros, like Roger Federer, use this grip.

For an eastern grip, take your dominant hand and place the index knuckle on the third bevel, in line with the string face.

The backhand can be tricky, because most players will change their grip slightly. If you have an eastern forehand grip, then most likely your backhand will change to a continental grip.

• Swing Motion

The swing motion is critical because it’s what dictates the direction and outcome of the shot. Whether you’re hitting a forehand or backhand, you should focus on swinging “low to high”.

As the ball approaches, you should first turn to the side while bringing the racket back. Then with a fluid motion, from a low to high, swing to make contact with the ball.

Starting low and dropping the racket before contact allows the swing to accelerate. Finishing high allows the player to create top spin on the ball.

• Footwork

Every tennis shot you encounter will never be the same, but here are some footwork tennis tips to help you prepare for the return shot.

Don’t get caught flat footed. Staying on your toes will allow you to be more dynamic and explosive to chase down the ball.

Most beginners have a tendency of getting too close to the ball which results in hitting with a bent elbow. To understand how far you should be from the ball, extend your arm while pointing the head of the racket away from you.

While you’re running and approaching the ball, you should slow yourself down by incorporating quick and small steps. 

• Proper Tennis Gear

The last tennis tip we strongly recommend is to invest in the right gear for you.

Whether you are a beginner or a seasoned pro, proper tennis gear is an important performance factor.

Before hitting the court, consider using the right sized racket, proper tennis shoes, and protective eyewear for the sun.

Tennis rackets come in varying sizes for both the head of the racket and the grip.  It’s a good idea to go into a store, try out the racket in person, and even have an expert fit you.

Many beginners also tend to wear their running shoes on the court. However, running shoes are not recommended. Tennis shoes are designed for lateral movement and provide better stability for your ankles, which helps players avoid injury.

Tennis game rules to follow

• A ball must land within bounds for play to continue; if a player hits the ball outside of bounds, this results in the loss of the point for them.
• Players/teams cannot touch the net or posts or cross onto the opponent’s side.
• Players/teams cannot carry the ball or catch it with the racquet.
• Players cannot hit the ball twice.
• Players must wait until the ball passes the net before they can return it.
• A player that does not return a live ball before it bounces twice loses the point.
• If the ball hits or touches the players, that counts as a penalty.
• If the racquet leaves the hand or verbal abuse occurs, a penalty is given.
• Any ball that bounces on the lines of boundary are considered good.
• A serve must bounce first before the receiving player can return it.