An Introduction to Tennis

By: T. Nilsson

Don't think that my tips will make you play like Nadal, but they will make you a better tennis player!

Tip 1: How to hold your racket 
In order to hit a forehand, you have to make sure you have the correct grip in the racket.
The correct grip for the forehand is not the continental grip (the continental grip is used for serves and backhands) the correct grip for forehand is called Western Grip.

Use the images below to learn the Western Grip. Start by placing your racket on the ground. Later after practice you won’t need these steps and you can take the grip without putting the racket to the ground, but this is just to help.

Tip 2: Foot work
Footwork is really important in tennis. You need proper footwork in order for you to move from one side of the court to the other and still manage to hit the ball .

The images below demonstrate the position of your feet necessary to hit a basic forehand. Follow the pictures from left to right for a step-by-step guide. 

Tip 3: Recovery Position 
One of the most important tips is for you to know how to recover your position in the court. So imagine yourself catching a serve but that serve has a side spin, so when it hits the court it's in ,but once the ball  touches the  floor it heads out of the court. When that happens, do not wait to see what your opponent will do next; instead you have to hit the ball and quickly run to the middle of the court so that you can catch the next ball easily. If you don’t run back to the middle of the court you will be wide open for him to hit a ball to the other side of the court and make a winner.

See video below for a demonstration: