How To Play Tennis For Beginners (Ultimate Guide)

How to Play Tennis - Beginners Guide
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Would you like to learn how to play tennis for beginners?

Yeah, bet you have asked yourself this question quite a number of times. But you’ve never held a tennis racket in your hands, not even for a minute.

Well, if that’s the way it has been for you, then it’s time for you to get a racket because you’re on your way to becoming a tennis player. We all know the feeling of starting with something completely new. On the one hand, it is a change, but on the other hand, it is also a challenge that we want to master.

As a beginner, you first have to find your way through the tennis ‘jungle.’ The technique, the tactic, and the rules seem quite extensive at first. So, you are probably wondering how you can best tackle the subject of tennis learning. We have put together some useful tips on learning how to play tennis as quickly as possible. 

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How to Play Tennis for Beginners

Whether you’re looking for a nice way to stay in shape or you’re looking to start a career as a tennis player, this tennis for beginners tips will get you started on your journey to becoming a tennis player.

Selecting The Right Equipment

How to Play Tennis – Tennis Sport Equipment
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As in any sport, in tennis, you have to equip yourself with the right equipment. Here is a list of the basics to remember:

  1. Tennis racquets
  2. Tennis shoes
  3. Tennis clothes
  4. Tennis balls
  5. Tennis bags

Many beginners neglect this point alone. Of course, it is tempting to get the Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal racket, but these models are designed for a completely different level of play. It’s the same with the rest of the team.

Locating a Tennis Court

How To Play Tennis - Locating a Tennis Court
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Once the equipment has been assembled, the first important step is taken. Now theoretically, you can go straight to the field. But where do you play tennis now? You have two options;

1. Join a tennis club

Often, several courts’ respective tennis facility belongs to elite members of society, so you have to join a team to access these facilities. However, you should be aware that the club’s membership fees and possibly the tennis association will be added during your registration.

2. Rent a Tennis Court

The cheapest option at the moment would be to rent a tennis court. Many private tennis facilities usually rent out their courts. As a rule, you will be billed there by the hour. In the long term, that is, at least several months, being a member of a tennis club is much cheaper.

The First Steps On the Court

After finding a place, it is better to familiarize yourself with the dimensions of the field. A tennis court appears to be relatively manageable until you stand on it yourself. If you are on a clay court, you should first read about the court maintenance instructions and other tennis rules and regulations.

Now you can start your first training session. Ideally, you should warm up well before the start of each training session. In general, the second mistake most beginners make is to start playing without a warm-up program. In this way, they accept an unnecessarily high risk of injury. To prevent this from happening, you have to perform the following exercise;

First, you run two laps around the playing field. In one lap, you run at medium speed, and in the other, you only do side steps.

In the second exercise, your running speed is now required. In this case, stand about 3m from the net on one of the two outer sidelines. Your gaze is directed towards the other lateral line so that you run parallel to the net.

Now you run to the first line of your path, you touch it with your hand, and then you run back to the starting point. Play this line with your hand as well. From there, you run to the next line, the middle line, you touch it, and you run again. The running exercise continues until you have run all the lines. After a 30 second pause, two more races will follow. This exercise is also called a “pendulum sprint.”

These two exercises not only prevent injuries, but you also get a sense of the size of the field. From now on, you can better estimate how long it will take from the baseline to the network, for example.

Learn the Strokes

Learn the Strokes – Tennis Smash Sequence
Wikimedia Commons

Since you have gotten to know the tennis court better, the following will begin with specific hitting movements. The good news is that you don’t need a coach or playmate at first to develop a basic understanding of the technique. If you are ambitious and learn the basics yourself, you can save a lot of money.

We recommend that you start your tennis training with basic strokes, i.e., forehand, backhand, and serve. Because they are the essential elements of tennis. For many beginners, it is the case that the racket feels unfamiliar at first. To get an idea of ​​the racket, you should do some rehearsals. This means that you should perform the movements according to the instructions, but not use a tennis ball. Step by step, you will get an idea of ​​the racket’s weight and its behavior on the swings.

Then you will put the racket aside and do similar dry runs with the tennis ball. Stand on the baseline and hit the ball ten times on the ground. Repeat this step a total of 5 times. So, get upright, throw the ball vertically up in front of you, and catch it again. Do this exercise with the same intensity.

You will notice that throwing the ball is getting easier and easier. Correct ball-handling is particularly important to serve. Then combine the racket and the ball in the exercises. Hold the tennis racket with its face horizontal to the ground and try to hit the ball in the face as often as possible. If this works well, make the exercise a little more difficult by turning the racket 180 ° after each contact with the ball.

Then, you train the basic strokes throughout the stroke movement. Throw the ball sideways in front of you and then hit it with the stick on the forehand and backhand. Then do the same with your serve.

Find a Training Partner

Another important point on how to play tennis is to get a training partner. If you’ve gained a little experience learning the motion sequences, then its time you get a training partner. Look for like-minded people who are also interested in improving their tennis game. It would help if you were on the same level of play.

There is no point playing against a tournament player who shows you his strength. That would frustrate you too much and take the fun out of the game. On the other hand, your partner must not be too weak; otherwise, he will not develop further.

Basically, with a playmate, completely new training possibilities arise for you. From now on, you can practice the remaining shots, like volleys or butterflies. You will also make your training more effective because you can pass the balls to each other. The bottom line is that both of you will benefit from each other.

Ideally, vary the different exercises. To train the forehand or backhand, you can, for example, organize a “crossover duel.” More precisely, you stand diagonally across from each other at the baseline and pass the balls to each other with the same stroke.

Start a Regular Tennis Workout

Regular Tennis Workout/Exercise
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In general, consistency is a deciding factor in tennis. Because without regular training, you will quickly unlearn the movements again. Getting a certain rhythm in your game is crucial for success in tennis. In addition to training with a playmate, you can also take training lessons.

A good tennis coach is characterized by the fact that he helps you perfect your technique. With his experience, he will analyze the movements of your shots and give you the appropriate information. In this way, you learn from a professional what you are doing wrong and how to correct these mistakes.

However, you should note that this service is not free. Of all the costs of tennis, training lessons are by far the most important. How much exactly does a training lesson cost? That mainly depends on the qualification of the coach. 

Set Your Tennis Goals

We hope you liked our article on tennis for beginners. To set your goals, ask yourself these questions:

  • What do I want to achieve in tennis?
  • Where will I be, or will I play in one, three, or five years?

These are questions that you should ask yourself. Sit quietly one evening and write down your tennis goals.

What really matters is that you have goals and that you think about them regularly. That gives you an extra boost of motivation if things don’t go as you expect them to in the first few months on the court

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