Tennis shots

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There are seven basic shots in the game of tennis:
the serve, forehand, backhand, volley, slice,smash and lob. Each shot is made by using a racquet to
strike a ball with the intent to hit the ball over the net. Tennis shots are therefore named
for when they are struck (in the case of the serve) or the manner in which they are struck.

Contents
[hide]

1 Serve
2 Forehand
3 Backhand
4 Other shots
5 References
Serve[edit]
Main article: Serve
A serve (or, more formally, a service) in tennis is a shot to begin the point. The most common serve
is used is an overhead serve. It is initiated by tossing the ball into the air over the server's head and
hitting it when the arm is fully stretched out (usually near the apex of its trajectory) into the diagonally
opposite service box without touching the net. The server may employ different types of serve: a flat,
a top-spin, an American twist (or kick), or a slice serve. A severely sliced serve is sometimes called a
sidespin. Some servers are content to use the serve simply to initiate the point; advanced players
often try to hit a winning shot with their serve. A winning serve that is not touched by the opponent is
called an ace.

Forehand[edit]
Main article: Forehand
The forehand is struck from the dominant side of the body by swinging the racquet in the direction of
where the player wants to place the shot. It is called a forehand because the racquet is held in such
a way that if one were to strike the ball without the racquet, it would hit the palm of your hand. This is
the opposite side from a backhand. It is considered the easiest shot to master, perhaps because it is
the most natural stroke. Beginners and advanced players often have better forehands than any other
shots and use it as a weapon.
There are various grips for executing the forehand and their popularity has fluctuated over the years.
The most important ones are the Continental, the Eastern, and the Western. The key differences
between grips are the different angles they create between the angle of your palm and the angle of

your racquet face. You are used to sensing the direction your palm is facing, so your palm makes
the most intuitive basis for sensing the direction your racquet is facing. For a number of years the
small, apparently frail 1920s player Bill Johnston was considered by many to have had the best
forehand of all time, a stroke that he hit shoulder-high using a western grip. Few top players used
the western grip after the 1920s, but in the latter part of the 20th century, as shot-making techniques
and equipment changed radically, the western forehand made a strong comeback and is now used
by many modern players. No matter which grip is used, most forehands are generally executed with
one hand holding the racquet, but there have been fine players with two-handed forehands. In the
1940s and 50s the Ecuadorian/American player Pancho Segura used a two-handed forehand to
devastating effect against larger, more powerful players, and many female and young players use
the two-handed stroke today.

Backhand[edit]
Main article: Backhand
The backhand is struck from the non-dominant side of the body by bringing the racquet across the
body (showing the backof your hand to the opponent) and swinging the racquet away from one's
body in the direction of where the player wants the ball to go. It is generally considered more difficult
to master than the forehand. It can be executed with either one or both hands. For most of the 20th
Century it was performed with one hand, using either an eastern or a continental grip. The first
notable players to use two hands were the 1930s Australians Vivian McGrath and John Bromwich.
The Two handed backhand was used more often since it allowed easy access to power and control.
Players like the Williams Sisters, Sharapova, and Andre Agassi use this stroke to its highest
potential to win some grandslams. Two hands give the player more power so it provides the player
with an advantage on power-focused shots. However, one hand is useful in that it can generate a
slice shot, applying backspin on the ball to produce a low trajectory bounce. The player long
considered to have had the best backhand of all time, Don Budge, had a very powerful one-handed
stroke in the 1930s and '40s that imparted topspin onto the ball. Ken Rosewall, another player noted
for his one-handed backhand, used a deadly accurate slice backhand with underspin through the
1950s and '60s. A small number of players, notably Monica Seles, use two hands on both the
backhand and forehand sides.

Other shots[edit]
A volley is made in the air before the ball bounces, generally near the net or inside of the service
line. It is usually made with a stiff-wristed "punching" motion to hit the ball into an open area of the
opponent's court. The half volley is made by hitting the ball on the rise just after it has bounced, once
again generally in the vicinity of the net. From a poor defensive position on the baseline, the lob can
be used as either an offensive or defensive weapon, hitting the ball high and deep into the
opponent's court to either enable the lobber (the player hitting the lob) to get into better defensive
position or to win the point outright by hitting it over the opponent's head. If the lob is not hit deeply
enough into the other court, however, the opponent may then hit an overhead smash, a hard, servelike shot (hit over the players head), to end the point. Finally, if an opponent is deep in his court, a
player may suddenly employ an unexpected drop shot, softly tapping the ball just over the net so
that the opponent is unable to run in fast enough to retrieve it.
A rarely used shot is a between-the-legs, inside-out forehand used for the first time by Guillermo
Vilas in an exhibition game in 1974[1] and one year later in the Indianapolis tournament. Called by
some the "Great Willy"[2] or the "Sabitweeni" because of Gabriela Sabatini's frequent use of it, it is a
last resource shot that is used when the ball has passed the player and he has to run for it with the
net at his back. If done well, it is very effective because the opponent cannot watch where the ball is
going to until it is too late. Roger Federer did it at the US Open 2009, and referred to it as "the best
shot [he had] ever hit".[3]

Another interesting shot named "tweener[disambiguation needed]" was first performed by Yannick Noah that
player facing away from the net hit the ball between his legs.

Tennis Forehand:

The tennis forehand is the 'meat and

potatoes', or the 'money shot' for the majority of tennis

athletes. It is not necessarily the easiest stroke to learn,
but it is the most natural. To visualize a tennis forehand,
picture this for a moment.
Lets assume you are left-handed. If you are playing tennis
and an opponent returns a tennis ball directly to your
body, your natural instincts would be to step to your right
and hit it back from the left side of your body.
However, if you are right-handed and an opponent returns
a tennis ball directly to your body, your natural instincts
would be to step to your left and hit it back from the right
side of your body.
The majority of tennis players prefer to execute a
forehand more than any other fundamental tennis stroke.
In fact, the majority of tennis strokes executed in a game,
set, or match are forehands.
Tennis Backhand: The tennis backhand is executed
from the side opposite of the forehand side. So if you are

right-handed, your backhand is executed from the left side

of your body and if you are left-handed, your backhand is
executed from the right side of your body.
In order to execute a tennis backhand, you must bring
your natural hitting hand around your body before hitting
the tennis ball. The tennis backhand may seem awkward
at first, but as you practice and familiarize yourself with
this stroke it will become a welcomed alternative to the
foundation of your tennis techniques and skills.
Tennis Serve: The tennis serve initiates every point. The
tennis player that is serving is termed the server and the
other tennis player is termed the receiver. By rule, you
can opt to serve anyway you see fit, it is your choice.
Technically though, competitive tennis players achieve and
maintain the most effective results by tossing the ball
straight up high above the head while rotating the tennis
racquet with a full motion swing aiming to strike the ball
to the diagonal service area on the opposite end of the
tennis court.
Tennis Lob: Uniquely termed in tennis, the lob is mainly
used as a defensive technique to turn the momentum of a

point into an offensive play. Did that make sense? Let me

attempt to clarify.
What is a lob? A lob is a high arching shot with additional
hang time that is initiated by a forehand, backhand, or at
times a volley. With the lob technique, a tennis competitor
has the ability to change the course of a point and keep
an opponent off balance during game play.
As a competitor, your goal is to win each an every point.
From time to time tennis athletes find themselves out of
position or vulnerable during game play. This is when the
lob technique comes in handy and can change the
direction of that point.
By launching a lob with precision and excellence, a
competitor can now gain and take control of that point.
The presence of the lob keeps an opponent guessing
instead anticipating the predictable forehand or backhand
ground strokes.
Master the lob as a defensive and offensive tennis
technique to gain an advantage. In other words, lob at will
to win a point.

Tennis Overhead: Similar to a serve, the overhead

tennis technique is designed to earn points by striking the
tennis ball as it floats in the air over the head to the
forehand or backhand side of a tennis athlete's body.
Generally, this is the response to an unsuccessful lob
attempt where the tennis competitor that initiated the lob
pays dearly.
Think of this performance as a slam dunk in basketball or
a spike in volleyball where tennis athletes have
deliberately term this action as an overhead smash or
smash for short.
A great overhead smash technique generates an
intimidating dominating effect as it can demoralize and
grant you an advantage over a frustrated opponent.
Tennis Volley: Simply put, the volley is a short punch
technique with little or no back swing from a tennis
athlete's forehand or backhand side. If you are the type of
player who enjoys going on the attack to instigate fastpaced action, the volley is probably one if not your
favorite tennis skill that intensifies your game.
Other than a serve or an overhead, every shot a player
executes before the ball bounces on the court is

considered a volley. This skill is frequently attempted as a

reaction to an out-of-position jam where a tennis athlete
is unable to play the bounce.
Most of the time though, the volley is habitually played as
an attack approach near the net where a skilled tennis
athlete has considerable options to win points due to the
ease of angling shots and clearing the net.
As stated earlier, every point played will require one, two,
and at times all these fundamental tennis strokes
throughout a game, set, or match.
Tune them up regularly to advance your game and to
reduce negative plays. Deviate from this action and
chances are you will pay the price especially in competitive
tennis tournaments.
So set a goal, train with a purpose, and strive to master
these fundamental tennis techniques.

Tennis is a ball game, which can be played by two

people or even four. When played between two
people it is called "singles" and when played by
four people (two people in each team), it is called

"doubles". To hit the ball each player has a racquet

(racket) and there is a net in between the two
teams in the middle of the court. Tennis can be
classified as an indoor as well as an outdoor game.
It is one of the most popular games in the world
and the players of this game are nothing less than
celebrities. Their fan following can be a matter of
envy for the cine stars as well. Tennis was initially
played by the aristocrats and was called court
tennis in the USA; in France it is called Jeu de
Paume and in Australia it is called Royal Tennis. In
Great Britain it was called Real Tennis and the
modern Lawn Tennis is derived from the same.
The court plays a significant role in the whole
game. It is rectangular in shape and it is divided
into two equal halves by the net that lies in the
middle of the court. The length varies with the
number of players playing, for singles 'it is thinner
than in doubles. To be precise the court is 23.77 m
long and 8.23 m wide for singles matches, and
10.97m wide for doubles matches. Additional
space is provided for the players to access overrun
balls.

Tennis courts are of three types:

Clay
Hard
Grass
Suspended
Indoor
Clay courts can be of two types:
Red clay
Green clay
Red clay courts are made of compressed brick
particles and are covered with a layer of loose
particles. This kind of court is common in Europe
and South America. The French Open is played on
a red clay court. The other kind is a green clay
court, which is not very different from a red clay
except for the fact that Har-Tru(C) or American
Clay is used to make the underlying bed and then
it is covered with red clay. Green clay courts are
mostly found in the Eastern and Southern parts of
United States.
Hard Courts are made of cement, plastic, asphalt
and even concrete are an advantage for people
who play speedy games and like to hit the ball
hard. The US Open in played on a hardcourt

surface and these are quite common in West

America and California and the Australian Open is
played on a Rebound Ace, which is a synthetic
hardcourt. There lies a difference between the
Rebound Ace and the ordinary hardcourt as they
differ in the degree of hardness. Rebound ace is
softer as a result of which when the ball bounces
the first time its speed decreases. The speed and
friction also depends on the materials that are
used to prepare the top layer of the court.
Grass courts can be made of synthetic or natural
grass and the bounce of the ball would be
dependent on the quality of grass that the court
has .Synthetic grass court is similar to Astro Turf
that is used for football matches. Grass courts are
expensive to maintain. The ball does not bounce
well but takes on good pace. Grass courts are used
in Wimbledon.
Tennis equipment is made by big brands and a lot
of detailing is involved in the manufacturing. It has
now become such a grand sport that everything
associated with it also assumes a lot of
importance.

Tennis Ball: A tennis ball can be yellow, green or

white in color (colors approved by the USTA) and
has fixed standards for size ,weight and
deformation. These balls are made of pressurized
rubber covered with high quality cloth, which is
made of wool and nylon. These balls are kept
under pressure of two atmospheres before initial
use.
Tennis Ball Machine: This is practice equipment,
which is used by the players to train themselves. It
helps the players to practice the footwork and
handle all kinds of shots that the opponent might
use. These machines come in different models and
are quite a help.
Tennis rackets (racquets): To play tennis the first
things that are elementary are the racket and the
ball. A racket in general has a handle and an oval
frame, across which a network of strings is
stretched. The size of a modern racket for an adult
would be 27" to 27.5". Tennis is a power game and
requires a lot of stamina and strength for only to
hold the racket since handling such a heavy device
becomes quite a challenge. When choosing a
tennis racket the following things have to be kept
in mind like the grip, the head size, length, flex,

string tension, weight, and balance.

Bag: This is one of the most neglected but
important accessories related to the game.
Whenever a bag is brought, the space that is
needed, the feature that would suit the best and
the style that is required should all be kept in
mind. Too small or too biog a bag can be equally
useless. Price for a good quality bag varies from
$50 to $60.
Tennis Apparel: Tennis apparel has gone through a
metamorphosis as has done the perception of the
game, wherein the former definitely contributes to
the latter. Initially men played the game in long
trousers and women wore long dresses and
stockings whereas now tennis players are style
icons and the apparels are designed by brands that
have made it quite fashionable. Any fashion brand
would have a different section for tennis apparel,
one only has to go and choose the apparel one is
comfortable in.
Tennis Shoes: When buying shoes for this game,
one should go for a proper shoes. The shoes
should be court specific, since its conformity and
compatibility differs from one pair to the other.
Shoes, like apparel, should also be comfortable

and should ensure that the feet are protected. The

toe area should have better protection than the
other parts of the foot as a tennis player uses his
toes for foreground grand strokes. Nowadays
shoes come with special cushioning and moisture
absorbing mechanism as well. Since the game
requires a lot of sudden movements, shoes should
support the feet and protect it to an extent.
Read more at Buzzle: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/tennisequipment.html
rules

Like any sport, tennis is also ruled by some strict

rules and regulations. Any tennis player found
guilty of breaching these rules is subject to
disciplinary action by the governing body of the
court where the match is being played. It is
expected that all the players know the tennis rules
before they go to play professional tennis,
anywhere in the world. For the entire set of tennis
rules, you may have to grab a copy of the official
tennis rules and regulations dossier, of the
International Tennis Federation (ITF). The ITF has
a 'Rules of Tennis Committee', which helps it make
and implement these rules. Let us have a look at

some of the rules and regulations in this article.

Rules and Regulations of Tennis
The rules of tennis extend from court rules all the
way to the tennis rules of the game during play.
Below is a relatively cropped-up list of tennis rules
and regulations, some general and some game
related. We will not go into the details of the rules
governing the tennis court dimensions, the fixtures
on court and the sizes and lengths of various
things. We will just get to business and see the
rules that you should know as a tennis player.
Tennis Gear
As with most sports, when playing professional
tennis, the tennis players are expected to wear
proper tennis shoes. This rule was made to protect
the tennis court from blemishes and tread marks.
Black-soled shoes are not allowed on the court, as
they may leave blemishes on the court.
Tennis Rackets
A tennis racket is only legal if it has all the stitches
attached and unbroken, does not have any energy
source attached that can affect the play and does

not have more than one set of stringed patterns on

it. Vibration dampening devices are only allowed if
they are placed outside the criss-crossed string
pattern.
Service or Court
The player that wins the toss is expected to choose
either the side from where he prefers playing or
the serve. If the toss winner chooses to serve, the
other player automatically gets the choice of court
side. When a server is serving in a game, the
receiver is allowed to stand outside the court lines
if he wishes to do so. The players are supposed to
change court sides on the completion of every odd
game, i.e. the first, third, etc.
Service
All serves that fall in the opponent's service box
and are served from behind the out-of-bounds
lines are counted as good serves. In lawn tennis, a
server is allowed to make underhanded serves.
The service can only be counted as legal when the
opponent is ready to receive it. The server loses
the point if he makes a double fault on his serve
(that is, he cannot get a good serve despite having

two chances to do so).

Continuous Play
The game of tennis once started must be in
continuous play till the match ends. Twenty
seconds are allowed between points and ninety
seconds are given for players to change ends at
the end of a game. At the conclusion of each set, a
maximum of 120 seconds are given to the players.
Scoring
In a standard game of tennis, the scores are called
out keeping the server's scores first. When both
players are on zero, it is termed as a love all start.
Having no points are referred to as love while the
first, second, third and fourth points are called out
as 15, 30 40 and Game respectively. When both
the players have won three points, the score is
termed as a Deuce and a deuce extends the game
by one additional point. That is, after a deuce
comes Advantage (awarded to whichever player
wins the points) and after advantage comes Game.
An advantage game reverts back to deuce if the
player fails top convert his advantage into a game.
In other words, a player must win two consecutive

points after a deuce to win a game.

Other Miscellaneous Rules
There are many other rules and regulations, but
mentioning all of them is impossible for the scope
of an article. Some miscellaneous tennis rules are
listed below:
All tennis players must show courtesy and respect
towards all the on-court and off-court judges. If
this rule is found to be breached, the player can be
punished with anything ranging from a fine to a
suspension, depending on the severity of the
breach.
All players are expected to empty their pockets
before the game begins, so that anything left in
the pockets does not serve as a distraction for
either of the players.
Before the start of each tour season, all tennis
players are asked to submit to a drug test. During
the season though, any player can be asked to
submit to a random drug test, despite having been
cleared in the 'start of the season' drug test.
Basic Tennis Shots
Here is a list of some common shots in tennis that
every tennis player should be aware of.

Serve
Forehand
Backhand
Double-handed Backhand
Top Spin
Slice
Drop Shot
Volley
Lob
Overhead Smash
Read more at Buzzle: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/tennis-rulesand-regulations.html