Day 1. Hitting the Tennis ball.

Developing eye coordination and arm synchronization is the first step.

Swinging the Racquet: First step is to learn the proper way of swinging your Tennis racquet. One of the major misconceptions is that Tennis swings are like squash/racquet ball or badminton.

In tennis wrist needs to stay steady. Most of the force needs to come from the elbow (biceps/triceps) and shoulder muscle. The momentum of the racquet needs to be built from big swings.

See the video below on correct forehand swing technique and swing the racquet through the air (without ball) 10 times using continental grip. See the video below.

Make some adjustment and repeat 10 more times.

Repeat swinging until a good composure and correct forehand swing is in place.

Stand at the base line and take a case / basket of real Tennis balls (75 balls) and place it next to yourself. Pick up one ball at a time from shoulder height. Let the ball bounce off the ground and then try to hit it with the racquet. Initially there will be a lot of miss swing, ball flying low and high.

Once all the balls are used up refill the basket and try again. Repeat this for few days. The aim is to get 80% of the ball to land on the other side of the net and into the court.

Tennis Gears and Equipments

Bad workers always blame their tools. This is particular true for Tennis. In tennis your tools deserves all the blame for bad performance.

Gears are often over looked in Tennis. Having the right gear will contribute greatly to speed up your learning process. One analogy I use is a fish tank. Often time’s people start with a small starter fish tank and then they move to a bigger tank. But as we all know that a big fish tank is much easier to maintain then a small one.

• Tennis shoes: Tennis in hard court will put a lot of pressure on your knees and ankle. Without proper shoes you are prone to serious injury. One injury can take you out for a month. Remember, Tennis shoes are different then running shoes though they may look same. They are designed to soften hard impacts from rapid movement.
• Tennis balls: New players are not used to or able to sustain long rally. Therefore having lot of balls will cut down the time of collecting balls. You will be able to hit more balls by having a lot of extras at hand. My recommendation would be to get at least 75 balls.
• Tennis racquets: Tennis racquets are the life blood of the sport. Cheap racquets that are sold in discount stores (Walmart / Target) are very tempting. Some people think they should wait to learn Tennis first then buy a real racquet. But a real good racquet makes it much easier to learn. Also Tennis racquets are life time investment like your cast iron cooking set.

Before you start

Few things you should know about Tennis:

• Tennis is now the fastest growing classic sport in US. Here is an article from USTA .
• Be prepare to spend 90+ min per day. Tennis courts are located on most High schools and in some parks. Traveling to and from the court will require 30 min. A good Tennis workout will require at least an hour of play.
• Some initial investment will be required on proper gears. On my next post I will detailed what I consider is essential for playing Tennis.
• It can put strain on your muscle and joints (for first few months if you been physically inactive). Swinging a Tennis racquet in a wrong manner can cause serious injuries. It is crucial to get few starter tips from someone who has been playing tennis for a while or from an real instructor.
• Initial learning curve is very steep and be prepared to be frustrated for first few weeks. It is much harder then it looks on TV. Be prepared to hit the net or hit “home runs” while you adjust your game.
• Tennis is addicting: This is the best thing about Tennis. Once you learn the basics you will enjoy every swing you take at the ball. This will be the biggest motivator. The hard part is enduring first few weeks.