PING! BOUNCE! PAK! You feel your heart race faster as you go to serve the game point. Tension builds up, and you feel sweat dripping down your forehead. Suddenly, the ball just barely makes it over the net, and it is way too short for the other opponent to reach in time. You’ve won the tennis game, and here’s exactly how you managed to do it.

       To swing the racket, you have to make sure to swing with both hands on the racket. This way, it’s much easier to hit the ball with precision. When swinging you also must take a few steps, almost like skipping motion if you want to make it over the net with more ease. 

       Following through is a step that most beginners and even those that have been playing for a while forget. To follow through, you have to swing all the way back around to the opposite shoulder you started swinging at. This creates a motion for the ball to be more controlled and go exactly where you want it in a more organized fashion.

       In order to serve in tennis, you stand sideways, either to your left or to your right, depending on your dominant hand. Then you should bounce the ball a few times on the ground and hit it with your racket back on the ground to get a feel of the weight of the ball and how high off the court it bounces. After you get a feel of the ball, you should bounce it a little bit past your waist level so you don’t need to swing so high that the ball lands out of the court, but not so low that it hits the net and bounces right back at you. When it’s at this medium height, you can achieve the perfect serve by a calm and controlled swing with a big follow through. 

       To return the serve in tennis, you have to make sure to stay a little further back on the court. It’s always easier to run forward than it is to run backward and keep an eye on the ball at the same time. Instincts are a huge part of returning the serve because if it looks like it’s coming super fast at one solid level, you should try to just let it go because chances are, it’ll land out of the court and you’ll receive the point without even doing the work. 

       Finding out the opponent’s weaknesses as you play the game is a big part as well. This way, you’ll have the player right in your pocket without them even knowing it. For example, some players might not do well with quick balls because it doesn’t give them enough time to move, where others may do worse with gentle balls because they have too much time and just overthink it. Once you realize what the opponent’s weaknesses are, you can use them to your advantage incredibly.

       Tennis is exceptionally important because it’s one of those things where you need to be tremendously precise and be alert about your decisions. In life, you need to be just as cautious and attentive about your every move. 

-Lucy M.