Tennis - Ideal For Beginners

If you have not been the sporty or athletic type but are keen to take up a sport as part of your goal to adopt a healthier lifestyle, tennis is a wonderful game to pick up.

Tennis can be played according to the players' preference - slow and steady for beginners, or fast and furious for advanced players and professionals.

Tennis is also one of the few sports that uses most of the muscles on your body, which means you get a very good overall workout, and it's great for your cardio.

For these reasons, tennis is ideal as a beginners' sport, even for those who have never been active in sports.

Tennis is also a very sociable game. It takes at least two to play tennis, just like it takes two to tango. You can chit chat with your partner in between sets. Unless you're in a competitive match, you can even trade jokes during the game!

For even more fun, when you're more confident in your game, you can invite an additional two players to make it a "doubles".

What do you need?

A tennis racquet

A pair of tennis shoes (or track shoes)

Some tennis balls

A tennis court

And a partner!

What you need to know?

Here are some of the things you need to know before getting on the court.

1. How to hold the tennis racquet

Assuming you're right handed, hold the tennis racquet on your left hand. Then open up the palm of your right hand, put it against the racquet handle, and slide it down to the grip and grip it.

2. Swings

There are several basic tennis swings that beginners need to learn, but the 2 most basic are the following:

a. forehand (position of your racquet is similar to an open palm on your right hand facing the net)

b. backhand (your right hand will be across your body with the back of your hand facing the net)

You can play a game just using these two swings as a start.

3. The Tennis Court

If you're playing Singles (2 players), the "in" area of the court is demarcated by the two inner vertical lines running from one baseline to the other.

If you're playing Doubles (4 players), then you will be using all the areas within the two outer vertical lines.

The ball is always served from behind the Baseline, the horizontal lines at the back of the court.

First Time on the Court

Now that you have the necessary equipment, some basic knowledge and a partner, you're now ready to get on the court.

When you get to the court, start with some stretching exercises, either alone or together with your partner. As tennis uses the muscles in your legs and arms, be sure to include some stretching exercises that target these muscles.

Once you've completed the stretching exercises, you can warm up effectively by playing "mini-tennis" for approximately 10 to 15 minutes. This means you and your partner will be standing just behind the service boxes, and start hitting the ball to one another slowly and steadily.

After the warm up, you can now move back to the baseline to start playing a game.

As this is your first tennis game, do not get hung up on the rules of the games or the proper swinging techniques. Just hit the ball to one another. Try to keep your ball within the court, so it'll be easier for you and your partner to return the ball to each other.

The main objective for your first game is to have fun, before deciding on whether this is the sport for you. And the more times you hit the ball, the more fun you will have!

Nora Yu is a tennis enthusiast who has been playing the game for more than 5 years. For more tennis tips, visit [http://www.TennisVideoLessons.net]