Beginner's guide
Top tips for getting on court for the first time
Whether you’re a tennis beginner or returning to play for the first time in a while – here are three essential tips from LTA expert coach Matt Smith for having the best time on court.
Start close to the net
If you haven’t played before, jumping straight into full court rallies is going to be difficult. The best way to start is either without, or playing close to, the net.
Use service boxes
For complete beginners, you can start by playing on your own, or as a tag team to hit the ball up and bounce inside the service box, moving in all different directions, and without having the net as a barrier.
You could progress this to hitting over one of the lines of a court with your partner to each other, or if on your own, moving across the court yourself.
When you feel more comfortable, bring in the net but play from the service line – the boxes closest to the net. Top tip: give each other a target to aim at.
Rally challenge
This will help you improve the control on your shots, and you can start building rallies – which is the best part of tennis!
Challenge yourselves to hit as many shots as you can in a rally as a team.
Once you’re happy and regularly playing longer rallies you can begin to take steps back towards the baseline – but there’s no need to rush into it.
Try different tennis balls
What many people don’t realise is that there are different tennis balls available that make it easier for beginners. We call them transition ball and can be used as a tool to improve.
These balls have a lower compression, so they are slower and don’t bounce as high. Here’s a breakdown of the different types of balls available:
- Red ball (Stage 3 - 25% compression) – for complete beginners
- Orange ball (Stage 2 - 50% compression) – for beginners and improvers
- Green ball (Stage 1 - 75% compression) – for improvers and intermediates
- Yellow ball – for intermediate and advanced players
Using these different balls will make it easier for you to enjoy longer rallies, develop your shots and have more fun on court.
These can be bought from our partners at Tennis-Point for as little as £4. Check out the full range available on their website.
Keep it simple
It may seem obvious, but the best way for you and your partner to enjoy your time on court is just to keep it simple.
The longer your rallies, the more you’re going to have fun, so consistency is important.
It can be very tempting to try and hit winners off every shot, but when you start out, most points are won by mistakes.
You can even try starting points with an overarm through instead of a serve to make it easier to get into the rally.