New to tennis? Start at the net!

Show up for your tennis lesson on your first day or your first day of high school tennis practice or your first private lesson and most often, you’ll start at the baseline. It’s where points start. It’s where most strokes at the professional and competitive level happen. But it’s not the place to start.

     In one aspect, tennis is about as simple as it gets. Fuzzy ball, white lines, ball’s gotta bounce on the other side twice. Any player with the ability to whack a ball can play. That’s the beauty of tennis. It’s why hundreds of people play their whole life. But if you’re looking to develop long term skills that will translate for a player’s tennis life, start at the net. Here’s why.

     Net play, or more commonly known as “volleys” within the tennis community, happen with a continental grip. Sometimes called the handshake grip or the hammer grip, the continental grip is the most versatile grip in tennis. Unfortunately, may private instructors and coaches don’t bother teaching grip at all. After all, it can be a daunting task. There are at least 5 different forehand grips, and I’ve seen a zillion different ways to hit a backhand. But I’ve never heard a coach encourage anything other than a continental grip to hit a volley.

    Starting at the net can result in early success for every player. A good coach can basically hit a player’s racquet with the ball and get it to go where they want it to go. That’s tougher to do at the baseline and leads to plenty of players giving up before they’ve even done one thing right.

     While the volley stroke is simple (some would argue that the “stroke” is almost non-existent), the footwork can be a little tougher. Good volleys require a player to be in a solid ready position, and two steps in the right pattern. This helps reinforce the importance of footwork in tennis. Those who learn to hit groundstrokes first often feel confident in their playing ability without even knowing that the game requires solid footwork to be an all-court player.

     But what about the serve? Isn’t that where points really start?

     Of course. And if you’re using proper service technique, you’re using a continental grip. I’ve been coaching college tennis for over 20 seasons (men and women combined) and I get at least one freshman every year who can’t serve or volley with a continental grip. Almost all of them have a terrible second serve and a backhand volley that’s even worse. That’s because while you can hit from the baseline with just about any grip, the only grip that every player absolutely must have to be an all-court player is the continental grip.

     So, essentially, these players have been lied to. A coach told them they were ready for match play without ever teaching the most essential part of the game. That’s like a baseball player not being told about having to catch a batted ball or soccer player who can only kick with one foot.

     Bottom line is this. Tennis begins and ends with the continental grip. Learning to get your opponent out of position and taking advantage of their position is more important than cracking forehands. If you can move your feet well, you can win with JUST a continental grip. When you get on the courts, make sure continental grip is your first focus. Once you master that, all the other strokes will come easy.