A great drill to practice the movement cycle starts with understanding the sequence of movements. It’s best to start with shadow exercises: focus on the split step, the step to the ball, the adjustment, the swing and the return to the starting position.
Start intensely on the balls of your feet (toes). Take a split step, move to the ball, adjust, execute the stroke and cover the court. Practice this both forwards and backwards, with the forehand and backhand.

Do the exercises slowly at first, then gradually increase the pace and extend the running path. Use Crossover steps to cover more efficiently. Repeat the sequence several times until you get a feel for the flow of the movement cycle.
The goal is to internalise the rhythm of movement and improve your responsiveness on the court.

Let’s examine the serve. There are two components to the serve: arm motion and ball toss. To hit the ball in the desired location, I must ensure that the ball is thrown high and straight. Inconsistencies in ball placement will impede my ability to make successful contact with the ball.

Here are some exercises to get a feel for the ball and the racket.

Of course you can go up. One side the side, one side, other side. No bounces. Little bounces. Bigger bounces, Really big bounces once other side, little bounces, medium big. You can also do one side. The other side for the adventurous. You can try edge. You can do it in motion with the other side of the side.

You can try catching one side or the side of the side of the side.

The initial motion is the toss, which resembles throwing the racket towards the ball. To integrate both actions, you can perform an exercise where you throw one ball towards another. The sequence will appear as follows: Toss and throw. Repeat the exercise as desired.

Here’s a progression to help you learn to serve using a continental grip, similar to holding a hammer. The ideal serve should be fluid, utilizing the whole body to hit the ball and making contact on top. With practice, you’ll be able to hit with both slice and flat, as well as execute a kick serve, similar to a topspin shot.

As a beginner, you may have a basic idea of what a serve looks like – a sideways fluid motion utilizing the whole body. But how do you achieve this? How do you start and consistently maintain full motion throughout?

Initially, it is advisable to adopt a forehand grip resembling a handshake. This is a suitable grip to use. Avoid an extreme forehand grip when serving as it may lead to difficulties.

However, using the grip that resembles shaking hands with the racket is likely acceptable when commencing. Once you are at ease with this grip, the subsequent step is to commence from this position and then progress downwards.

The concept is for the body to propel the swing by accelerating the racket. After assuming position one, move downward. By doing so, you can jump upward during the swing. The objective is to land on the front leg after jumping from the power position. Therefore, assume the power position, jump, and land on the front leg.

To work with Spins, switch to a continental grip instead of a forehand grip. The grip should resemble that of holding a hammer instead of shaking hands. This change will help you adjust to swinging in the direction of the ball’s trajectory.

Once you start feeling comfortable being able to get in position and rally with a basic swing that involves the whole body that hits from low to high, where you’re rotating into the shot and when you’re finishing, then the next step is start to be thinking about spins.

As you start your task, focus on accelerating the racket. Developing a quick and consistent swing is imperative. To achieve this, learn to relax your body. While it may seem counterintuitive, being relaxed is crucial for hitting the ball with force.

A very common mistake on the forehand is to turn sideways and then swing only with the arm, keeping your body sideways. Ideally you need to use the whole body to swing. Rotate the hips and torso during your backswing and then uncoil into your swing.

Coaching Keys

• Initiate the forehand with a unit turn, allowing hips and torso to rotate together rather than isolating the arm.
• Maintain dynamic body alignment: the shoulders may turn sideways in the preparation, but the body must not remain “locked” during the swing.
• Use a clear kinetic chain sequence—legs, hips, torso, shoulder, arm—to transfer energy efficiently into the ball.
• Focus on uncoiling the hips and trunk toward the target during the forward swing to support racket acceleration.
• Encourage fluid rotation rather than forced movement, ensuring balance and control are maintained throughout the stroke.

The importance of grip in tennis, especially for overhead shots, is highlighted. The eastern grip, characterized by the palm being behind the racket, is recommended as a starting point. Practicing overhead shots using this grip is encouraged.

Coaching Keys

• Emphasize grip selection as a foundational factor for control and efficiency in overhead strokes.
• Use the Eastern grip as a reference grip, with the palm positioned behind the racket face.
• Ensure grip consistency between preparation, contact, and follow-through phases.
• Introduce overhead technique progression using a stable and clearly defined grip.
• Regularly monitor grip changes, as players tend to shift unconsciously under pressure.

The serve can be explained as a coordinated, upward throwing motion built from clear, connected phases. After the ball toss, the racket moves into the power (trophy) position with the butt cap up and the racket head pointing down. From there, the racket drops smoothly before accelerating upward toward the ball.

Contact is made at the highest possible point, with the racket swinging up to the ball rather than down toward the court. During this action, the hitting arm moves up while the non-dominant arm lowers toward the body, creating a synchronized sequence. After contact, the racket continues across the body, finishing on the opposite side with the racket parallel to the net.

Coaching Keys – Serve Motion and Coordination

• Structure the serve into clear phases: drop, contact, and finish to improve clarity and rhythm.
• Guide the racket into a stable power (trophy) position before initiating the upward swing.
• Emphasize contact at the highest reachable point, with the racket accelerating upward toward the ball.
• Coordinate arm actions: as the hitting arm rises, the non-dominant arm lowers to support sequencing and balance.
• Finish with the racket traveling across the body, ending parallel to the net for controlled deceleration.

If you’re a beginner, you can start with an eastern grip or simply by shaking hands with the racket. That’s fine. Eventually, you’ll need to switch to a continental grip to enable spin variation.

Regardless, you should position yourself sideways with your foot slightly pointing forward. Avoid being completely sideways with your foot pointing forward and my racket pointing in the direction where I want to serve using my non-hitting hand. Keep it slightly above.

To serve in tennis, there are two motions: tossing and swinging the racket. Begin with the backswing, where you let your arms fall and separate while tossing the ball. Ensure the ball is tossed higher than the height you reach with the racket.

To achieve a proper toss, ensure a high trajectory while aiming sideways at the target. Begin by lowering your arms. Release the ball and observe the resulting position of my racket, pointing upwards. This arm indicates the direction of the ball. How can I be certain? It is because I have executed a successful toss.

If I throw it higher than my racket in that manner, and if the ball approaches near my hand at the end of the throw, then throw it like that. That is a favorable throw. If I have to extend my reach in that manner, then it is an unfavorable throw. Therefore, it is necessary to practice allowing the arms to descend, releasing the ball at a sufficient height and in the correct position for striking.

To enhance your one-handed backhand, bring the racket back using your entire body. Ideally, in the ready position, place your non-dominant hand on throat* of the racket. When you rotate your body, switch your grip with your right hand. Rotate your body and straighten your arm while turning your shoulders.

To execute the motion, turn your shoulders and bring down your racket in a backswing. Ensure that your arm is fairly straight. Aim to bring your hand near your pocket, moving it up and then down close to the pocket. As the ball approaches, begin rotating slightly and propel your racket forward.

When making contact, ensure that you are positioned in front of your front foot. Keep your body sideways and the racket parallel to the net, making contact slightly in front of your body.

After contact, your racket will continue its swing, while your non-dominant hand remains stationary.

That is a counter movement. Therefore, avoid moving your non-dominant hand forward. By the end of the swing, ensure that you are facing forward with the racket, keeping your head upright and on edge.

*Throat: The part of the racket between the head and shaft, also called the heart. Shaft: The section of the racket between the throat and grip. Grip: The part of the racket that the player holds.

All right. Let’s start with the grip. For the grip, you need an eastern backhand grip. 

The Eastern backhand grip is crucial for executing a topspin backhand efficiently, as it eliminates the need to excessively adjust your wrist.

Ideally, your stance should be closed to hit that backhand, and “close” means you’re stepping forward towards the shot so that you can transfer your weight into the court.

That is your ideal footwork. Sideways and swing through it.

In this instructional video, we focus on the essential steps for a solid backhand slice. Here’s a breakdown:

• As your dominant hand moves forward, let your non-dominant hand naturally move back to maintain balance.
• Start in a ready position, turning your shoulders with both hands and engaging your whole body.
• Keep the racket in a controlled position with a slight upward wrist angle and a fairly straight arm.
• The non-hitting hand should hold the racket’s throat, and you should stay slightly above the ball in a sideways stance.
• Bring the racket around the body to make contact with the ball, keeping it slightly open—not slicing or chopping.
• Avoid opening your body too early; stay sideways and swing through the ball for better control.

Let’s examine the demonstration of a backhand slice from various perspectives, preferably with a Continental grip. It is akin to grasping a hammer, with the knuckles slightly positioned on the side of the racket.

After making contact with the forehand, maintain momentum in the direction of the shot by continuously rotating your body. The racket should smoothly come through and over. A useful point to check your follow-through is to position your elbow in front of your chin, catch the racket with your left hand, and have the butt cap facing forward. Ensure that your entire body is oriented towards the front.

Proper follow-through is crucial for a smooth swing. The concept involves rotating the body, exerting downward force, then rotating in the opposite direction and exerting upward force. Essentially, this creates a spring-like motion as we rotate and push down before releasing.

To execute the movement effectively, I rotate my body while slightly bending my knees. This allows me to swing with my entire body rather than just relying on my arm. The key is to ensure that the entire body is involved in the swing towards the ball.

During the forehand backswing, it is crucial to initiate the movement with the entire body rather than solely relying on the arm. The motion should involve a complete rotation of the body. Begin with the racket in front of you, wrist facing upwards, and rotate your shoulders. Keep one arm stationary while the racket moves slightly backward and downward. This is the essential technique.

• Ensure the racket is not open when retracting it. It can be slightly closer.
• Ensure that the racket remains on the side of the body at all times and never behind it.
• Some people teach turning by imagining hanging the racket on the wall, which is a good starting wrist position. You can experiment with that.
• Once my racket drops, I rotate to make contact. It is crucial that my body is open at contact, not closed. Therefore, I turn my body and then rotate it into the shot as I swing.
• At Contact, my racket is going to be parallel to the net. 

Here’s a model of a technically solid forehand. I will demonstrate first and then go through the important checkpoints in order to hold your racket. What you need to do is you have two choices. Either you use an eastern forehand grip, which is like shaken hands, knuckles, index, knuckle behind the racket.

Or you use a semi western grip, which is like picking up a racket from the ground. The knuckle is a little bit more under the racket. Those are your two options for a forehand grip.

Two options are available. You either use a closed stance, which involves stepping forward towards the shot, or you use an open stance, which involves opening your hip and stepping to the side. So the feet are parallel to the net, but your body is facing sideways. Somewhere in between is also okay. You could be semi-open, and all those options are okay. What you want to try to avoid is going across the body to hit the ball. Because once you’re here, it’s very difficult to maintain balance. It’s also very difficult to rotate. So close stance, open stance, or somewhere in the middle.

As you improve your ability to hit the ball at varying heights, speeds, lengths, and spins, you’ll want to focus on the five crucial shots required at the highest level of the game – starting with a neutral shot.

That’s a great rally shot; it’s a consistently deep ball hit with good topspin, which can set up the point for you. You should practice hitting the shot with topspin at varying speeds and heights: high, medium, and low. This way, when you’re in a defensive position, you can lift the ball to play defense, lifting it high or not so high, depending on the situation.

Next, you should aim to feel at ease hitting the ball at shoulder height. Practice hitting the ball flat at this level, allowing you to attack short balls in the court with speed. This will involve hitting the ball quickly and without spin, as opposed to the neutral shot where you work the ball around the court consistently.

Your topspin shots are high, with a flat trajectory at shoulder level. To further your abilities, you desire to execute a shot that allows for a lot of spin but also causes the ball to stay low. This can be achieved by swiftly rotating your forearm and dipping the ball, whether it be a forehand or backhand shot, such as when hitting an angled shot.

Improve your tennis technique by perfecting your spins and keeping your arm movements concise. This is particularly effective when playing at the net or hitting angled shots. Moreover, practice your ability to react to high-speed balls without taking a backswing, like when you need to block a powerful shot.

You need to drop and block the racket in a precise manner. Focus on practicing the five distinct variations of groundstrokes consistently. It is essential to feel at ease with hitting the ball at shoulder level, lifting it, dipping it, and blocking it. These are your neutral shots.

To hit a topspin forehand, shift your grip further to the right, aligning with the flat surface resembling a handshake, known as the eastern hand grip. Observe that your knuckles should rest behind the racket.

To achieve a semi Western grip, adjust your racket by slightly rotating it and positioning your knuckle below it on the flat side, rather than just underneath. This grip is similar to how you would pick up a racket from the ground and can be utilized for executing a topspin forehand.

Hitting with a semi western grip allows for increased spin compared to an eastern grip. While many players on the tour prefer the former, some highly skilled players such as Roger Federer utilize an eastern grip. To demonstrate, here’s how to hold a racket with a semi western grip.

Holding the racket from the bottom is the reverse of the eastern grip, known as the Western grip. While it is similar to the eastern back and grip, the orientation is different. Few individuals use this grip to execute a forehand as it requires considerable acceleration. Therefore, the use of a Western grip is not recommended.

To hit a great forehand, a player must possess considerable strength. An eastern or semi-western grip is sufficient for this purpose, while a Western grip is also available. Typically, players use two or three different grips during a game. It is recommended to hold the racket all the way down.

Consider adjusting the positioning of your fingers for various strokes, such as the backhand with an eastern grip, volley with a grip resembling that of a hammer, and serve with a continental grip. Similarly, the forehand can be executed with an eastern grip, handshake grip, or semi-western grip. It is also possible to lift the racket from the ground. However, while holding the racket from the bottom with a western grip is an option, it is not advisable.

Try hitting the side of the ball and spinning it. Experiment with hitting the ball under it, causing it to bounce on the other side, hitting it in the air, and hitting it on all sides. These exercises are designed to help you understand how to control your racket.

Use your creativity and come up with fun games that will help you get a feel for your racket. One game that works well with children is playing tennis against yourself, using the line as the net. By focusing on these small exercises, you will begin to understand how your racket works, and this knowledge will translate into becoming a better player.