Ready Stance for Returning a Tennis Serve

Series Summary

Tennis originated in Europe in the late 1800's, and spread quickly throughout the English speaking world, particularly among the wealthy. It is now an Olympic sport and is played by people in many countries and social classes. Played on a flat court made of grass, clay or concrete, tennis players use a stringed rackets to pass a rubber, felt-covered ball back and forth over a net. The rules of tennis and the basic techniques of the players have remained relatively unchanged since the beginning of the game.

As a game that pits individual players against each other, tennis strategy is a delicate balance of wits versus athleticism. One of the most telling advantages a tennis player can gain is accomplished through their serve. In this free video series, a tennis coach will teach you how to return serve in ways that eliminate your opponent's advantage. You'll learn the proper return stance, how to return with forehand and backhand slices, how to return with topspin, and how to return with a chip and charge. You'll also discover fundamentals that are often taken for granted, such as where to stand and where to hit the ball upon return. With these tennis return tips, you'll be the aggressor in moments of defense!

Video Transcript

"We're going to now work on returning of serve. So there's a lot of theories on it but we're trying to make it as simple as we can. As you practice and grow in the game you'll probably add your own twists and permutations to the return of serve. But we're going to stick to the basics for now. So Ken is going to be, he's our serve returner and I'm going to kind of do it also so Kens kind of going to mimic what I'm doing. So you see how we hold the racket in our, in our middle; so this way if they serve to our forehand we're ready... So Ken. And if we serve to our backhand we're ready. So you want to be on your toes and you want to be moving your feet like this. So it's no different than in baseball, you'll see the infielders moving their feet. In football the backfield, everyone has to be ready to move their feet and in tennis you got to be ready to move your feet because you have to be able to flow to the ball. So Ken's going to demonstrate all the different returns of serve in this segment of how to, how to play tennis. So watch it and be ready to practice the drills and you'll see your game. Every point starts off with a serve and a return of serve. It's the most under practice shot in tennis."