Categories

Approach Shots

When you come to the net, you hit a specific type of shot called an approach shot. The approach shot is designed to make it difficult for your opponent to easily send the tennis ball past you as you come to net. In this section, our free tennis lessons will show you how to hit an effective approach shot that should help you end the point quickly.

Backhand

When you hit the tennis ball on your non-dominant side, you are hitting a backhand. This section of Fuzzy Yellow Balls has videos that teach you the fundamental techniques that every pro uses to hit a backhand. We teach the two-handed, one-handed, and slice backhands by breaking the shots down into easy-to-follow steps, and then show you video and pictures of some of the top pros on tour doing each step.

Footwork

One of the most important aspects of learning to play tennis is developing solid footwork fundamentals. Proper tennis footwork is often overlooked by club-level players, and this is a huge mistake. You can't expect to hit great tennis groundstrokes if you can't move to the ball and set your body up properly. In this section we use videos to examine the fundamental pieces of footwork that every single top tennis pro player utilizes on tour, and show you video footage and pictures of them executing each step.

Forehand

When you hit the tennis ball on your dominant side (your right-hand side if you are right-handed), you are hitting a forehand. The forehand is often the shot that every tennis player develops first, but this also means that players often develop bad habits early on their forehand side. This section of Fuzzy Yellow Balls contains videos that teach you the fundamental techniques that every pro uses to hit a backhand. We teach the tennis forehand by breaking the shot down into easy-to-follow steps, and then show you video and pictures of some of the top pros on tour doing each step. If you can master the techniques in this section, you will be well on your way to having a strong weapon in your forehand.

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Grips

The grip, or the way you hold the tennis racket in your hand, is the foundation for every single shot in tennis. Often times players simply grab the racket and start hitting, and it is worth taking the time to analyze your grip to make sure it best suits your style of play. Additionally, there are certain grips that every high-level player uses for certain shots (such as a Continental grip for the serve), and having an incorrect grip can prevent you from taking your tennis game to the next level. Watch the videos in this section to learn how your grip on the tennis racket can affect and improve your game.

High Speed

This section of the website contains the (more-or-less) raw high speed footage of tennis strokes that we use in many of our free tennis lessons. You'll find super slow motion clips of the tennis forehand, backhand, serve and volleys.

Kick Serve

The kick serve is a variation on the serve that adds a combination of topspin and sidespin to the ball. Because of these spins, the kick serve can be hit higher over the net but still land inside the opponent's service box, making the kick serve a very consistent serve and at the same time very difficult for the returner to judge. Because it is so consistent, almost every top tennis professional uses the kick serve as their second serve. The kick serve is much more than a defensive shot, however. Some pros, such as Rafael Nadal, have tremendously aggressive kick serves that they use as their first serve as well. We teach you the tennis kick serve by comparing the kick serve motion to the flat serve motion and highlighting the differences between the two.

Overheads

After hitting an approach shot and coming to net, you are in position to volley the ball. Your opponent, however, can try to send the tennis ball past you by lobbing it up over your head. If his lob is within your reach you may have the opportunity to hit an overhead smash. The technique for the overhead smash is similar to that of the serve, and the videos we have in this section will teach you, step-by-step, how to put the ball away by hitting a tennis overhead.

Return of Serve

The return of serve is one of the least-practiced shots in the game of tennis. The real key to a great service return lies in the special footwork you use when hitting this shot, and the videos in this section will get you using the proper technique to get the ball back effectively. Because the return of serve is not practiced by many players, you can create an advantage for yourself by developing a great return game. You will place pressure on your opponent's serve and can turn one of his strengths into a weakness.

Serve

The serve is arguably the most difficult shot in tennis to learn because there are so many moving parts of the body that must act together. In this section of the website we teach you to hit an effective tennis serve by breaking the serve down into its fundamental steps, the things that every good server does the same. Each video focuses on a particular piece of the serve, and we then demonstrate how to combine the elements into an effective weapon.

Slice Serve

The slice serve is usually used as an alternative to a flat serve. The server places sidespin on the tennis ball, causing the ball to hook from right to left as it flies towards the opponent's service box. This serve combines pace with unpredictable motion and can be a devastating changeup when used effectively. In these videos we teach you how to hit a tennis slice serve by comparing the slice serve with the flat serve, highlighting the differences between the two.

Volleys

When you hit the tennis ball before it touches the ground, you are volleying the ball. Volleys are typically hit when you come up to the net to end the point by putting the ball away. While the volleys are mechanically one of the simplest shots in tennis, many people have trouble executing the fundamentals. In this section, we teach you the technique that every top volleyer uses, from Pete Sampras to Tim Henman.