| In the game of tennis, there are eight basic shots: | | | | The main strategy for players is to build on their |
| - Serve | | | | forehand shots. A point is set up until they have a |
| - Forehand | | | | good chance of striking a powerful forehand in order |
| - Backhand | | | | to win the point. |
| - Volley | | | | The backhand is struck from the non-dominant side of |
| - Half volley | | | | the body. This is done by bringing the racquet across |
| - Overhead smash | | | | the body and swinging the racquet away from the |
| - Drop shot | | | | body in the direction of where the player wants the |
| - Lob Each of these shots is made by using a racquet | | | | ball to go. This shot is generally considered more |
| to strike the ball with the intent to hit the ball over the | | | | difficult to master than the forehand. |
| net. Therefore, tennis shots are named when they are | | | | A volley is a shot that is hit before the ball touches the |
| struck, or because of how they are struck. | | | | ground. A player generally hits a volley whilst standing |
| A serve shot is undertaken to begin the point. The | | | | close to the net. However, there are instances where |
| overhead serve is the most common serve. When | | | | the ball is executed further back, such as in the middle |
| undertaking this shot, the ball is tossed into the air over | | | | of the court, or close to the baseline. |
| the server's head. The server stretches out their arm | | | | The volley is used as an offensive weapon, cutting the |
| completely and hits the ball into the opposite service | | | | opponent's reaction time. A player can also eliminate |
| box in a diagonal direction without allowing the ball to | | | | any opportunity of a bad bounce from an uneven |
| touch the net. A flat, a top-spin, an American twist, or a | | | | surface as is sometimes seen on grass and clay |
| slice, are some of the different serves that can be | | | | courts. It is important that a player has quick reflexes in |
| used. A serve can sometimes be severely sliced, | | | | order to make this shot, which requires good hand and |
| which is referred to as the sidespin. The serve is used | | | | eye coordination. |
| by many players in order to initiate the point, whilst | | | | The lob is used either as an offensive or defensive |
| some players attempt to hit a winning shot with their | | | | weapon. The ball is hit high and deep into the |
| serve. A winning serve that is not touched by the | | | | opponent's court to either enable the lobber to get into |
| opponent is referred to as an ace. | | | | a better defensive position or to win the point outright |
| The forehand is a shot that can be used in other | | | | by hitting it over the opponent's head. If the lob is not |
| racquet sports such as table tennis, squash, and | | | | deep enough, the opponent can return the ball with an |
| badminton. This shot is achieved by swinging the | | | | overhead smash, which is a hard, serve-like shot. If an |
| racquet across the body in the direction of where the | | | | opponent is deep in his court, a player can employ an |
| player requires the ball to land. A right-handed player | | | | unexpected drop shot, which is delivered by softly |
| using the forehand shot would begin on the right side | | | | tapping the ball just over the net so that the opponent |
| of the body and continue across the body as contact | | | | is unable to run in fast enough to return the shot. On |
| is made with the ball, and finish on the left side of the | | | | the other hand, a defensive lob is carried out in order |
| body. The forehand is the easiest shot to master in | | | | to push the opponent back to the baseline and prolong |
| tennis, as it is the most natural stroke. Both beginners | | | | the point. When a player is pulled out of court, a |
| and advanced players generally have a better | | | | defensive lob is useful in order to buy time to run back |
| forehand than any other shot. | | | | and get into a better defensive position. There are |
| Most forehands are hit with topspin as this helps to | | | | tennis players renowned for their excellent lob shots |
| keep the ball from landing outside the court. If a player | | | | such as Chris Evert, Lleyton Hewitt, Andre Agassi, |
| is undertaking an approach shot, they can opt to hit the | | | | Martina Hingis, and Jelena Jankovic, just to name a |
| ball with backspin, which is also referred to as a slice. | | | | few. |