The volley

The volley is one of the most important shots in winning a point. Up at the net, a player has a much better chance of commanding the ball, and therefore, winning the point. After the approach shot (which I will discuss later) you should be at the net. What I mean by this, is that your position in the court should be more than halfway up. The easiest way to find out where you should run to, or stand for volleys, is one racquet's length plus two steps back from the net. This means that you should be above the service line, but not right on top of the net.

To start your volley, we start with your ready stance and grip. Your feet should be a little more than shoulder length apart, knees bent, heels off the ground, ready to move. This should sound familiar because your ready position should be the similar to at the baseline. However, the difference at the net, is that the racquet should start in front of you, but in front of your face, that way the racquet is already up in the air, ready to turn to one side. This also helps in case someone hits the ball right at you, as all you have to do is lean out of the way. 

Your grip should be continental. If you do not know how to hold the racquet in continental grip, click here.

After you ready up, we will start with the forehand, simply turn your shoulders slightly to your forehand side, move your racquet to that side, keeping it slightly in front of you, and swiftly jab the ball, do not swing. The footwork for this shot is very simple: step forward with your opposite foot, like the player is doing above. If you are a right handed player, your forehand will hit on your right side, and your left foot will step forward. Left handed is vise-versa.

The backhand volley can be performed as a two handed or a one handed shot. For the two handed shot, simply put your weak hand on top of your dominant, turn to your backhand side, jab, and step with your opposite foot. For a one handed, turn to your backhand side, move your weak hand up to the bridge or throat of the racquet, (just below the strings,) and swing with the racquet moving out of your weak hand, keeping your weak hand up, stepping through with your opposite foot.

Four things to keep in mind when hitting volleys is that, 1) Never make a full swing on the ball, a light punch or jab is plenty. 2) Never hit or go over the net when swinging, this will result in an automatic loss of the point. 3) Never let the racquet fall below your waist, and never point the racquet down. 4) Don't let the racquet get behind you! Be aggressive and take the shot in front, if you are trying to catch up to the ball and hitting it from behind your body it will be much, much more difficult to make a good shot.

You should be one step closer to learning the sport after reading this and trying it out.

The one handed backhand

All right. So you are looking for some more reach on that backhand, or maybe the two handed shot doesn't feel just right to you. You may want to try a one handed backhand and see if that does the trick. A one handed backhand is much more complex then its two handed counter part, and as so, should be taken in steps. 







To start, you should master this shot using a normal grip first, your index finger running up the top bevel of the racquet, fitting nicely in your palm. Once you master this shot in the easiest of positions you can try another side out and see if it works better.
Before we get into the swing, lets talk about your feet. Because this shot has a much farther reach then the two handed version, your open stance should include your dominant side foot crossing over your other, with your back facing the net, head pointed down towards the contact. Your closed stance should remain the same as your two handed backhand.

Now, start your swing by using two hands on the racquet. Your hand position for your weak hand should move up to cradle the racquet on the throat or bridge, as I discussed for a one handed back spin shot for your backhand, (view here). From this position, practice moving the racquet back to prepare for your shot, while moving your hands up in position. Then, practice slowly swinging with both hands from this position, up and over your shoulder. You should be able to keep the racquet flat or closed with the court as you swing, don't let it wobble.
After you get this up to speed, practice shadowing with your weak hand just behind the racquet, that is, following the racquet's movement, in the same manor as the last step.
Once this is done, try letting the racquet swing out of your weak hand, leaving your hand where it was as you swing through. 
After you feel confident about the angle of the racquet head as you swing, practice tossing a ball just in front of you and hitting through the ball slowly, making sure your racquet head doesn't wobble through the shot. Each time you hit successfully, make your next shot a little faster, speed it up until you can hit over the net and get it up to speed with your forehand. 
Next, you will need a wall or another person to hit against. Start slow again, just trying to get a feeling for the shot and how your racquet needs to make contact. Until you can hit confidently, without 'shanking' the ball, (hitting the rim,) or wobbling your racquet, you will need to start slow and speed up. 
This takes a lot of time, but remember, learning a new shot is hard. You have to start slow and build up to a great shot, don't try to smash the ball on your first hit. Just remember to concentrate on hitting the sweet spot, and keeping your eye on the ball, then the contact.
A few important things to remember are: 1) use your weak hand! It can be very useful, even if your not using power from it you can still use it to steady the racquet and keep your balance! 2) Watch the shot! Its hard to see what your racquet is doing if you are looking at where you want the ball to go. Odds are, if you look up to see where the ball is going, you might not even hit the ball. 3) Practice! Because it's your weak side, and you don't have an extra hand on the racquet, it can be hard to get the racquet steady through the whole shot. However, the more you hit a one handed backhand, the easier it will become.
Hopefully, this will help in some shape or form. One handed backhands are great to reach those corner shot balls that seem too far, and it is also great if you are looking to add more topspin to your backhand. Keep in mind though that the power on your shot will suffer until you get a feeling for the shot and learn how to put that power back on it.

The two handed backhand

The backhand is arguably harder than the forehand. If you find this isn't the case for you then consider yourself lucky!
To start, the overall motion of the racquet should be similar to how I described the forehand. The backhand, unlike your forehand, is hit on your weaker hand side, (right-handed people will hit a backhand to their left, opposite for left-handed). Because the backhand is on the weaker side, many people find it much easier to hit with two hands to steady the racquet, and find it easier to make their backhand consistent and accurate.
You need two hands on the racquet for this shot, and this should be tried first in a normal grip. Start by holding the racquet as you would for a forehand, and then place your left hand right on top of your right, in a normal grip as well; your palm should rest on the opposite bevel, (the bottom bevel).
The two handed backhand, as demonstrated by Sharapova, is started by turning your shoulders so they point straight down the court, feet one in front of the other. Next, start the back swing on your racquet, placing it waist level or just below, behind you. Swing upward, pushing out with your left hand, finishing over your shoulder. Last, step through with your back foot and keep your racquet up until the shot is finished.
Hopefully, with a couple of practice shots, this will become as easy as your forehand!

The continental grip

Okay, you've made it through your first few lessons. Now you are ready to take on volleying and serving. To do both of these, you need to first move your hand into continental grip.
Why should I use continental?
Continental is very useful because it aids in angling the ball directly into the court both at the net and when serving. Because of the way your shoulders are turned when serving and volleying, the continental grip will allow you to line up the ball based on the new angle of your racquet. From the net, your shoulders are only slightly turned, to put your racquet even with the court you need to change the grip on your racquet and therefore the angle.
This is done by moving you hand to bevel 4 if you are right handed, or bevel 1 if you are left handed. Again, your index finger should run up the new bevel and it should fit comfortably in your palm. To check if you are in continental, you can stand still, and try to bounce the ball straight up and down against the ground. If the ball bounces right back up to your racquet, then you need to adjust your grip. This is also useful when serving because of how your shoulders are positioned.
When you serve, your shoulders should be completely even with the lines on the court. In order to make a successful serve, your shoulders must open as you swing. To minimize the amount that they need to turn, you can start in continental grip, taking out some extra rotation and also adding that direct angle towards the ball. Next time you serve, get in position behind the base line. If your shoulders are closed and in normal grip, you should notice that you racquet's angle points directly down the side that you are on. Since you need to serve cross-court, if you start in continental grip, you will notice that just holding the racquet in the air, it is already pointed towards the correct service box.
This grip may feel a little strange at first but I promise you will get used to it. In fact, for some it may even feel better than your normal grip! If that is the case, I encourage you to use it as much as possible. Continental grip, if used correctly, will create natural topspin for your forehand side on the ball, and it will cause that visible arc motion when watching the ball.  Keep in mind though that you may have to readjust your grip for your backhand as the angle is no longer flat, but turned up towards the sky on that side.

The backspin slice

Backspin

Okay so you've been working on your shots and you have them down pretty good. What's next? A good step to go to once you can confidently hit 8/10 or 9/10 shots without 'pattycaking' them over the net is the backspin or back slice.
This shot can be done from either the forehand or backhand side. To hit a  back slice, start in either your normal or a continental grip. (Try out both and see which feels more natural for you.) Start with the racquet high as opposed to low or waist high. Make sure you have about a 45 degree angle on your racquet head, not vertical or horizontal with the court, but somewhere comfortably in between. Bring the racquet through the ball, keeping that angle throughout the shot, and bring the racquet slightly downwards with your swing, ending at about your waist. Keep visual contact with the ball, and leave your head down as you would with any other shot after the hit is made. It is very important that you retain the angle your racquet head makes throughout the shot or you may end up hitting the frame or fail to have enough power to hit the ball over the net.
This shot on the backhand side can be done either one or two-handed. If you try the one hand, make sure you bring your weak hand up to the bridge or throat (shown below) of the racquet to stabilize the shot. 

Parts of a racquet

Then, as you swing, let the racquet come out of your weak hand and bring it down through the shot, keeping your weak hand up in the air as you swing.

This is one of the harder shots to understand the 'feeling' of how you should hit the ball, and by that, one of the harder shots to master. However, once you add this shot to your repertoire, it can be a great tool as it can be used for offense, defense, or a neutral shot. 

How to hold the racquet

So you're new to the sport and have never touched a racquet in your life. Not a problem! Holding the racquet is very easy. The easiest way to describe a standard, beginner grip on the racquet is to put it flat on the ground and pick it up as you would a frying pan. If this doesn't make sense than lets take a deeper look into it.

The racquet has eight sides or bevels. To grip the racquet normally, line up the part of your dominant hand circled in the picture with the top bevel marked on the octagon that is your racquet grip. Your index finger should be able to run up the top of the racquet toward the head. The top of the racquet should then fit comfortably inside your palm with your fingers closed around the grip. You want to keep a tight enough grip to prevent the racquet sliding while swinging, but not so tight that you could define it as a 'death grip.' Your weaker hand should then be placed right above the dominant hand in the same manor.

Basic forehand technique

 For every player, the starting point of their game is their forehand. The forehand should compose of 70% of your hits from the baseline and is to most people the easiest shot to make and master.

Step 1

To begin, make sure your your feet are lined up, parallel with the lines of the court and your knees are slightly bent. To start your swing, bring your racquet slightly back and drop the ball so that it bounces around waist level. Your weaker hand should try to shadow the right, keeping it up initially in front of your body for balance.

Step 2

 Next, keep eye contact with your shot and the ball and try to place the ball directly to the center of your racquet. If you are playing with a new racquet try to hit the center of the logo on the strings. Keep your swing low with your racquet pointed slightly down towards the court. Also bring your weak hand up with your swing, leaving the distance between the two hands about the same.

Step 3

Keep your head down, eyes on where contact with the racquet was made. Drive all the way through the ball and bring your racquet up towards your shoulder so that you lift the ball up and over the net. It is important that you keep swinging after hitting the ball. Don't half swing or stop after the initial moment of contact.

Step 4

Last, bring the racquet all the way up, over your shoulder and let your weak hand re grip the racquet. You should feel yourself being pulled into the court with this overall motion if done fluidly. Take one step with your back foot, moving forward, following that pull. I like to call this the momentum step.

Most importantly, practice! Learning this sport is all about repetition and learning from your mistakes! The more times you hit a shot the better you get at it.