When tennis beginners start learning to play, they first need to learn basic forehand and backhand technique as these will allow them to play, enjoy the game and come back for more.

The basics of tennis of course also include the serve, volley and the overhead strokes, but these techniques can be learned later as the beginner learns to rally first cooperatively with their partner. All groundstrokes, meaning the forehand and the one-handed or two-handed backhand variation, follow very similar step-by-step progressions with only slight adjustments between them.