Tennis is a really fun game for you and your child. It hones your child's concentration skills and improves his overall muscle tone and stamina. In short, it's one of the best forms of exercise. You can start your child with tennis as early as 3-5 years.

Tennis is a racquet sport, just like badminton. The difference lies in the racquets which are bigger in tennis and of course the ball. You generally play tennis in a court with 2 or 4 people and hit the ball across the court, over a net, onto the other side. The play continues as the other player hits the ball and this continues between the players till one of them fails to hit the ball. These are the basic tenets of tennis.

WHAT DO YOU NEED ?
You need to concentrate on 3 areas before playing tennis. Equipment, Players and Location.

Equipment :
Tennis is an equipment intensive game compared to most other sports. You'll need the following before you lob the ball.

Racquet : Tennis racquets are of a special nature and also are the bare necessity for the game. They are usually made of aluminium and wood while the strings are made out of nylon. The strings can be made out of natural fiber or synthetic too. As your child progresses in the game you may even indulge in a graphite racquet. These are very light and responsive to a seasoned hand.

Ball : Tennis balls are light, round, bright yellow and green in colour. They are 6.35-6.67 cms in diameter and are sold in cans of 3.

Clothing : The game is played wearing light coloured t-shirts and shorts. Girls can wear skirts for comfort since the game demands a lot of running. The clothing should be non-restrictive and cool since it is also primarily an outdoor sport.

Tennis Shoes : What your child will basically need are light shoes which will provide enough support to your insole and ankle to allow you to run around freely. As far as you're comfortable moving forwards, backwards and sideways without any discomfort, the shoes should be just right for tennis.

Players :
Tennis is a one-on-one sport between 2 and maximum 4 people. When 2 play against each other the match is known as singles and when 4 play against each other we call it doubles.

Location :
An open court around 78 feet in length and 27 feet in width is considered a traditional tennis court. It is generally a grass court, but often tennis players prefer clay or even carpeted courts. The court is usually demarcated by chalk lines to mark the boundary and safe / foul locations for the players. There is also a vertical white line that runs through the court. On the right of the vertical line is known as the 'deuce' court while the one on the left is called the 'advantage' court.

LET'S PLAY !

The game commences after the toss where the players spin a racquet on the ground. A decision is made on the basis of which side of the racquet faces up. The smooth or the rough. The winner of the decision can decide whether to serve or to receive.

To serve in tennis the player needs to toss the ball up in the air and hit it on it’s way down. The player stands in the deuce court and must make sure that the ball bounces first in the opponent's court on the deuce side. The play then goes on till the ball lands outside the boundary.

The point system in this game is the fun part. A player must win 2 'sets' out of 3 for women. In case of men it's 3 out of 5 and to win a set, the player must win 6 games but must win them with a lead of 2. Which basically means that he cannot win 6-5! If he scores 7-5 he wins.

The counting system works in a fixed sequence of numbers, which means that the first time a player scores he gets the score 15-0, then 30-0. After that we have 40-0 and if the player wins the next point he wins the game. If he doesn't and the other player also makes the same score we call it Deuce. Then the players go into the next 2 points where one player will win and he will have the 'advantage'. And if he wins the next then and only then does he win the game. Or else both players come back to Deuce.

There are a few basic tennis strokes to remember:

Serve : This is the first stroke where the ball is thrown vertically into the air and is hit by the player on it's way down.

Backhand : In this manoeuvre the player faces the opponent's ball with the back of the racquet. Which means the side of the racquet which faces the outer side of his forearm.

Forehand : In this stroke the ball is hit with the same side of the racquet as that of the body. Which means the inner side of the forearm.

Groundstroke : This means that the player has faced the ball after it has bounced once.

Volley : This denotes that the ball is hit before it bounces whilst the play is on.