Forehand

At least half the shots in tennis are forehands.  Forehand ground strokes are balls that bounce and then go to the side of your body that you hold your racket.  When the ball comes toward you, turn to the right if you are a righty and to the left if you are a lefty.  Hit the ball out in front of you, around waist level, and end with your racket over your shoulder. 

Backhand

A backhand ground stoke is when the ball bounces and goes toward the opposite side of your body than where you hold your racket.  When preparing for a backhand, you turn your body, and swing at the ball when it’s about waist level.  You should hit the ball with a low to high swing, and finish with your racket over your shoulder.

Lob

A lob is a high arching ball, which is very similar to a forehand or a backhand, but it lands deeper in the court, goes higher, and is hit softer.  To hit a lob, you can use the same grip as your forehand, you swing the same as a forehand, except instead of driving through the ball, you use a lifting motion.  Also, you shouldn’t end with your racket totally over your shoulder.   

Serve

The serve is one of the most important shots of the game. It starts every point, and allows you to have an advantage over your opponent if your serve is good enough.  When you serve, advanced servers usually use a continental grip, you toss the ball up in the air, bring your racket up, tuck it back behind your head, bring it back up, and hit it when the ball is coming down.

Volley

A volley is a shot hit usually when you are at the net, and is hit before the ball bounces.  Volleys are not about power, so you usually do not swing at the ball, but instead you use a blocking mothion.  When hitting a volley you must keep your wrist firm and step toward the ball with your opposite foot.

Overhead

The overhead is a mix between a serve and a volley.  It has the same motion as a serve, and you hit it out of the air like a volley.  The overhead however is a very aggressive shot, meant for power.  When you hit the ball, you should hit it as high up as you can.  When you are finished, your racket should be somewhere by your knee.