Tennis for Total Beginners
One of the most common beginner mistakes we see is the lack of follow-through. There is no way you can hit the ball consistently that way.
You might be saying to yourself how the follow-through matters since the ball is long gone. Well, it definitely matters because no follow-through means that you have decelerated the swing well before the ball is hit. Moreover, you are probably flicking your wrist or elbow to generate power. If your swings were filmed, would they look like the following?
You might be saying to yourself how the follow-through matters since the ball is long gone. Well, it definitely matters because no follow-through means that you have decelerated the swing well before the ball is hit. Moreover, you are probably flicking your wrist or elbow to generate power. If your swings were filmed, would they look like the following?

You must follow through after hitting the ball. After hitting the ball, think of (1) tapping the racket head against the shoulder, or (2) putting the racket in the backpack or (3) pointing the butt cap to the opponent. If you do this correctly, the follow-through should look like the following.

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Here is a video of Coach Mauro discussing the follow through concept.
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In our opinion, Oscar Wegner has the best way to teach a complete beginner how to hit. Here are some of the videos that are helpful to get you started. Notice how Oscar emphasizes a full follow-through by having the students tap the racket head on the shoulder three times.
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Will Hamilton of Fuzzy Yellow Balls (http://www.fuzzyyellowballs.com/video-tennis-lessons/) has a really nice set of videos for total beginners as well.