Terms every beginner needs to know


Banger: a style of play where a player hits hard driving shots almost every shot


Crosscourt: The opponent's court diagonally opposite yours


Dink: A soft shot made into the Kitchen


Double Bounce rule: You must let the ball bounce on each side of the court before you can volley a ball out of the air


Drive: A low hard shot intended to reach deep into your opponent's court


Drop Shot: A soft shot that drops into your opponent's Kitchen.


Fault: A rule violation that ends the rally


Groundstrokes: A shot that is hit after the ball bounces and is usually hit from the back of the court


Half Volley: When a player hits a ball immediately after it bounces


NVZ: No Volley Zone also known as the Kitchen. You cannot hit a ball out of the air while in this zone and you cannot step into this zone after hitting a ball out of the air (volley)


Let Serve: A serve that hits the net and then lands in the service box is still good and needs to be played


Lob: A shot over your opponent's head making them move back to the baseline


Match: A series of games that ends when one team has won 2 out of 3 games


Overhead: a shot that is made high above your head and hit towards the ground.


Poach: When a partner crosses over into their partners side of the court to hit a ball


Put Away: a shot that is a winner


Rally: Hitting the ball back and forth between teams


Ready Position: An evenly balanced stance with paddle up and ready to receive the next shot


Serve: An underhand stroke that starts the ball into play


Server Number: When a player announces what number server they are; Either server 1 or 2


Side Out: When one side loses both its serves, and the ball goes to the other team


Unforced Error: A player missing a shot that should usually be made


Volley: Hitting the ball before it bounces