You must first get the ball to your side of the court. The only exception is if the ball lands on your side and bounces back over the net and onto the opposite side of the court owing to the spin on the ball or the wind. ITF Tennis Rules, Rule 25b.
If you can get the ball past your opponent's returner, you have a chance to win the point. If you hit it too short, he will be able to reach out and stop the ball; if you hit it too long, he can run down the line and return it for advantage. The key is to find the right balance between power and precision. You need enough force to get the ball over the net, but not so much that it goes too far or takes away from your ability to control it.
Generally, a tennis ball will bounce higher after it has been hit harder. But, there are times when it makes sense to hit a softer ball that will be easier to handle. For example, if you are going to hit a drop shot then you should use a soft ball so that it won't go so far that you cannot get back into position to hit another shot. On the other hand, if you are going to hit an approach shot then you should use a hard ball so that it goes very far up the court where your opponent cannot reach it.
You must first get the ball to your side of the court. The only exception is if the ball lands on your side and bounces back over the net and onto the opposite side of the court owing to the spin on the ball or the wind. ITF Tennis Rules Rule 25b
Balls that land within and outside of the court lines are obvious, but what if the ball lands on the line? Is it seen as good or bad? In two words, it's excellent. The ball is considered good if any portion of it hits any section of the court line.
The ball is making its way toward your court. And, in the referee's judgement, no opponent player could conceivably reach the ball (you are not permitted to touch the ball beyond the net if it would interfere with the opponent's play before or during their attack hit). In this case, you can hit the ball before it crosses the net.
In fact, you are allowed to hit the ball whenever you like, provided that it is within the rules of volleyball. It is up to you whether you want to wait until the last moment before hitting the ball or not. But remember: if you do hit the ball early, it will not count as your strike.
Early hits are useful when you need to force an opponent team-mate off the floor who is about to be awarded a point for an attack hit. Or if you want to start an attack right away without waiting for the ball, then you should hit the ball immediately after taking your stance.
There is no rule that says you must wait until the last moment before hitting the ball. However, most players prefer to wait until the last minute before letting go of the ball, so they can judge the best time to hit it. This is a matter of personal preference. Some players may even choose to not hit the ball at all if they believe they can avoid it.
If a ball bounces on your court but spins or is blown back over the net to your opponent's side, you may reach across the net to strike the ball. However, you or everything you wear must not be seen on the internet. If the ball goes around the net posts below the net's height but still landed in bounds, you can mark it out with the sideline.
In tennis, the term "out" means that the ball is no longer within the boundaries of the court and therefore cannot be played with. On an out-of-bounds ball, the player cannot return the ball because it is impossible to do so without crossing the boundary. Instead, the player must take another shot at getting the ball in play.
Players are allowed to extend their arms beyond the lines of the court when returning balls that go out of bounds. This is known as reaching across the net. Reaching across the net is usually done to hit a ball that is too high to be returned by normal means. For example, a player might reach up to hit a ball that has been floated up by a bounce off the wall behind them. The player's arm should never go past the line of the court while doing this; otherwise, they have committed a violation of the rules of tennis and will receive a point penalty against their opponent.
Reaching across the net is not only acceptable but also useful in some cases.
Even if they are standing outside the court, a player cannot catch the ball before it bounces. Before the player can contact the ball, it must first bounce out. A player also loses a point if his or her clothes comes into contact with the ball, or if the hand carrying the racket comes into contact with the ball during a stroke.
The ball must also be in play for a player to win a point. If the ball is not hit back onto the court, the opponent has won a free point. Free points are worth one value of game score because there is no need for further action to determine the winner. If players are still tied at five games each, a fifth game is played. This is called a tie-breaker game.
In short, yes, the ball has to bounce on the court in order to be playable in tennis. If it doesn't, the player loses a point. If players are still tied at five games each, a fifth game is needed to decide the match.
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