TENNIS TOPICS

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 56, Issue 27, 13 November 1935, Page 3

TENNIS TOPICS

NEED FOR COACjHING,

THE WAY TO IMPROVEMENT. (By “Forehand”). Without some system of coaching itis futile to expect to raise the general standard of tennis in any New Zealand town, or association, let alone raise the. standard of Dominion tennis. This truth has been so far realised that clubs, associations, and the New Zealand Lawn Tennis Association, have passed resolutions of pious hope and then, as heretofore, pursued their policy of masterly inactivity. The reason why nothing practical has been done is because on all sides there is no clear understanding of the factors that go to the building up of a system of coaching. Generally, the arguments have taken the line that the coaching can only be done hy professionals, or by outstanding players iin a club or a district. The first is usually considered too expensive by associations who are not afraid to spend money in less excusable ways ; and the second usually turns out to be impracticable because the outstanding players, mostly keen for their own selfish enjoyment, object to haying a junior playing in their set, spoiling it while presuming to learn something 'about the game. The leading players are usually not averse to giving exhibition matches. They are fortified in this hy the frequent statement that the best way for the inferiors to learn tennis is to watch their superiors play. What better than that they should occupy the courts all the afternoon so that the inferiors can feast their eyes on the blessed treat of excellence turned on for their special benefit. But a proper system of coaching does not need this selfishness. .Indeed, it does not require the presence of these superior players at all. Nor need tie person doing the coaching he an outstanding player, or eyen a player at all. It docs require him, however, to have a sound knowledge of the game and of strokes and the ability to compel the person coached to do exactly as oldered. There-must be no half measures. Either the person coached plays according to orders, or he must be dropped ’immediately by the teacher. Now, there are in every club, certainly in every town, men and women no longer active players, who have a thorough knowledge of the game and its requirements. It is for the part that they can play in the building up of the game in the Dominion that these notes are written. % Keen to Improve. It is a fair assumption that every member of a tennis club .is keen to improve. It is but stating a plain fact to say that scarcely one will improve one iota under the present haphazard way of going about things. Thoso that have wrong strokes and a wrong way of doing things on the court, will perpetuate an increase of thoso bad habits by a continuance of play without instruction. Merely watching other and better players will do tliem no good at all. Yet there is not a player to he seen on any club court that could not be made to improve by proper instruction.

This instruction will not tako the form /of playing against the person seeking to he taught, or with him. The teacher must give the instruction from the side line near the net, with the pupil playing with some other player, also keen to improve and perhaps willing to be coached. But there must be a clear understanding beforehand. The pupil niust consent to accept the methods for the sake of the ultimate results. It is better that the method be none too gentle for orders have often to be snapped while the ball is in play to make the pupil act on the instant. Let us take a player keen to improve. He has agreed to place himself in your hands unreservedly. You will tell him what you want him to do. You will point out that there are certain fundamental principles that cannot he ignored without the standard of play being lowered. What are those fundamentals ? Court Position. Foremost is correct court position. Many of the mistakes that one sees in tennis are the result of the. player not being in the correct position to play the ball. He is either too far away or he is too close to the ball. The latter fault is the more frequent. The pupil must be made to understand that the correct place for the baseline player is from three to six feet behind the middle of the baseline; that all the court between the baseline and six feet from the net is “no man s land” and that if drawn into any place in that portion of the court he must o-et f out of it immediately, either- by getting back to the base, oi by going straight in close to the net. For the beginning, it is better to get back behind the baseline. The coach will call on the pupil to run up or back as the circumstances required to play the ball at the correct position. He must speak to make the pupil move smartly. If a player, drawn from his base to play a stroke, stands looking at the effect of his stroke without getting hack to his base immediately he has played the stroke, do not hesitate to let him know his fault. See that ho gets hack smartly; see that ho does it every time be is taken away from the base, so that it becomes second nature for him. You will find that this making a fixed base will enable the pupil to get shots that before he had no idea about. His judgment of distance w.U be letter. He will he less cramped, that is all to the good of his game. Sideways to the Net. You may find, however, that the pupil is playing most of his strokes while facing the net. That is wrong. He must bo made to realise that the correct way to play all strokes is with the body sideways to the nek T,t will be your task to persevere with him

and remind him every time he fails in that essential. Any time lie does follow your instruction on this point give him credit for it. But do not consider any shot as well played unless it is played from a sideways position. < When you have made the pupil understand the value of tho fixed base to which ho must return after playmg every shot, and the necessity for the sideways stance, you can begin to turn his mind to accuracy. He must leain to put the ball close to a position that you direct. Even should he win the point, but the hall not be within yards of where you directed him to put it the shot is not a good one and requires no praise. Should he go close to the place you direct, give him the credit for it. The Grip.

The pupil will readily find that the conscious effort to place the ball to a ,nven position on the other side of the net demands a far greater control over the racket than he at first thought was necessary. Heretofore, he was mainly concerned with getting the ball back anvhow and the direction the ball took was a pure accident. With the necessity for a definite accuracy he will find himself securing a different and a tighter grip on the racket. You can help on the good work. You can show him the correct grip. For most purposes ta-day the forehand grip has come to be recognised as the handshaking grip. But do not lay down any hand and fast rule. There are deviations to suit individual hands See that the grip is such that the full face of the racket is presented to the ball at the time of hitting, that the gup is tight and that the wrist is locked-—no allowed to flop about. If the strode is spoiled through holding the Jacket too loosely or the wrist has flopped, call attention to the failing immediately. Racket and forehand should be almost in a straight line. Re on the lookout for any slovenliness in the pupil’s play. You can overlook mistakes into the net or the back fence from a real trier, but never overlook slovenly or tired play. If you see any signs ‘of it, stop for the day. o good can come from a continuance, (To be Continued).