LAWN TENNIS

Evening Post, Volume LXXXVII, Issue 151, 27 June 1914, Page 4

LAWN TENNIS

HINTS TO PLAYERS THE FORE-HAND STROKE, (By J. C. Parke.) [All Rights Reserved.] 11. It is __ a general precept that in attempting to explain anything one should always start at the beginning, so in this case I shall try to follow the counsel of the sages, and start with what I consider to be tho very beginning, viz. : — the grip ! First of all, do not use a racket with too thick a handle, for the result is that you tire and strain the muscles of your fingers and wrist, and thus lose firmness of hold, and that elusive quality known amongst the more expert as "touch." Exactly the same remarks apply to a heavy racket and for exactly the same reasons; 14£oz with a medium balance is quite heavy enough for any man, and I myself use a 14oz with a similar balance. As to the shape of the handle, I prefer an oval one as it seems to fit more firmly into my hand, but this of course is a matter of choice and each person must please himself. Just a word of advice here— haying got a racket which suits you, try to get all your new rackets as nearly as possible models of the old one, and don't chop and change about. HOW TO HOLD THE RACKET. ' And now how are you to hold this beautiful racket? Well, I can only tell you how I hold it myself and explain a little as to the grips used by others, but I do not wish to be dogmatic as to what is the best or most correct method. Personally I -fit. the handle as far as possible into tho "V" between my thumb and first finger, so that the back flatness lies practically across the balls of the lingers, and my thumb closes across the front flatness, while my fingers press the side up into the "V." Tho result is tflat when I stretch my arm stiff out from my side I have a straight-faced racket with which to meet tho ball, and I also find that I can play the back-hand without altering my grip in the slightest. H.. L. Doherty and -the late "R.F." both used practically the same fore-hand grip as above, and altered it slightly for the back-hand, but A. F. Wilding holds his racket more at the back for j famous top-spin drive, and then has to alter considerably to use the D6herty grip for the back-hand. The Australians hold even lurther round than Wilding, but then they use the same side of their . racket, for,,.,the. back-hand as for the forehand. It is a style adapted to the rushing net game in which most of them specialise, but I would certainly not advise any English player to try to adopt it, because certain ground strokes must be hopelessly cramped as a natural consequence. HITTING THE BALL. The next question is, how are you to hit the ball se as to obtain the best results? Well, everyone is agreed that tho feet ought to be parallel to the lino of direction in which it is desired to send the 'ball, and that may be considered as settled and essential. Personally, I start the swing with the head of the racket well back and about waist high, and my arm practically stiff. The svving ought to be one easy movement, with the weight of the body coming forward from the right foot to the left, until, at the end of the stroke, the right foot is off the ground, and one is ready to move to any hew position to receive [ tho return. Too much importance cannot be laid on this "footwork," as it is called, for if the forehand stroke be finished with the weight on the right foot, it will be .foilnd that not only is the stroke lacking in power, but also in recovering position those few seconds are lost which so often mean the winning or losing of tho rally. The head of the racket is coming through along With tho weight, and tho aim and object of every person ought to bo to hit the ball in the middle of the swing with a straight-faced racket. At the moment 'of impact I begin to turn the face over, so that I finish the swing with . the knuckles pointing .upwards. I find that this imparts considerable forward spin to the ball, and adds* tremendously to its speed off the ground, and, in addition, balls which may appear to be going across the lines very often' duck at the last moment arid drop just inside. For myself I prefer to hit the ball when it is between the waist and shoulder high, and on^ ' the ordinary ' English grass courts this is the same thing as saying "at the top of the hop." It is also the natural point at which to hit it, as the ball has less motion than at any other moment — the upward or downward motion having for" an instant disappeared — and it also affords the largest available space of the opponent's court into which it i 3 possible to play the ball down. Of course, the foregoing is a description of how to produce the ordinary straight-forward drive with a little spin, but the so-called "top-spin" drive is produced quite differently, and is only used by one or two players in England. In it the head of the racket starts very ■ low down, comes upward much quicker than in the ordinary drive, and finishes high in the air. The face commences to turn over actually before the moment of impact, the wrist action forms an all-important part in the stroke. By its means the ball is made tp clip very quickly across the net, but at the same time it has nothing like the severity or pace of the straight-forward drive, and gives a poor result for the amount of energy expended in its production. It is useful, however, against a volleyer. who may find himself continually caught with this horrible dipping ball at his feet, and even when entrenched at the net he may experience great difficulty in dealing efiectively. with the spin added to the dip. It was just this weapon which Wilding found so efficacious in dealing with the (usually) deadly volleying attack of M'Loughlin. PRACTISING OFF THE COURT. Upon beginners and medium players who really desire to improve, and even upon players who consider themselves beyond the medium stage, I cannot too strongly urge the advisability of practice off tho court in addition to practice on the court. Against an opponent we are almost always .so- carried away by the desire to win, that all our endeavours are directed to getting the ball o\er the net in any old way, and in consequence we forget all about an easy swing, a good followthrough, foot;- work, etc.,' turn so we go

on day after day with tho same old faults, and we can't understand why we don't improve more quickly. Well, now my advice is, start practising the swing in any odd moments when you have nothing better to do. You will constantly see the best golfers practising their swing, so why not do tho same at tennis? Take up your stand with your feet parallel to the lino of direction in which you wish to play tho imaginary ball. Then imagine you are hitting a ball about waist high and half way between your feet. Start with tho weight on the right foot and with the head of the racket well back and moderately low. Swing forward steadily j and easily, meeting the imaginary ball with a straight-faced racket. Begin to turn the racket over on top of the ball immediately after impact, and finish well forward with all the weight on the left foot, and with the head of the racket pointing in the direction of the imaginary flight of the ball. Do this again and again until the entire movement is one whole, free from jerks or hinges, and until you find that you are beginning to do i£ instinctively. Then try it with a real ball against a wall, being very careful to have your feet corroctly placed for each stroke, and sticking to your swing at all costs. You will probably at first be extremely surprised and disgusted at how very bad you are, and at how hopeless it feels, but persevere — it's worth it — and you will again be surprised, but not disgusted this time, at how quickly things begin to come right for you, and it is then that you will appreciate your practice at the imaginary ball. , I'm not talking of what I know nothing about, for I've gone through it all myself, and I'm speaking from long and bitter experience! Some time about 1906 I decided that I would never be a decent player with the back-hand I then possessed. It wasn't too bad a backhand of a defensive kind, but I had a difficulty in putting the ball into certain parts of the court, and I found I was finishing the strokes with the knuckles up, thereby showing that I cut under the ball and so took all the speed off it. As I had no ond to teach mo and no model to follow, I decided to learn to play it with a swing exactly the same as for the fore-hand, but of course finishing this time with the finger-nails upwards. I worked at the new swing both without a ball and with a ball against a wall in my spare momenta during the following winter. Then I struggled with it during tho summer — sometimes succeeding, and sometimes relapsing — and I ■worked at it again all the next winter, until my perseverance was rewarded, and now I practically do not mind whether the ball comes to my fore-hand or my back-hand. THE RUNNING DRIVE. I suppose no article from me on tho fore-hand stroke would be complete without a few words upon the running drive or as it is sometimes called "tho Irish drive.'^ I can't claim to be the originator of it, as it was first exploited by my countryman, W. J. Hamilton, who won the English Championship as far back as 1890, and it was at that time that his favourite shot gained for itself the name of "the Irish drive." I _ must confess I had never even heard of it until _ somebody discovered that I played it in the same way as W. J. Hamilton, but it is rather peculiar coincidence that the next person to use this running drive with any success should be another Irishman. Perhaps after all there may b© something in tho name, and it may be specially adapted to our national temperament ! It has always been a natural stroke Avith me and it feels so easy and simple that there seems to be nothing to explain or to say about it. The only necessities for playing it are good footwork, judgment of your distance from tho ball, and balance— though in practice tho second two are sub-heads of the first, for if the foot-work is right, the judgment must have been corror!, and the balance inevitably follows. '■ playing the stroke you have piol .mly about a square foot of court in in \hich toput the ball, with the knowledge that failure _ to hit_ the mark will cost you the point, so it is fairly evident that if your footwork is wrong in the least fraction, your chance of a winner practically vanishes. The Only secret of success in playing this particular shot seems to be run at the ball, hit it as hard as you can, and trust to your lucky star ! Just a few hints on practice in general to close with. Don't bo too anxious to win — time enough for that in a serious mateh — but j try to play each stroke correctly both as regards footwork and swing, and don't mind if you are beaten in consequence — your time will come if you persevere. Above all, don't avoid your weak point, but rather let as much play to it as possible — I still run round balls to play them with 'my back-hand. Try to beat a weaker player by attacking his strong points with your weak point, and you will find it not only excellent practice, but also a good match. Don't develop a favourite shot from any particular position to such an extent that you are in any way tied down to it, but learn to play into any part of your opponent's court from any part of your own with equal facility. Finally, never forget for a moment that the beginning and end of success in tennis is "Foot-work."