Supplement to the Grey River Argus SERVING IN TENNIS

Grey River Argus, 9 February 1929, Page 9

Supplement to the Grey River Argus

SERVING IN TENNIS

THROWING BALL CORRECTLY. TESTS FOR ALL PLAYERS. AVOIDING FOOT FAULTS. It is. agreed 'he player w.ho has the service or right of putting the ball into play, has some definite advantage over his opponent. Do not serve your first .ball carelessly because you know you have another syrve to. follow. Some players try for a very hard first service, which they hit into thie court about once in six tries, and their second service is pathetically weak. It is better to try for a mediumpaced, accurate first service than to Lit with all your might and deliver your s.econd ball in such a way that it hardly goes over the ne‘. If you throw the ball lip'and to the’ left side so that you hit, the ball on the left of your head, your arpi a'tipn and action and body swing is' restricted and pace- is lost. You must not sacrifice accuracy for speed at first however. In the straight-out service—that is. when you-hit the ball straight in front of . the right shoulder—L advocate the same grip as for the forehand drive.

j Stand with . your left foot forward | about a foot behind the base line, and your right shoulder drawn back, throw I the ball into the air no longer that* you can reach with your arm and [ racquet fully extended. If you throw | the ball higher than this you cannot bring your swing through quickly. I Gerald Paterson, acknowledged to be the world’s best server, throws the ball no higher than his outstretched arm and racquet can reach. In a high wind, a. very high throw is a disadvantage, even if it wore technically correct. Here is a test for the good player as well as for the beginner. To's tho ball into the air and see whether you can catch it without moving. Next test, throw the ball into the air and Lt it fall and-see. if it hits your body. If it does your throw is faulty. ' Remember, the success of your service depends largely, on the accuracy of \ our throw of the ball into the air. The ball >hould be thrown straight up.

with no inward curve toward the body, and if not struck, should fall on to the ground about two feet directly in front of he right foot. By the way, I do not agree with some people who consider the ball, if let fall, should hit the right shoulder. If the ball is thrown as close to the body as this then the player has to lean back, and when the ball is struck the racquet is facing diagonally toward the sky instead of toward the ground. As a result the ball travels high into the air. and a weak service with very little pace results. This is called the “rainbow’’ service. If you find your service travelling high into the air try to hit the top of the net when practising your service. This will give you practice in bringing the head of the racquet over quickly, as most weak players have too slow a wrist action in delivering the service. Serving is really the ac'ion of throwing. After you are able to hit the ball accurately, you must get control so that your opponent finds it difficult to return. For the present you must be content !o get the wrist and arm action correct. Both feet must be behind the line, and you must not place your foot on the line as you serve, or swing your foot across the line before you hit the ball. This is called a foot fault*