TENNIS

Hawera Star, Volume XLVI, 18 September 1926, Page 13

TENNIS

BEAMISH ON SERVING.

Every young player in. these days — especially if he is hailed as a coming champion —is urged, to serve harder Ana harder. . ~ Strong .service is essential in firm modem game. What many fail rtx> realise, however, is* that speed and stino- in serving • are directly tne result of correct style. THdeu’s “cannon ball” service is produced with no more effort, of tlie arm than the champion s other services—just a lift of the foot adds the extra force. You must use your weight and muscle in one perfectly timed- sequence of motions —that is the secret of getting “devil” into, a service. .... ~ The service now- described is tne most useful shot for constant use. Pay special attention to the position of the feet, and how you ar e actually standing upon them. Stand six inches behind, the base line with the weight upon the right foot, which should be placed at right angles to the line along which you wish to direct the service. Your, left foot should be placed at a comfortable distance in front of the right, in such a way that it will not prevent you turning easily upon the right hip as- you swung the racket round in the “followthrough” at the end of the stroke. The. right knee should bo slightly bent. The weight of the body is placed neither ujk>u trie heel nor the toe, but upon that portion of the foot which lies upon the arch of the instep, and the ball of the foot. You will then find that your “balance” is as nearly perfect as possible. The next point which lias a most important bearing upon the strength and success of the service is the manlier in which the ball is thrown mto the air. This should never be done with a jerk, but with a smooth upward pushing motion of the left forearm working from the shoulder without any use of the wrist. , Think of the hand as a basket and the fingers as the sides. Push the hand up to the level of the eyes before opening the fingers, and so releasing the ball. As the left hand goes up in this free manner with the ball, the right hand should 1 swing, back and upwards with, the racket. , When the right arm is on a level 'with, but never ‘higher than, the right shoulder, bend it at the elbow, and so bring the head of the racket behind the left shoulder blade. This is prac-' tically the .second important position of the racket in the course of the swing. From this point alio wthe head of the racket to drop downwards, and parallel with the wrist, as in Indian CUid swinging. . When the racket head has. arrived behind the tight shoulder blade, you should now begin the turning movement of the body from the hips, which will be found so. extremely valuab.e. in giving power and strength to the service.

As the shoulder begins to move in a forward direction to the net, the racket is forced • upward and -forward in a semi-circular direction to hit the bal., which should be struck at a point slightly in front of, and opposite to the middle of the head. , When the ball has been struck, the racket should carry on ‘ ‘right through the ball, and finish at a point either outside the left knee, as in the case of a, species of “kick” service. You will find that vour body, from its original position or facing the net, turned coirnpletely riideways to it, so that the left shoulder, the head, and the right .shoulder are in the older named in a- straight line at right angles to. the net, to the final position, when, if the body lias been rotated freelv at the hips, the right shoulder the Head and the left shoulder will be found in- the order named at thq end of the follow through. The feet, in j the meantime, will have maintained more or less thieir original position, although the right foot mav have been: lifted, as in the case of Tilden’s cannon ball efervice, and put down again after the ball has been struck, in order to allow a very free use of the light hip to give power to the-stroke. This service may appear to b© extremely complicated, but iu reality it is-based upon one of the fundamental rules that govern the use of the body weight in tennis. The principle of pendulum has , been applied-in all These movements. The arm is swung back from the shoulder, bent, of course, from the elbow, in order to allow the body to be used in the stroke; the body itself turns in a swinging action at the hips, the arm is again brought forward again with the level, smooth swing of a pendulum to meet the ball; and is again helped by the rotation of the body at the hips in order to give smoothness and evenness to the whole movement. _ j Imagine a player without the coordination of arm, body and 'eg work. You so often see a player throw the ball up into the air, take his racket back with a bent elbow, it is time, but in the action of -a man hammering a nail or beating a carpet. Such a nlayer is making the stroke purely from his arm, and without any re’ation to the use of his body.

Bent knees give a free and: lissome movement to the body, since, to serve with one’s knees stiff prevents the body turning at the hips, and thus, by the neglect of that part of the body, the efforts of the arm to produce a really fast service are entirely spoilt. ' The secrets of a -real'y fitst service, quite apart from the ability to hit the hall a clean, hard blow with the ajrm are: '

(1) The use of the body in _ turning at the hips as in the action of throwing. (2) A good balance on the feet, obtained bv bending the knee arid; not getting the weight of the body too far forward on the toes. (3) Keeping the arm bent at the elbow until the moment of impact of ball and-it eke t.

(41 A constant and regular method of throwing up the ball with the left hand in order to afford the player the best possible means of hitting the hall in the same place as often, as possible. A. E. Beamish.