LAWN TENNIS

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXII, 26 November 1938, Page 7

LAWN TENNIS

BY DONALD BUDGE

BUDGE NOW DEALS WITH SERVING

SOME TYPES EXPLAINED

(Copyright)

Americans have, ever a period of time, built up a reputation as being the best servers in the world. This seems quite natural to me, for the great American pastime of baseball requires the same principles that are essential to the server. The body and arm action is the same as that used in throwing a baseball. This fundamental is drilled home early in the academic career of the average American youth, so it is not surprising that we should have produced such fine servers as Vines, Tilden, Stoefen, Doeg and Shields.

Each of these fine serves is built on the same fundmentals—footwork, body action, and correct method of hitting the ball. It is much more difficult to break away from the standard methods of serving and meet with success than is the case with other strokes.

The first fundamental is that of placing the feet. The stance is the same as that employed by the pitcher in baseball. The left foot should be forward

and about six inches behind the baseline. The angle of the left foot depends on the individual. I think it is best to place the toe so that a slight pivot (in serving) will bring the foot around to a position perpendicular to the net. The right foot should be about a foot and a half behind the left; ..The distance may be varied according to the height of the player. It is very important for a beginner to avoid the error of foot faulting. The player must keep the left foot behind the baseline. He must not swing his right foot over the line before he hits the ball. One foot must touch the ground while the stroke is being made Many fine players have had great trouble breaking themselves of the foot fault habit. A serve illegally delivered is just as much a fault according to the rules as a ball hit outside the service court or into the net. The causes of foot faulting are much easier to correct at the time the serve is being learned than afterwards. Frank Shields is an example of a fine server whose delivery was continually marred by the habit of jumping off the ground in making the stroke. His serve was a powerful stroke but he was the bane of foot fault judges in every tournament in which he played. Frank has a powerful build and does not need to jump for extra speed. If he had overcome this error at the time he was learning to serve he would undoubtedly have profited. This is an easy fault to overcome at first, but can become a very bad and costly habit. THE POSITION OF THE BODY The position of the body should be sideways to the net. The left shoulder should be directed towards the court into which the service is to be made. The weight is evenly distributed on the toes at the beginning of the stroke. As the toss is made and She back-swing started the weight falls on the right foot. The forward swing brings all the weight rhythmically into the ball and on to the toes of the left foot. This is exactly the same procedure that a pitcher goes through in throwing a baseball. The serve is a combined arm and body swing. The toss of the ball for service is of utmost importance. The player must first learn to toss the ball to the correct height. He desires to strike the ball at arm’s length above his head; therefore he must throw the ball enough above this spot to allow him io complete his back-swing and the forward swing before impact. This trick of Lining the throw usually can oe mastered with a little practice. The toss must be made to allow the weight of the player to go forward into the serve. I believe, therefore, that the toss should be started from in front of the waist and go up above the left shoulder. This practice forces the server to go slightly out after the ball and assists him to throw his weight into the ball.

The common errors in making the toss are easily detected by the player himself. There is a tendency to toss the ball so high that a pause is necessary in the stroke to allow the ball to come down to the proper height. With the benefit of the back-swing gone, it is difficult to gain much speed. Also the ball gains momentum as it drops, and this makes it more difficult to hit. The player can usually sense the pause in his stroke and regulate the height of his toss to overcome it. Another drawback of this too high throw is the liability of the player to hit the ball off centre or on the wood of the racket. The second common error is to toss the ball so low that it can be hit at an arm’s length and does not permit the player time enough to complete his preliminary swing. The player is usually made aware of this error by cramp in his swing and also by poor results.

Yet another common error is to toss the ball so wide that it is necessary to swing way out to the side in order to get the racket on it. This takes the body weight away from the ball; the result is a badly-sliced service and a lack of speed. I have gone into the possibility of errors in making the toss to emphasise the importance of this seemingly small matter, and to make the beginner thoroughly aware of it. POSITION AT THE START OF SERVE In order to get the best results with his service the player should start his throw and his back-swing at the same time. I believe that the two hands should be close together at the start of the serve, in a position in front of the waist. As the left hand goes up the right takes the racket down and back- i ward to a point where the arm is com-

pletely extended. After the racket has reached this low ebb, it 1 is brought up with increasing momentum to perform a “loop” behind the head. From this “loop” the forward swing is made and the ball is hit.

The important error to avoid making in the back-swing is that of pausing during the procedure. The long swing is necessary to get the weight properly into the ball, and any break in the rhythm of the stroke defeats this purpose.

The ball is hit at arm’s length above the head, so that even in the case of a short, player it can be brought down into the service court. At the moment of impact the top of the racket should be closer to the net than the lower edge or throat. The degree of this angle depends, of course, on the individual player. Obviously a very tall man would strike the ball with a more pronounced tilt to his racket than a short one. The player must use his own sense of touch. If the majority of his serves tend to find the net the angle is too abrupt. If the serves tend to have too much length the reverse holds true.

| Whether the ball is hit flat or sliced | the principle of striking down applies. The slice service merely adds side spin Ito the ball. As the slice service not ! only hits down but also across the ball. 1 it is more dependable than the flat hit < ball. The reason for this is that the strings stay in contact longer with the

ball, sacrificing speed for control. Generally speaking, I would advise | the beginner to learn both types of i delivery. The flat serve is always a dangerous weapon because of its great i speed. The sliced serve comes in very nicely to avoid double faults and gives j the server a change of pace. The follow through is divided into two phases. The first immediately fol-

lows the departure of the ball from the racket and the second is the tail end of the swing. In the first the player must be careful to continue to direct his arm and shoulder, also his racket, towards the spot where he wishes the ball to go. He must remember that his task has not; been completed at the moment of impact. The end of the swing should be made slightly to the left of the left leg in order to preserve the player’s balance and leave him in a position to cope with the next shot. THREE TYPES OF SERVICE There are three standard types of service that may be used. In the flat service, described before, we have the one with which we can attain the most speed, and therefore very excellent for the first ball. If it goes in it may force a weak return or even score a clean ace. Much success comes from its use on grass or concrete courts. It has, though, its disadvantages. It has a small margin of safety; hence few players use it for a second ball delivery. If it is used consistently, the player receiving

usually adjusts his timing to enable him. to handle it effectively. Some players are not bothered by speed. Lester Stoefen or Ellsworth Vines, for example, and its use against them is not too effective. Clay courts, too, tend to rob this type of serve of some of its speed as they slow the ball down greatly. The slice service makes for better control and accuracy. It is invaluable as a second delivery. On grass it causes a low bounce which adds to its value. Its main disadvantage is that with it speed is more difficult to attain. It also breaks towards the receiver’s forehand ahd often gives him a chance to make a forcing return. The American twist is the reverse of the slice in that it bounces high and breaks towards the receiver’s backhand. It is very effective on hard courts and against players with weak shots off the left side. Its execution consists of | throwing the ball to the left of the I head and bringing the racket face ! sharply over it towards the right. I j have found it a fatiguing type of dej livery. I also find it hard to make a break towards the backhand on grass j courts. It is, however, an effective | weapon in a delivery featuring changes j of pace and varieties of spins.

A small minority of players prefer to rush the net after every service. Johnnie Doeg and Jean Borotra attained a great deal of success with games featuring this principle. The theory is that the receiver feels that he has to make an excellent shot to pass his adversary; because of this psychological advantage many errors may result. However, the better players are to make it very tough for a consistent net rusher. The server who follows these tactics often wears himself out early in the match. If the return of the service is good he is forced to make many volleys from uncomfortable positions. It is very tiring and trying to keep this up consistently. However, an occasional sally to the net introduces an element of surprise and it is well to be ready to rush in to cut off a weak return.

The dread of all beginners is the deadly double fault. The best method of avoiding this is to arrive at an effective pace for both deliveries. That is to say, slow down the first delivery enough so that you are able to put a high percentage in. Keep the second delivery as close as possible in pace to the first, but with slightly more spin. I don’t mean to make the first serve soft, but

merely suggest refraining from attempting to make too many “cannon ball'* deliveries. Beginners often make the first services very severe and merely push the second ball, when the proper solution is a happy medium. They make the mistake of trying for too many aces. This is a foolish procedure. It is best to concentrate on making forcing services that will bring weak returns and to keep your opponent continually guessing as to what is next in line. Mix your flat shots and spins, your hard and soft serves, and your attacks on the net following service. This type of strategy has been responsible for the success of such fine servers as Tilden and Vines. Let the aces come as pleasant surprises and first learn the more essential fundamentals.