LAWN TENNIS HINTS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20760, 31 December 1930, Page 15

LAWN TENNIS HINTS.

WIMBLEDON,

THE CANNON BALL SERVICE.

AVOID DOUBLE FAULTING.

COMPEL ADVERSARY TO MOVE.

A suggestion recently put forward is that tho two-ball service at lawn tennis should be abolished. It is urged that the game would be "speeded up" if the player were permitted only one ball. My own view is that to do away with tho free ball would have exactly the opposite effect. Every player out to win would mako sure of getting his single ball into play. He would not risk presenting the opponent with an ace by attempting the spectacular in serving. Tho game, devoid of tho electrifying thrill of flashing service aces, would be the loser. This is not to say that because the server has a couple of chances be should throw one of them away by attempting tho impossible,. If he does that, he reduces himself to the position of a man who really has but. one shot. And ho wastes energy every game in doing it. A player should cultivate a service that gives him something better than an even chance of success with every ball he serves. He should be certain of finding the mark with, say, two balls out of three. The second shot should compara well with the first, and there should bo a considerable average of first shots finding the mark. A player who is a master of ball control can well afford to vary his service. William T. Tilden will produce one shot that is a "cannon ball." hit for pace and almost free from spin. Then he will serve with slice. At another time there will be overspin—the so-called ."American" service.

Varying Speed. Most players, especially those who take the court only once or twice fL week, cannot manage so much variety. They should aim to avoid double fatilting—which is always depressing—while at the same time getting some devil into every shot they serve. This can be done. The way to do it is to make yourself •absolute master of one style of serving so that you can. vary speed and placement without varying your style of delivery. .In singles play, a service of "cannon ball" variety takes beating. The doubles player may find that a slower shot with clever placing will serve his purpose better. He will want to run in on his service, and he will want to know where to run. A high bounding service is good in singles, but in doubles it is better to compel the adversary to hit upwards, and to prevent him from using topspin if yop can. The vital point, both in singles and doubles, is control of the ball.

must avoid double-faulting and you must be able to place the ball, as you wish, to the weakness or strength of the adversary. A good service, generally speaking, is one that compels 1 the adversary to move when taking it—provided that it does not make him move in toward the net. The service ball should be placed well back on the service line. In doubles, a shot down the centre is generally best, since it makes a passing return down the sideline difficult. In singles, the object of 1 placing the ball must be to keep the adversary on the move.

A fault in servi'ng is excessive use of spin. Spin aids control, and few players serve without it. The spin, however, must be controlled and used with a purpose. ':

A High Action. In first acquiring a service, the player should compel himself to use a high action. It is not necessary to skim the net. In fact, it is a weakness. The ball should be brought down from the best height you can reach. \Vhen serving a " cannon ball," the racket is brought down directly on the ball. There is a minimum of spin. An " American" service is produced by hitting the top of the ball, but brushing the racquet forward over it.

A slice service, the easiest to acquire, is produced by brushing the racquet across behind the ball from right to left. A reverse service, seldom seen nowadays, is the opposito action to this; the racquet brushes across behind the ball from left to right. There is no special advantage in this way of serving, except that the break is unusual. The reverse American is similar to the reverse service, except that, as with the American service, the player hits more over the top of the ball. In any American service the ball at impact is between the upturned face of the player and the downturned face of the racquet. A service to avoid is a kind of " hammer" stroke—a tap as if to knock a nail into a wall. Chopper G-rip.

For services with spin,. hold your racquet as you would hold a chopper. For plain services, "shake hands" with the handles. Stand sideways to the net. Left foot in advance of the right. Throw the ball high enough into the air to enable you to swing at it. For a " camion ball I '' shot, throw the ball over your left eye. For a sliced shot, throw it slightly to the right. For an American service, throw it further back and more to the left.

It?, all services begin by standing at " ready", with your racquet hold in front of you, low, and not too tightly gripped. As you throw the ball into the air, bring your racquet back and drop it behind you. Then bring it up over your hear! to strike the falling ball. Wliilo behind the back, the grip on the racquet is light. As you strike, the grip tightens into a clench.

A vital point is not to grip the ball. Hold it loosely and let it slip out of the hand, guided by a single finger. Never take more than two balls at a time.

COOK STRAIT SWIM.

WEBSTER TO TRY AGAIN. The attempt to swim Cook Strait., to be made in February by Miss Mercedes Gleitze, may develop into a competition, as R. J. Webster, formerly of Auckland and now of Nelson, has announced that he will attempt the crossing in the same month. Webster was in Wellington last February awaiting favourable conditions for his second attempt to essay the crossing, but, after several disappointments with the weather, ho had to postpone the attempt. During the last 10 months Webster has been swimming daily in tho iluller River. He expects to arrive in Wellington about February 9. He intends to go to Wanganui in March to swim in the Kellerman Cup three-mile race, which .is to bo decided in conjunction with thy New Zealand swimming championships.During his visit to Wellington early this year Webster made a study of the curments in Cook Strait and he states that he will place his knowledge of the conditions at tho disposal of Miss Gleitze iS there are-any matters in which ha assist.