DONALD BUDGE DISCUSSES TENNIS GRIPS FOR BEGINNERS

Southland Times, Issue 23646, 22 October 1938, Page 15

DONALD BUDGE DISCUSSES TENNIS GRIPS FOR BEGINNERS

(SPECIALLY WRITTEN FOR THE SOUTHLAND TIMES)

By

DONALD BUDGE

NO. 3 Before actual practice begins the novice must learn how to grip his racket properly, as all success depends on that foundation.

There are three orthodox types of grips—the Eastern, the Continental and the Western. The Eastern consists of shaking hands with the racket while it is standing on edge. This places the wrist behind the racket handle and gives extra power in making the shots. To shift to the backhand, which is hit on the opposite face of the racket, involves about a quarter turn of the handle, placing the hand on top of the handle.

The Continental grip is the same for both the forehand and the backhand. It is much the same as the Eastern backhand, but the turn is slightly less than the quarter circle necessary in the first case. The chief exponent of this type of grip is Fred Perry, and in some circles the grip is known as the Perry grip.

Again using the Eastern grip as a starting point the Western calls for a quarter turn of the racket in the opposite direction from the Continental, the wrist being perpendicular to the broad side of the handle. The backhand is made with the same grip and on the same face of the racket. The leading exponents of this grip have been Billy Johnston, George Lott, Alan Herrington, and Dr Cranston Holman. Many players today use a Western grip on the forehand and change to one of the others for the backhand, among them being Frank Shields.

I believe that the Continental grip is best for taking the ball on the rise. It also gives the player an opportunity to hit all his shots without changing his grip, and it is especially useful for hitting wide shots on either wing and picking up low bounds. The main disadvantage is that to get any great amount of pace on the forehand one must have a big, strong wrist like Perry. I think Fred’s great success with this grip has been due mainly to the physical strength in his wrist. The other disadvantage is the tendency to undercut the ball, which gives but little margin of safety. ADVANTAGES SET OUT I believe the Eastern grip is the most suitable for the all-round game. Its advantages are the tremendous power that can be used, its ready adaptability to all surfaces, and its wide margin of safety, as it can be used to hit either flat or with top-spin. The one disadvantage is the necessity of changing the grip for backhand and forehand shots. I think that this is negligible. For my own purposes I not only change the grip, but place my thumb up the back of the handle to give' extra steadiness in making a backhand. This is the style that I recommend to any player. As far as I can see the Western drive is becoming almost obsolete. Its chief advantage is in' hitting high bouncing balls. It allows a player to swoop down on the ball with a great, deal of power and with a good degree of safety. The successful players using this style have all been gifted with some other great attribute such as a powerful net game or a fine service. Handling low balls _ with this grip is very difficult, and it is almost impossible to retrieve wide shots with it.

My own use of a Western forehand came against the wishes of my brothel 1

. who had first taught me the Eastern i grip. He used a semi-Western grip, with which he was able, by under- • cutting, to gain a fair success on different surfaces. By constantly playing with him I,„ too, began to use this ; style. However, I was forced to change back to my original Eastern grip as I advanced and that is what I am now using. ? The Western grip is useful on grass only if used with a chop. The low bounds make hitting with this grip very difficult and I do not recommend it. EASTERN GRIP FAVOURED Some authorities may advise the beginner to use various grips for different conditions. I believe that the Eastern grip can be used successfully on all surfaces. For this reason I suggest, that the young player make it as easy for himself as possible by sticking to one style and its accompanying grips. People all over the world have asked me to what I attribute the success of the Californian players; whether style, type of court, or long season of play has been responsible. First, I think style has had little to do with it The leading players of California! have used no one special style, although there may be certain similarities. I believe that the courts are more apt to be a disadvantage to the player who wishes to compete on grass or clay. Also, much of the success of Californian players has come on surfaces other than those on which they have been reared. The long season has certainly proved a contributing factor, giving a player plenty of chance to gain experience. The most important factor of late years has been the progressive attitude of the Californian Tennis Association. Its extensive programme in junior development has resulted in the evolution of many potential stars. Such players as Ellsworth Vines, Keith Gledhill, Lester Stoefen, Bog Riggs, Joe Hunt and scores of others, have all been developed by this programme. The great number of properly supervised tournaments seems to have resulted in the concentration of many fine players in California.

I have often been asked how long 1 thought it took for a player to become a champion or to reach top class. Ido not think it is possible to answer this question. • First, it is impossible to tell how quickly or how thoroughly a player can learn the fundamentals of stroking the ball. Second, after a player has mastered the mechanics of stroking he must be able to use these strokes to the greatest advantage. Many players have fine strokes, yet have never become champions. I would say that the will to win, ruthlessness, plus the ability to think quickly and the use of the strokes must be properly balanced to make a champion. It is not within the reach of every player to be one and I would suggest that the beginner set his goal as first-class and then go all out to attain this end through hard practice.