. Methods and Players of Modern Lawn Tennis BY J. PARMLY PARET With Opinions on Disputed Points of Technique from Many Expert Players EDITED BY . , . S. WALLIS MERRIHEW AMERICAN LAWN TENNIS SINGER BUILDING, NEW YORK 1915 COPYRIGHT, 1915 BY J. PARMLY PARET AND S. WALLIS MERRIHEW FIRST EDITION PUBLISHED, AUGUST i> 1915 Opinions on Many Disputed Points of Technique BY R. NORRIS WILLIAMS, 2ND, Champion of America in Singles and Member of the 1913 and 1914 Davis Cup International teams. THOMAS C. BUNDY, Champion of America in Doubles in 1912, 1913 and 1914, and Member of the 1911 and 1914 Davis Cup International teams. KARL H. BEHR, Member of the Davis Cup International teams of 1907 and 1914. FREDERICK B. ALEXANDER, Champion of America in Doubles in 1907, 1908, 1909 and 1910, and Member of the Davis Cup International Team of 1908. RAYMOND D. LITTLE, Champion of America in Doubles for 1911, and Member of the Davis Cup Inter- national teams of 1906, 1909 and 1911. HAROLD H. HACKETT, Champion of America in Doubles for 1907, 1908, 1909 and 1910, and Member of the Davis Cup International teams of 1908, 1909 and 1913. BEALS C. WRIGHT, Champion of America in Singles for 1905, in Doubles for 1904, 1905 and 1906 and Member of the Davis Clip International teams of 1905, 1907, 1908 and 1911. JAMES C. PARKE, Member of Enalish Davis Cup International teams of 1908, 1909, 1912, 1913 and 1914. CHARLES P. DIXON, Champion of All-England in Doubles for 1912 and 1913, and Member of English Davis Cup International teams of 1909, 1911, 1912 and 1913. R. LINDLEY MURRAY GEORGE M. CHURCH WATSON M. WASH BURN ELI A F. FOTTRELL CLARENCE HOBART ALFRED S. DABNEY G. PEABODY GARDNER, JR. FREDERICK C. INMAN NATHANIEL W. NILES WALLACE F. JOHNSON ROBERT LEROY THEODORE R. PELL GUSTAVE F. TOUCHARD ALEXANDER M. SQUAIR EDWARD B. DEW HURST JOSEPH J. ARMSTRONG LEONARD BEEKMAN JOHN R. STRACHAN RICHARD HARTE W. MERRILL HALL R. CHAUNCEY SEAVER DEAN MATHEY S. HOWARD VOSHELL G. CARLTON SHAFER IRVING C. WRIGHT EDWARD H. WHITNEY WYLIE C. GRANT CARL R. GARDNER 333694 With the Deepest Appreciation of a Life-Long Student of the Game THIS BOOK Is DEDICATED TO THE AMERICAN LAWN TENNIS PLAYER Who Has Put Into the Sport the Finest Points of Skill that It has To-Day TO HOLCOMBE WARD who gave us the American Twist Service TO ROBERT WRENN who developed the best match-play tactics TO WILLIAM LARNED who perfected ground-strokes to their highest standard TO MAURICE McLouGHLiN whose overhead attack has taught the world a new lesson and last but not least TO DWIGHT DAVIS who gave us the Davis Cup for International Competition THE EDITOR'S PREFACE I HAVE no patience with the players who say : "I do not read books on lawn tennis, and have no use for fine-spun theories." Mediocrity is almost always their portion. Their enjoyment of the game suffers because they neither theorise themselves nor study the theories evolved by others. When, about fifteen years ago, I began to play lawn tennis with some seriousness, my first thought was to secure instruction from the leading writers on the game. To a close study of the rules for rudimentary play laid down by, singularly enough, J. Parmly Paret in the Spalding Guide of that day, I owe, in considerable measure, what small portion of skill I have managed to accumulate. In particular, my possession of a backhand that is passable is due directly to Paret's admonitions on this subject. An understanding of my own needs has taught me what other players need. Furthermore, as publisher of "American Lawn Tennis" I have sold thousands of books on the game, which has made it possible for me to learn what the average player wants in a book. Out of this knowl- edge grew the determination to produce such a book, and the present volume is the result of that determination. Its title, "Methods and Players of Modern Lawn Tennis," designates it exactly. It deals with methods and players exclusively, and is designed to be a textbook for players desirous of improving their play. That it will accomplish this purpose, if closely and intelligently studied, I am absolutely convinced. I have been profoundly impressed with the success of the efforts the author has made to produce a book that would make a three-fold appeal to the beginner, to the average player and to the expert. The beginner will find in these pages a work that will start him right on the path to proficiency and ground him in the elements of the game. The average player will have before him a textbook that deals exhaustively with the production of strokes and their uses and the employment of proper tactics and generalship on the court. The expert, finally, will discover here much food for thought, no matter how thoroughly he may know the game. The book contains the most wonderful compilation of expert opinions that has ever been made. In laying the structure of the work, a series of over forty questions was drawn up, each dealing with some disputed point of play. These questions were submitted to all the foremost players IX x METHODS AND PLAYERS OF MODERN LAWN TENNIS of the past decade, both here and abroad, and the number of replies received exceeded expectations, while their nature was little short of amazing. No player knew what any other had to say in answer, and each reply is reproduced verbatim, without comment of any kind. The great European war has prevented the inclusion of as many foreign players as was desired, but although Brookes and Wilding, Froitzheim and Kreuzer, Gobert and Decugis could not be reached, Parke and Dixon have replied. Their handling of the questions reveals careful thought, wide experience and strong convictions. Among the Americans, there are members of every International team for the last ten years, many national champions and no fewer than twenty-six of the first thirty players of the country, according to the official ranking of 1914. No consensus of opinion could be more complete or more authoritative. There are in existence innumerable photographs of lawn tennis players in action, but from this great mass of material the author has weeded out only the most valuable instantaneous snap-shots of the best players, and I believe that these pages are better illustrated than any previous work on the game. The photographers deserve recognition for such clever work, and as far as possible it has been given in the index to illustrations. S. WALLIS MERRIHEW. CONTENTS I. AN INTRODUCTION TO THE GAME - i Difficulty of defining good form Weaknesses of some of the great masters Something else than good form needed What is this precious jewel? Constant prac- tice will work miracles Principles of good form remain steadfast Necessity of beginning right Force of example very powerful Value of written instruction Opinions of the leading experts Some of the ground books have covered The Dohcrtys' book on the game Meyers' book broad and thorough Dewhurst concise and direct Paret's first book requires few corrections Increased value of American service Vaile's work handicapped by prejudice Payn's three attacks on Vaile Kidson sheds light from Australia Little's the best book for experts Wilding more personal than instructive Order in which points should be taken up Breadth of the game's possibilities Perfect balance of the strokes Any guide will teach the rules. II. FIRST PRINCIPLES OF PLAY - - 10 Study the rudiments first Select a new racket carefully Grip the racket tight at the end Keep the playing arm well clear of the body Give the ball plenty of room Loosen up and don't use the muscles too much Stroke should be like the lash of a whip Names of the different strokes Difference between forehand and backhand Different kinds of volley strokes The smash and the stop-volley Swing around and face the ball Hit the ball between knee and hip Swing back long before you strike Bend forward on the toes to meet the ball Don't stand and watch your shot Prepare for the next stroke always Don't try to hit the ball hard at first Improve your weakness by practice Learn to lob at once for defence Perfect ground-strokes before you try voWey Don't try to kill every ball you reach Anticipate your opponent's next play Simplest strokes are most effective Above all, have patience and persevere. III. GRIP OF THE RACKET - - 19 Cardinal points to keep in mind Two schools of the crip and much con- troversy Some holds good for only one stroke Should the grip be shifted for the backhand? Baddeley's unchanged grasp Doherty brothers favored the shift Change becomes almost mechanical Shift about one-quarter of a circle Should the thumb support the handle? Brookes does not use his thumb up English arms bent like scythes They are gradually coming to use the thumb The Dohertys used their thumbs up Vaile criticises English backhand Wrapping the thumb gives a tighter grasp Grip lacks resistance without thumb Bent elbow or wrist only alternative Wrist flexibility comes with thumb up Delicate placing greatly helped English backhand safer but gives back-spin Better to keep racket "open" at all times Extend handle as far as possible Weakness of the short grasp Wilding's sage conclusion Few experts recommend loose grip Tight hold imperative as ball is hit Lowe's eccentric hold Peculiar grips for the different services Artificial grips a matter of taste Wrapping the handle often done Natural cedar handle generally best. XI xii METHODS AND PLAYERS OF MODERN LAWN TENNIS PAGE OPINIONS OF THE EXPERTS: Should the grip be tight or loose? Few favor loose grip Some tighten up as they strike Necessary to prevent slipping On which strokes should you relax? Most players relax on stop-volleys Seaver relaxes OH backhand Bundy uses a shortened handle Church uses short grip, but admits error Most players touch the leather at end Hall shortens grip for the volleys Should the grip be changed? Englishmen report unchanged grip Nearly every American player shifts Mathey in doubt about the shift Thumbs up or thumbs down? Large majority use the thumb up handle LeRoy very positive on this point Difficult to describe grip What is an "ordinary American grip"? Dabney's good description Fingers and thumb parallel for forehand Several try to copy Pell's backhand grip Whitney aims to keep the racket and arm in the same plane Most experts shift about one-quarter of a circle Dewhurst disagrees with most others Many opinions on this point. IV. EYES ON THE BALL 39 Cardinal points to keep in mind Impossible to watch the ball all the time Necessary to watch your opponent Bait must be followed as it approaches When should the player lift his eyes? Closer aim needed than in golf Inconsistency of written rules Few experts see the ball struck Many experiments confirm theory Beginner must not look up Inexperience demands close attention Experts suffer most from bad bounds Uncertain bounds keep eyes from looking up Advantage earned by looking up Baseball and golf are different Most players look at their targets Whitman an exception to the custom Experts read opponents' eyes His eyes show direction This theory proven in several ways Hovey's clever little ruse Almost always good for an ace Wright deceived by Nisbet Ware's variation of the same device McLoughlin read the eyes of Brookes Watch the ball till expert Easy to miss centre of racket Second stage of learning the game Difficult to keep direction If "off your stroke," go back to first principles Time to lift eyes varies In smashing, ball can be watched longer Dewhurst's opinion sound but misleading Rushing opponent must not disconcert Dohertys dwell on this point Vaile's impossible advice Cannot watch part of a flying ball. OPINIONS OF THE EXPERTS: Some of the best players raise their eyes LeRoy looks up first Unconsciously raises eyes, says Whitney Williams reads the other man's eyes Few others say they do Squair tells his method of anticipation What first shows direction? Hackett says intuition guides him Dabney makes a "psychological guess" Touchard says there is an obvious place for every shot. V. FOOTWORK 56 Cardinal points to keep in mind Up on your toes all the time Bending the knees adds fire to action The waiting position of expectancy Many good players do not stand right Feet should not parallel the net Moving backward facilitated How the position works out Getting back from the net for a lob Just as bad at the base-line Diagonal position seems to favor forehand Feet must be in line with flight during stroke Foot-faults as troublesome as ever Simply a matter of which happens first Carelessness causes many foot-faults One common fault of beginners. OPINIONS OF THE EXPERTS: The question of bending the knees Parke says all foot-work must be done on the toes How can a player balance on heels? Feet parallel with net or diagonal? Majority favor parallel stance LeRoy strong in foot-work. CONTENTS xm PAGE VI. THE SWING AND HITTING THE BALL - 65 Cardinal points to keep in mind Entirely aside from making the stroke Tkree distinct actions run into one Starting the back-swing early Novices find this difficult Far better too early than too late Pause helps to steady the stroke Avoid side motion in back-swing Increasing the arc of the arm's swing Making the actual stroke The all-important follow-through Body should swing after the ball Forward step will recover balance Dangerous in the front of the court Every motion in line witk balL's flight Body must not bend backward Timing the biggest factor for speed Keeping away from the ball Elbow skould be level with the ball. OPINIONS OF THE EXPERTS: Should the stroke be made with a full swing? Hobart thinks short swing best Checking the swing to make the ball drop Most players favor full swing. VII. THE FOREHAND STROKE - - 74 Cardinal points to keep in mind Importance of the forehand ground-stroke Three ways to hit the ball Undercut and top-spin strokes The original Lawfprd stroke As the famous Englishman made it^How tke American drop-stroke differs End of the swing most important Extreme drop-strokes not reliable Violence exhausts the player Best way of playing this sroke English method of putting on the twist Diagrams show both methods Rough strings grip ball's surface Top- spin most useful against a volleyer Net player always troubled by it Ineffective against opponent at base-line Alexander's style the best model LeRoy's short swing conceals direction Difficult to play both twists Under-cut reverses the points in its favor Hard to handle from the bound English use of the wrist W. Johnson devel- oped long swing for under-cut Beals Wright's skill with the chop Half -arm jabs and push strokes Straight stroke the best for driving Little change needed to get the drop Straight and drop-strokes work well together Chances of getting to the net Use of the forcing stroke Larned's skill at this play A high, deep drive often best When to use the fast, low stroke Speed and drop needed for small openings Changing the pace a puzzling defence Varying the length for attack. OPINIONS OF THE EXPERTS: Top-spin, under-cut or straight stroke? Most experts favor top-spin Washburn prefers straight stroke on grass Depends on the opponent, Gardner thinks For grass, Williams's style preferred to McLoughlin's LeRoy's opinion instructive Top-spin made quickly, more deceptive than when made slow Gives instant's advantage by concealing direction Little's style recom- mended Seaver favors straight stroke. VIII. THE BACKHAND STROKE - - 92 Cardinal points to keep in mind Backhand position is awkward Power ahead of the ball, not behind Englisk style turns the body at end Different grips influence the stroke Difficult to avoid back-spin with English grip Thumb-around grasp weakens driving power Rigid joints limit shift in direction Elbow can be too higk as well as too low En-dless variations of both styles Body must be swung around to face ball Left foot should never be forward Flexible wrist a great advantage Under-cut ball easy to volley Pell's a model backhand stroke Little gets top-spin on both sides Back-swing should be extended Racket must finish low for under-cut Larned's perfect backhand Same twist for both strokes best Dohertys almost turned their backs to net Difficult to direct stroke this way. OPINIONS OF THE EXPERTS: English or American style? Parkc and Dixon prefer their own style Dabney uses all styles Most Americans prefer high elbow Mathey has followed the Dohertys. xiv METHODS AND PLAYERS OF MODERN LAWN TENNIS IX. VOLLEYING - - 103 Cardinal points to keep in mind Origin of the volley stroke The Renshaws invented the stroke Time and wider angle gained Element of time of great importance Both sides cannot live at the net Blind net-rushing is foolhardy Volley should be made from above the top of the net English school of low volley- ing Deep position condemned How close should you come up? Half swing for a horizontal volley Face of the racket should be beveled back The short cross-court volley A slight downward motion needed Easier to volley under-cut ball Little arm motion needed Lifting volley a defensive stroke How it is made Behr's odd drive-volley Most Americans overdo the smash H. Doherty the best at killing without it Judicious mixture of two styles Overhead volley comparatively easy Clothier fine on high volleys Short smashes should never be missed Never ease up on this stroke Balance must be recovered quickly Fullest action required to smash well Use an "open" racket and no twist Placing a killing smash Handling a deep lob Chances for success in smashing from different distances Better use volley on deep balls Stop-volley not well used How to make the stroke Grip should be relaxed a trifle Weight must never move backward Lob-volley occasion- ally used Half-volley always a tactical blunder A common stroke in England Eaves and Caridia attacked by half-volley Sometimes used as a step toward the net. OPINIONS OF THE EXPERTS: Is it sound to volley from service-line? Very few find it so Is half-volleying ever aggressive? As Williams does it, yes Few recommend the stroke Is underhand volleying aggressive? Parke and Dixon both say "No" Many opinions differ Clothier's style commended Majority againts it Grant thinks it prevents lobbing. X. THE SERVICE - - 125 Cardinal points to keep in mind Wonderful accuracy of the service Narrow space available Many variations of service How high to throw up the ball Height must be governed by preference Bending backward depends on twist The need of twist in all services Overhead out-twists most useful Service used to be made on the run Weak second service a deadly sin Two average deliveries the best Practice until double faults eliminated Placing the service Selecting the best point for attack Outwitting the man who gets "set" Serving to the unexpected side When running in with the service Anticipating a certain favored return Centre theory helps the server Serving down the centre of the court Point of attack must be varied Backhand weakness offers openings Serving from the extreme corner Valu- of the American twist Little's opinion against it McLough- lin also limits its value Twists lose their terrors when understood Ward's discovery partly accidental New spin made ball act strangely Weakness of the reverse t w ist How the American service is made Rapid spin makes ball drop Another swerve to contend with Break worse bo handle than the curve How the ball bends in the air Diagrams show the curves of the ball Side spin makes the erratic bound Like the "English" of billiards Easing up in the swing changes effect McLoughlin clever at this change Long, deep bound an advantage Better to let ball spin itself out Action reversed by a left-handed player Same effects in the reverse twists Cross motion checks speed Length of great value in all service Short service must have a low bound. OPINIONS OF THE EXPERTS: Does American twist pay average player? Church thinks it does not Niles thinks fast top service better Reverse better for left-handed player Should second service be omitted? Most players oppose such a change Dewhurst has another suggestion Brilliant services add interest to the game Grant thinks change would be wise. CONTENTS xv XL THE FIRST RETURN - 147 Cardinal points to keep in mind First return closely restricted by rules Difficulty increased by new services Four plays open when server runs in Pass down right line easiest From the centre a dropping ball the best Short cross-court pass is useful Valuable as a surprise Brings volleyer back to centre of court Beals Wright best at the dropping attack The lob is often a good attack Keeps the server from creeping up close Lobbing better at end of match Williams plays the ball as it rises Is this style practicable? Timing must be perfect for success Champion's fault in the internationals Danger of standing in close New services might stop such play McLoughlin points out disadvantages Collins used this style in doubles In doubles, first return depends on "formation" First drive must be low and cross-court Sharp top-spin makes ball "duck" Pass in front of servers who kang back Lob valuable in doubles. XII. THE TWIST OF THE BALL - - 157 Cardinal points to keep in mind Few realize importance of twist Almost impos- sible to hit ball without it Even the earth revolves on its own axis Some twist necessary in tennis More air resistance on side moving forward Old carriage wheel problem again Theory of rotation Baseball first game to curve the ball Rough tennis ball curves easier Lawford used a sharp twist Under-cut ball carries rapid spin Right and left side-twists also Glancing blow makes ball revolve Rough stringing tried to increase twists Loose strings increase spin Drop-stroke like billiard follow-shot Spin -drags ball forward from bound Difficult to volley top-spinning ball Diagrams show effect of twists on flight Under-cut ball reverse of drop-stroke Spin resist gravitation Mean bound from chop-stroke Vertical twists can also be used Rule that governs curves and breaks Watch path of racket for secret Both vertical and horizontal twists in service Effect of the altered rotation Sudden drop and sharp upbound. OPINIONS OF THE EXPERTS: Should every ball carry twist? Majority think not Second service carries most Do speed and control go with the twist? Washburn has never seen a ball without twist Twist gives less speed, more control Nearly all agree on this point Which ball offers best attack? Parke and Dixon both favor top-spin Beals Wright only man with under-cut attack Most favor top-spin against net player, under-cut against base-liner Some believe straight ball best against back-court player Whitney differs from the others- Which ball is easier to volley? All look alike to Church Majority find under-cut ball easier A few think they arc about equal. XIII. LOBBING - - 174 Cardinal points to keep in mind Legitimate value of the lob A safe answer to the net attack Also an attack in itself in some cases Balance of power very delicate Tiresome work smashing lob after lob Lobbing to make the other man miss Foote wore down his opponents this way Lob a dangerous attack in doubles More need for it than in singles Can be made very aggressive "Irish lob" is often the best Net-rushing tactics can be stopped Keeping a volleyer back opens fresh koles A clean ace sometimes scored by low lob Ware's skill at covering the lob Selecting the backhand corner Lobbing to gain time When out of breath, lob saves the day Its constant use will kill its value Must keep your opponent guess- ing Beals Wright's clever use of the lob The lob-volley is rarely used. OPINIONS OF THE EXPERTS: Is the lob used to attack? Most experts use it, more or less Seaver says it wears the other man out Is persistent lobbing good sportsmanship? Most players approve of it Any stroke of the game legitimate A few against it Do experts place lobs on backhand? Murray does not, but ought to Majority favor this attack Mathey thinks most players expect it. xvi METHODS AND PLAYERS OF MODERN LAWN TENNIS XIV. POSITION PLAY - - 188 Cardinal points to keep in mind Base-line play vs. volleying Purely an academic question The ideal player combines both styles Sound principles and known angles involved Position depends on fixed rules Basis of the centre theory Angles at the disposal of the adversary Speed greatest on side-line shots Cross- court shots must be slow Fast balls go out of court Diagrams explain the centre theory Angles shorter when opponent is in close It is dangerous to play short at the side Volleyer in trouble after such a shot How to apply the centre theory A distinct help for defence To force an adversary to come in No value against a volleyer Most useful for safety in net attack Drive to centre of base-line When up, a good defence of net position Sharp angles always full of danger Centre principle used without the name Definition of the forcing stroke Keeping tke otker man in trouble Volleyer need not always play for an ace If no opening to kill, use forcing stroke Correct position for volleying English ideas are changing Advan- tage of the dlose net position Drawbacks against it Willams's weakness at the net Volleyer must always be ready to get back Length limits the power of the attack Great possibilties in the front of the court Winning openings in short volleys Two bases for play advisable Baddeley's forbidden zone Maintaining position side- wise How a weak backhand loses many points Running around the ball poor tactics A secondary defence at best McLoughlin's success no criterion Attacking weakness through strength Two critical moments in position play Seize the net position without delay Do not play into the other man's hands Make him play the strokes he likes least Playing for the smaller opening Catching the opponent off his balance. OPINIONS OF THE EXPERTS: Stay up or back against a lobber? Smash him out, says Murray Pell thinks a good lobber would drive smasher back Most others advise staying up Which is the stronger game, base-line or net? Hobart believes in the base-line game Smith might beat any volleyer Most Americans favor the volley game Don't crowd the net rashly, says JMiafer Will combination of both beat either? Church thinks not Most other players say it will Are there more possibilities in the front court? Ward said to have done all possible Much differ- ence in views on this question Johnston believes there is always room for improve- ments Indeed there are, says LeRoy Whitney does not think so Do all experts use centre theory? Both Englishmen favor it Strachan runs up in the centre Says Armstrong: "No theories for me." XV. MATCH PLAY TACTICS - - 215 Cardinal points to keep in mind Little's book on "inside tennis" Mental atti- tude appealed to You know what you can do but not your opponent Feeling out the other man's strokes Hammer away at his weakness A weak backhand furnishes a target A story illustrates the point Protecting backhand exposes forehand Uncertainty spells success Running around weakness to cover up How this worked out against Ward Surprising a player in a set position Catching your opponent off his balance Covering the stroke to increase attack A low lob catches close net player One small point that won the all-comers' Davis could not pass cross-court with his backhand Lack of endurance costs many a match Condition wins the victory Lobbing to a player who couldn't kill lobs Pim ignored the adversary Larned's weakness in defence Luring an opponent away from the centre Saving an attack for the critical points Finesse is valuable in tournament play Difficult "saves" may win one in ten points Turning your back on a short lob Gallery play should be tabooed Don't hurry your play unduly Lob high and deep when out of breath Keep up winning play, shift when losing Playing to the score helpful How to give and take handicaps. CONTENTS xvn PAGE XVI. DOUBLES PLAY - - 228 Cardinal points to keep in mind Team-work the keynote of success Personal glory weakens any team Tennis team little stronger than its weakest link Choose your partner carefully Play the net first, last and always Server must always run up Two partners should be abreast Never one up, and one back Diagram shows the "open diagonal" Its weakness apparent at once Net player stranded Adver- sary can smash right "through" him Attack and defence in doubles Constant struggle to "break through" the service Changes in the rules suggested to equalize Lobbing to stop fast services English formation of the strikers It has won despite criticism Often carries all four into volleying duel American formation works for the servers Partner stands at centre of net Shuts out cross-court drive Diagrams illustrate both formations Throws striker off usual return Wright says play should be used only on one side Handling doubtful balls Forehand should be given preference Poaching a short-sighted policy A' sample of it illus- trated How to fool the poaching net man A low lob finds him "anchored" Driving at the net man poor tactics Both partners get back under lob Rush in if your own lob is not smashed Better not to let a lob drop Quick recovery on a deep lob Baddeley's zone forbidden in doubles, too. OPINIONS OF THE EXPERTS: Is the English formation sound? Parke says he has never seen it Dewhurst thinks it sound Large majority against it Has Ameri- can formation advantages? Wright explains common error Lob over net man will break it up Many experts favor it Stops cross-court shots over low centre of net Worries opponents, says Seaver Should second service be cut out? Behr, Little and Wright think it would help Many others against it Hall thinks receivers would be too strong Would it do to widen the alleys? Wright favors this too, but not hoth Many different opinions on this Scheme tried at Seabright Some think strikers would have advantage. XVII. MIXED DOUBLES - 250 Mixed doubles different from other games Women must play at the net English prefer man at the net Parke and Dixon have come to American ideas Man can sometimes join partner at net Difficult to get there when she serves Woman should cross over sometimes With both women at net, better tennis wins Men drive diagonally to each other A variation with a lob Often drives opponents out of position Have partner cross under lob Leaves court open for a kill Success hangs on getting woman up to net. OPINIONS OF THE EXPERTS: Should woman play at the net? English combina- tions find this an advantage Niles mixes gallantry with tennis Nearly all favor net position "Depends on the dame," says Mathey Should woman get easier service? Nearly all agree that she should not Harte and Whitney differ from the others. XVIII. ETHICS AND ETIQUETTE - - 260 Healthy respect for an honorable opponent Learning something from the other man Win or lose, there should be no rancour The few backsliders ostracized One man's method of winning Minor ways of dishonesty An instance of bad methods Not fair to hurry opponents You are entitled to play deliberately Knocking back idle balls Some doubtful points in ethics Lob in the sun, if the other man does This state of min-d bothers many Most tournament players frankly do so Entitled to advantage of sun or wind Other weak points always attacked Playing to tire out the adversary The case of Doherty vs. Ward Exhaustion beat the American Wise generalship to husband your strength Big men tire in long xvni METHODS AND PLAYERS OF MODERN LAWN TENNIS PAGE matches Deception in play perfectly legitimate How far should deception be carried? Serving to the woman in mixed doubles Attacking the woman opponent The question of postponing matches Delay should not be granted for rest Refusing to take a hollow victory A test case of postponement When should a let be claimed? Never try for point and then claim a let Ethics as important in practice as match play How shouH one take an umpire's wrong decision? Most embar- rassing when in your favor A sample of fine sportsmanship Highest ethics of iiie game. OPINIONS OF THE EXPERTS: Should you lob in the face of the sun? Nearly all agree that you should Harte says play as if there were no sun Skould you lob to a bad smasher? Again, the experts agree, Williams dissenting Champion's is the only negative answer Should you try to exhaust an opponent? Parke and Dixon disagree here All but Parke agree that it is fair Opponent deserves to lose if he can't stand strain. XIX. RACKETS, BALLS, SHOES, ETC. - r 278 Importance of selecting a god racket Cut strokes require an open mesh Coarser gut for dirt court play Best weight for a racket Weight should be evenly balanced Size of handle important Large handle weakens the grasp Beware of fancy grips Balls should be right in size and weight Nets should be always correct height Never play on courts that are marked wrong Difference of opinion as to shoes "Sneakers" save much weight Other wearing apparel Flopping shirt- sleeves bothersome. OPINIONS OF THE EXPERTS: What size and weight for racket? From 14 to 14 y a oz. tke general rule Handles generally 5^ inches around Should average player use large or small handle? Gardner thinks it depends on what he likes Large for net play, small for back-court Which are best: "Sneakers" or thick soles? Opinions evenly divided on this "Sneakers" for match play only. XX. LAWN TENNIS THEORIES - 288 Good practice must be based on sound theory Vaile's ideas not all original More than one way to play the backhand Where did the centre theory originate? British ideas on th subject Payn's views narrowly English Five points -disputed Decugis controverts Payn's claim Value of American twist service Drop-stroke does permit greater speed Payn swamped on the mixed doubles question Even English ideas now do not support him Soundness of doubles formation still in dispute Vaile believes the English position unsound Recent results do not strengthen this contention New theory on looking away from the ball McLoughlin's book supports tkis principle Does success vindicate bad methods? The ideal styles to follow Action photographs often deceptive. LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS: FACING PAGE RICHARD NORRIS WILLIAMS, 2ND, NATIONAL CHAMPION Frontispiece Photogravure Portrait Underwood & Underwood THE WAITING POSITION OF Two OLD MASTERS 8 Beals C. Wright Waiting for a Service. Robert D. Wrenn Waiting for a Volley. GOOD AND BAD FORM CONTRASTED IN THE SAME STROKE. . Q R. Norris Williams, 2nd, in Forehand Stroke Paul Thompson Frederick G. Anderson in Forehand Stroke. Two EXAMPLES OF BROOKES' BAD FORM IN PLAY 12 End of the Backhand Stroke Edwin Levick End of the Forehand Stroke Brown Brothers FINISH OF CHAMPION WILLIAMS' GROUND-STROKES 13 End of the Forehand Stroke Underwood & Underwood End of the Backhand Stroke Underwood 6- Underwood FOREHAND AND BACKHAND GRIPS FOR AMERICAN STROKE 20 FOREHAND AND BACKHAND GRIPS FOR ENGLISH STROKE 20 GRIPS FOR THREE DISTINCTIVE SERVICES 21 THREE WAYS TO USE THE THUMB IN THE BACKHAND STROKE 24 Two METHODS OF RETURNING THE SERVICE 25 Thomas C. Bundy's Peculiar Style. W. Merrill Hall's Orthodox Method Arthur E. Dunn NORMAN BROOKES MAKING FOREHAND STROKE 28 Start of the Stroke. Just After Hitting the Ball Edwin Levick MAURICE E. MCLOUGHLIN'S PECULIAR FOREHAND STROKE 29 Hitting the Ball New Zealand Finish of the Swing New Zealand THE CHOP-STROKE AS PLAYED BY AN EXPERT 36 Thomas C. Bundy About to Hit the Ball. .Underwood 6- Underwood XIX xx METHODS AND PLAYERS OF MODERN LAWN TENNIS FACING PAGE FOREHAND STROKE WITH MODERATE TOP-SPIN 37 William J. Clothier at the End of the Stroke Paul Thompson F. B. ALEXANDER'S STYLE OF FOREHAND GROUND-STROKE, Underwood & Underwood AQ END OF FOREHAND DROP-STROKE 4T Maurice McLoughlin at the End of His Drive Edwin Levick Holcombe Ward Finishing Drop-Stroke H. M. Smith J. C. PARKS' s STYLE OF GROUND-STROKES 56 Beginning of the Forehand Stroke Paul Thompson End of the Forehand Stroke Paul Thompson C. P. DIXON'S TYPICAL ENGLISH STYLE 57 End of the Forehand Stroke Paul Thompson End of the Backhand Stroke Paul Thompson PERFECT END OF A STRAIGHT FOREHAND DRIVE 72 William A. Larned Making the Stroke. BODY-SWING INCREASING THE FOLLOW-THROUGH 73 William M. Johnston Making Forehand Stroke, Underwood & Underwood ANTHONY WILDING'S FINE BACKHAND STROKE 88 Start of the Stroke Brown Brothers Finish of the Swing Edwin Levick THEODORE PELL'S ROLLING BACKHAND STROKE 89 Hitting the Ball Brown Brothers Finish of the Swing Edwin Levick A FINE EXAMPLE OF FREE BODY ACTION IN BACKHAND PLAY 92 Harold H. Hackett About to Hit the Ball. Underwood & Underwood END OF THE CHAMPION'S BACKHAND STROKE 93 R. Norris Williams, 2nd, at the End of His Swing Edwin Levick MAURICE MCLAUGHLIN'S CRAMPED BACKHAND STROKE 100 Start of the Stroke Brozvn Brothers End of the Swing Brown Brothers Two DISTINCTIVE STYLES OF BACKHAND STROKE 101 Raymond D. Little at the End of His Stroke Edwin Levick Malcolm D. Whitman Hitting the Ball. LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS xxi FACING PAGE Low FOREHAND VOLLEY OF A DROPPING BALL 108 F. B. Alexander Stepping in to Meet a Low Ball H. M. Smith HORIZONTAL BACKHAND VOLLEY FROM NEAR THE NET 109 R. Norris Williams, 2nd, Reaching Out for a Pass . . . Edwin Levick A FINE STOP- VOLLEY AT THE NET 116 William A. Larned About to Drop the Ball Short... Paul Thompson BACKHAND HALF- VOLLEY OF A SHORT BALL 117 Gustave F. Touchard About to Make the Stroke. EXTREME AMERICAN TWIST SERVICE 124 Maurice E. McLoughlin Starting the Stroke, Underwood & Underwood REVERSE TWIST AMERICAN SERVICE 125 Thomas C. Bundy Serving This Difficult Delivery. .. .Edwin Levick Two VIEWS OF MCLOUGHLIN'S WONDERFUL SERVICE 132 Start of the Stroke Edwin Levick End of the Swing .Brown Brothers Two EXTREME STYLES OF SERVICE DELIVERY 133 M. E. McLoughlin in American Twist New Zealand H. L. Doherty Making His Easy Delivery /. C. Hemment R. LINDLEY MURRAY'S AMERICAN SERVICE 136 Underwood & Underwood CHAMPION WILLIAMS SERVING AMERICAN TWIST 137 R. Norris Williams, 2nd, About to Hit the Ball. ENGLISH STYLE OF VOLLEYING WITH ELBOW Low 152 Dean Mathey Making Backhand Volley. .Underwood & Underwood AMERICAN AND ENGLISH END OF BACKHAND STROKES 153 Oscar Kreutzer at the End of His Stroke Paul Thompson R. Lindley Murray at the End of His Stroke Paul Thompson A REAR VIEW OF THE AMERICAN TWIST SERVICE 168 Theodore R. Pell Serving Brown Brothers WILDING'S STYLE OF SERVICE 169 A. F. Wilding Throwing Up the Ball. xxii METHODS AND PLAYERS OF MODERN LAWN TENNIS FACING PAGE ENGLISH FORMATION FOR DOUBLES 184 International Match of 1914 Brown Brothers ENGLISH DOUBLES AGAINST AUSTRALIANS 185 International Match of 1912 Paul Thompson Two STYLES OF BACKHAND VOLLEYING 200 Karl H. Behr Blocking a Low Volley. R. Lindley Murray Hitting a Horizontal Ball. Two STYLES OF NET PLAY 201 A. F. Wilding in Low Forehand Volley. Dwight F. Davis in Hard Overhead Smash /. C. H eminent MODERATE SMASH OF A LOB 216 W. A. Larned Volleying a Dropping Ball H. M. Smith WAITING FOR AN OVERHEAD SMASH 217 A. F. Wilding Ready to Kill a High Lob. AN ENGLISH DOUBLES FINAL AT EASTBOURNE 232 Striker-Out's Partner at the Service-Line. ENGLISH DOUBLES WITH ALL FOUR PLAYERS VOLLEYING 233 All-England Challenge Match at Wimbledon Mayall BAD TEAM PLAY IN DOUBLES 248 Touchard Crowding Washburn Off the Court. VOLLEYING FROM THE SERVICE-LINE 249 Doust vs. McLoughlin, Internationals of 1913, Underwood & Underzvood AN INTRODUCTION TO THE GAME AN INTRODUCTION TO THE GAME AFTER the remarkable season of 1914, with its difficult lessons, it is perhaps more than ever before a precarious undertak- ing to define what constitutes good form in lawn tennis. Never has more success been won with apparently bad form, and this has increased im- mensely the difficulty in describing the best way to play. Of the five really great masters of the game at this time, McLoughlin, Brookes, Wilding, Wil- liams and Parke, certainly two and perhaps three do not play in the orthodox form which has been accepted for decades past by the best authorities. Would any one dare to advise Brookes's grip or his forehand stroke to a beginner ? Could Mc- Loughlin's backhand be recommended to an am- bitious novice? Does not Williams's foot work constitute a distinct weakness to his play? Wild- ing, perhaps, might be held up as a model of good form, and surely he is the nearest to orthodox in all his play. In his international matches last year, McLoughlin deliberately ran around very many balls that should have been returned back- handed, freely admitting his weakness at this point of the game. These men have proven themselves to be the Difficulty of Defining Good Form Weaknesses of Some of the Great Masters METHODS AND PLAYERS OF MODERN LAWN TENNIS Something Else Than Good Form Needed What is This Precious Jewel? Constant Practice Will Work Miracles best masters of the tennis world, but does that in itself vindicate their methods? I should be in- clined to doubt it. There seems to be something even above and beyond merely good form that makes for winning in lawn tennis. The best players, as we have seen, have won despite elements of bad form, and we have all seen hosts of instances of players who showed almost perfect technical skill in their play, and still lost to men who seemed far their in- feriors. There is something in the temper, the fight- ing spirit, and the dogged tenacity of one human being that helps him to conquer another in many a struggle, whether it be for mere sport or a more serious phase of life. This indefinable something in the human make-up that gives "sting" to his attack is what the winners have and the losers lack. It isn't strength alone, for Brookes lacked that ; it cannot be only speed and agility, for Wild- ing was almost without them, nor can it be a qual- ity of the eye. Yet, whatever it may be, it is not enough alone, and for the encouragement of those who doubt their possession of the priceless jewel, let me say that untiring, persistent, constant practice un- der reasonably favorable conditions will work miracles, will remove mountains in the path of lawn tennis skill. To be sure, some players are born to the purple Larned, Pirn, Williams, Behr, and a lot of others but don't forget that Mc- Loughlin, Doherty, Whitman, Wrenn, Ward and as many more, were "dragged up by hand." It AN INTRODUCTION TO THE GAME 3 takes ten years of hard work to reach champion- ship form, except in isolated rare cases. But the principles of good form have re- mained steadfast even after last season's on- slaught, and they require very little alteration be- cause of the successes of McLoughlin or Brookes. These men are of the minority and they consti- tute brilliant exceptions to the proven rules of correct play as shown by the style used by the great majority of the successful players. It is of vital necessity that those who would learn to play the game well should study the fixed principles of good form and apply them closely in practice. It is particularly important to begin right, for the faulty habits contracted early are very difficult to correct even with the best in- struction later on. The force of example is very powerful in ten- nis. Every successful player is almost invariably followed by a school of worshippers who imitate the strokes of their model, no matter whether they be good or bad. Success vindicates his methods in their eyes. But for every one who succeeds with bad form there are a hundred followers of the same style who fail with it because it is faulty in theory. Lucky is the young player who has the good fortune to live near and study the style of a successful player who has good form. And lucky is his club, too, for it will almost surely turn out a lot of others from the same mould whose chances for success will be increased ten- fold because their basic principles are sound. If good models or competent instructors are Principles of Good Form Remain Steadfast Necessity of Beginning Right Force of Example Very Powerful 4 METHODS AND PLAYERS OP MODERN LAWN TENNIS Value of Written Instruction Opinions of the Leading Experts Some of the Ground Books Have Covered not to be had, written instruction is the next re- source, and it is with the hope of filling the gap at this point that the present volume has been pre- pared. To take the broadest possible view of the subject, the author has intended to give his own views for what they may be worth, and to quote from other competent authorities who have writ- ten on the game, placing their opinions on dis- puted points before the reader so that he may form his own conclusion with a full knowledge of the arguments from all sides. Finally, that the subject may be completely covered, an effort has been made to secure the opinions of all the leading players of the pres- ent day, and some of the masters of recent gener- ations. With such a consensus of expert opinion before him, the reader should have the best help that written instruction on the game can fur- nish. There have been many books written on lawn tennis, but few of them have contained any very complete instruction on the methods of playing the game. We have had plenty of its history and its records of champions this ground has been fully covered. There have also been a number of books for beginners on the rudimentary prin- ciples of play, and one or two for advanced play- ers, but these are rare, and there are practically no works that include both the novice and the expert. It is intended that this volume shall fill this gap if possible. R. F. and H. L. Doherty published in both England and America a rather instructive volume, AN INTRODUCTION TO THE GAME but it was far from complete. They treated the subject very generally and modestly stated their own preferences, laying down some rules with- out expounding theories or explaining principles. Even the Dohertys themselves differed on many points, and their book is curiously divided against itself, expressing two individual opinions on some disputed points. "The Complete Lawn Tennis Player," pub- lished in London by A. Wallis Meyers, fully bears out its title and treats the subject more exhaust- ively than any other volume in our libraries. Mr. Meyers goes into the subject thoroughly and with technical knowledge and breadth of view that is very instructive. His views are both sound and broad, and his viewpoint is not confined to English theories. In America, the best books have been Dr. E. B. Dewhurst's "Science of Lawn Tennis/' and a previous volume on "Lawn Tennis" by the present writer. Dr. Dewhurst's volume is very readable and instructive, furnishing a more concise hand- book on the game than anything else published on this side of the water. He is short, crisp, to the >oint and wastes no words in showing the young )layer how to learn the intricacies of the game. The previous volume of mine, published in 1904, was rather a complete treatise, including historical, instructive and statistical chapters on the game in all parts of the world. Methods and players have changed during the last decade in many respects and ideas are likely to alter in such a period. However, though a close student of The Dohertys' Book on the Game Meyers' Book Broad and Thorough Dewhurst Concise and Direct METHODS AND PLAYERS OP MODERN LAWN TENNIS Paret's First Book Requires Few Corrections Increased Value of American Service Voile's Work Handicapped by Prejudice lawn tennis at all times during the interim and for fifteen years before the first book appeared, I have not found many points of instruction that require material correction. If I repeat many of the same ideas and theories in the present volume it is only because I believe them to be as sound to- day as they were ten years ago. The value of the American twist service has heavily increased since its early days, and on fur- ther study I should be inclined now to modify the advice given in my first book for a young player not to be diverted into too much devotion to that particular play. But I still doubt the wisdom of sacrificing any great efforts in acquiring the de- livery, since it is becoming so commonly used that its novelty is wearing off, and the attack loses much of its terror when its secret is well under- stood. P. A. Vaile has published several books on the game both here and in England, but the value of his work has been seriously handicapped by the extremes to which he carries the particular prej- udices he has formed, notably his aversion to the English grip and preference for the rolling back- hand lift stroke used more here than abroad. Per- sonal egotism and a narrow point of view has rob- bed his writings of much of the good they might otherwise have had. Mr. Vaile's rash indulgence in the once popular pastime of "twisting the lion's tail" en- gendered many enemies in England, and F. W. Payn, an English player of no mean skill both in literature and on the court, published three AN INTRODUCTION TO THE GAME separate volumes aimed at refuting Mr. Vaile's criticisms and upholding the orthodox English traditions. Unfortunately, Mr. Payn rushed to the other extreme. He took only the English point of view, ignoring entirely American and Australian ideas that have been accepted as sound by other English authorities. His work was re- troactive, all modern progressive ideas except the American service being discarded and disap- proved. "Lawn Tennis in Australia/ 7 by R. M. Kid- son, contains much sound light on the game from an expert who has seen it played in all sections of the world. Without denying English and Americans their full share in the development of the game, Mr. Kidson still believes the Aus- tralasian experts to be the king pins of the court, and possibly not without good reason. There have been many books of varying value for the beginner, but the literature for the tourna- ment player of experience amounts to little or nothing. Fortunately, what it lacks in quantity is more than made up in quality. For any expe- rienced player who wants to advance his skill by studying the finer points of the game as laid down by an expert, I could not do better than recom- mend Raymond D. Little's "Tennis Tactics." Without exception, this is the best work on the advanced principles of the game that has been published, and although rather a small volume, it contains a more liberal education in advanced methods of play than all the rest of tennis litera- ture put together. Little gives scant attention to Payn's Three Attacks on Vaile Kidson Sheds Light from Australia Little's the Best Book for Experts 8 METHODS AND PLAYERS OF MODERN LAWN TENNIS Wilding More Personal Than Instructive Order in Which Points Should Be Taken Up Breadth of the Game's Possibilities Perfect Balance of the Strokes first principles, and his book is only for expe- rienced players. A. F. Wilding published a book entitled "On the Court and Off" a few years ago that included some valuable instruction in its pages, but it was largely taken up with reminiscences of the author and general comments on play rather than a sys- tematic effort to furnish instruction. The oft-repeated advice to "get the ball back over the net" appears very wise and may furnish a good maxim for beginners, but it sounds the key-note for only one phase of the play. To learn the game in correct order, one should take up (1) the grip of the racket, (2) making the strokes, (3) use of the feet, legs, eyes, arms and body weight, (4) placing the ball, (5) technique of the twist or rotation of the ball, (6) position in court, (7) angles of attack and defence, (8) strategy, and (9) deception and counter decep- tion. The deeper one goes into the game, the more fascinated will he become by the range of pos- sibilities offered for healthy exercise, even to ex- haustive effort if it is preferred; for foot work, arm work, body work and for headwork. Every muscle of the human body is called on. Yet it is not a game of physical effort only; the mind should be as active as the body when playing a close match. This is largely due to the perfect balance of power which exists among skillful players. As between net-play and base-line play, between the smash and the lob, the pass and the volley, the AN INTRODUCTION TO THE GAME service and the first return, even as between player and player the balance is so evenly divided that it takes only the slightest tilt of the scales to throw victory to one side or the other. I have assumed that the beginner who takes up this volume as a mentor for his first lessons in the game is already familiar with the rules and system of scoring. Any paper-covered guide will furnish these and they should be familiarized be- fore the effort to learn the strokes of the game is begun. Any Guide mil Teach the Rules 10 METHODS AND PLAYERS OF MODERN LAWN TENNIS II. Study the Rudiments First Select a New Racket Carefully Grip the Racket Tight and at the End F FIRST PRINCIPLES OF PLAY OR THE BEGINNER, the novice who is taking up the game from the start, a few words of introductory advice will be use- ful, and this chapter should be read carefully by all young players before passing on to the more serious study of the game's intricacies that are covered in the other pages. In selecting a racket, choose one with a small handle and preferably light in weight. Fourteen ounces is perhaps the best weight for a beginner, although a small man or a woman should learn the strokes with one weighing not over thirteen and one-half ounces, while a power- ful man might prefer an ounce heavier even at the start. It is a simple matter to increase the weight of your first racket half an ounce or so when you are able to play the rudimentary strokes fairly well, and come to select your second racket. It will be found much easier to handle the lighter weight while learning the game. ' %J Always grip the racket tightly while in- play- and hold it by the extreme end. The manner in which to grip the racket is fully covered in the next chapter and it is unnecessary to go over the same ground here. Keep your eye always FIRST PRINCIPLES OF PLAY 11 on the ball, and watch it all the time in its flight. There are exceptions to this rule, to be sure, but they are only for experienced players. Keep your playing arm well clear of the body, and avoid contracting the dangerous habit of playing with a bent elbow that brings your arm in close to the side. This fault cramps the swing of the racket, it cuts off the "follow- through" with the weight of the body, and it pre- vents the player from shortening his reach if the ball should bound slightly more in toward him than he expected. Keep away from the ball also; give it plenty of room and then bend forward and out to meet it. Never make a stroke while moving backward, as this takes all the power out of the blow. Preferably, spring forward to meet the ball, and, bending with the swing of the arm, allow the body to "lean" against the ball, so as to add the body's weight to the power of the stroke. Be moving forward when you actually hit the ball and keep every motion of the racket, arm and body in line with the ball's flight. All add to the power of the stroke, and help to make the ball go in the direction you want it to travel. Loosen up the joints in making the swing. The stiffness shown in most of the poor strokes made by beginners comes generally from the very apparent effort to use the muscles too much. Good tennis players do not get their speed from extra muscular effort but from timing the swing properly, so that the momentum of the racket, rather :than the muscular force back of it, drives Keep the Playing Arm Well Clear of the Body Give the Ball Plenty of Room Loosen Up and Don't Use the Muscles Too Much 12 METHODS AND PLAYERS OF MODERN LAWN TENNIS Stroke Should Be Like the Lash of a Whip Names of the Different Strokes Difference Between Forehand and Backhand the ball harder. Compare the tennis stroke with the lash of a whip and you will get a fair idea of it. Extra strength does not make the whip strike a harder blow; momentum gives it the power. Certain names have been given to the dif- ferent strokes of the game which may not be un- derstood by the beginner. A few words therefore may prevent a confusion of terms later on, and make the explanations clearer. The "ground-stroke" is made by striking the ball after it has bounded from the ground, and the "volley" before it has touched the ground, or "on the fly" as the baseball players say. Ground-strokes and volleys are divided into two general classes as "forehand" or "backhand," ac- cording to whether the ball is struck on the right side (by a right-handed player) or the left side. Forehand strokes are made with the strik- ing-arm, or at least its shoulder, behind the ball when it is hit, and backhand strokes with the shoulder ahead of it, requiring a different position of the body and arm, and a different grip of the racket. In backhand play, the arm crosses some- what in front of the body in making the stroke while it is entirely free in forehand play, which explains why it is almost invariably more difficult to make a backhand than a forehand stroke. There are a number of other sub-divisions of the principle strokes. A "drive" is simply a ground-stroke made fast and low, and a "lob" the reverse of this, since it tosses the ball high up in the air and necessarily slow in order to fall inside H an( ^ oc k tne ball up against this by the hour. This will give the best possible practice in learning strokes and will also teach the begin- ner a lot about the bound of the ball and its flight through the air. Even expert players find this a splendid method of training the eye. GRIP OP THE RACKET 19 III. GRIP OF THE RACKET FIVE CARDINAL POINTS TO REMEMBER: 1 Always hold the racket tight in the hand; as the stroke is made, increase the tightness of this grasp. 2 Hold the racket as near the end as possible. 3 The grip should allow the face of the racket always to be at right angles with the flight of the ball, both sidewise and endwise. 4 -The grip should be shifted through one-quar- ter of a circle for the backhand, and the thumb should then be braced against the handle parallel with it. 5 Use a small-handled racket and avoid artificial grips on the handle. THERE has been controversy over the best methods of gripping the racket almost since the birth of the game. There have been two distinct schools, each of which has its merits, and beyond these a half dozen eccentric styles of holding the racket have earned more or less success. But while we find that certain methods of gripping have apparent advantages for certain strokes, they lose in other strokes as much or more than is gained. It is not practicable to change the The Cardinal Points to Keep in Mind Two Schools of the Grip and Much Controversy 20 METHODS AND PLAYERS OP MODERN LAWN TENNIS Some Holds Good for Only One Stroke Should the Grip Be Shifted for the Backhand? Baddeley's Unchanged Grasp hold for every stroke, so some set style must be adopted that gives the most advantage for all the strokes required. A slight shifting, for instance, in the posi- tion of the hand gives a much better hold for the rolling backhand drive, but only for this stroke, and so it is available only for those players who use this stroke regularly. If this is adopted, then other strokes on the backhand side must be adapted to this hold or suffer in consequence. The first mark of divergence in the two theories, which have been generally referred to as the English and American schools, comes in the question of whether the grip should or should not be changed for the backhand stroke that is, whether the grip of the handle should remain un- changed when the arm is shifted from one side of the body to the other. Wilfred Baddeley, one of the early English masters of the game, and one of the earliest of the English writers whose work became authorita- tive, played himself and advocated others playing with an unchanged grip. Heathcote also held the same views and this style was at first followed by a large proportion of the British players. It is still upheld to this day by some of the present ex- perts on the other side. However, American ideas differ here, the be- lief on this side of the Atlantic being that a shifting of the grip in playing the backhand stroke is an advantage. This theory is firmly held in this country by practically all of our best players, very few holding the English views. s. e rt ^o 'C .2? j-i ~ I) CO -^ a G -S u j-i ^ pq .c 3 " ' Nearly Every American Player Shifts Mathey in Doubt About the Shift J. C. PARKE : No. C. P. DIXON : No. R. L. MURRAY : Yes. G. M. CHURCH : Yes. W. M. WASHBURN: Yes. ELIA FOTTRELL: Yes. CLARENCE HOBART: Yes. E. B. DEWHURST: Yes. J. R. STRACHAN : Yes. C. R. GARDNER : Yes. A. S. DABNEY: Yes. G. P. GARDNER, JR. : Yes. F. C. INMAN : A little. W. F. JOHNSON : Yes. N. W. NILES: Yes. T. R. PELL: Yes. ROBERT LEROY: Always. A. M. SQUAIR : Very slightly. G. F. TOUCHARD : Yes. J. J. ARMSTRONG: Sometimes. LEONARD BEEKMAN : Yes. W. M. HALL: Yes. RICHARD HARTE : Yes. DEAN MATHEY: I am myself debating whether to change grips or not. Until last year I did not change at all. R. C. SEAVER: Yes. G. C. SHAFER: Yes. S. H. VOSHELL: Yes. E. H. WHITNEY: Yes. I.C.WRIGHT: Yes. W. C. GRANT: Yes. Do you use your thumb up the handle on the back- hand? Thumbs Up or Thumbs Down? R. N. WILLIAMS, 2ND : Yes. T. C. BUNDY: No. K. H. BEHR: For some strokes and others not. GRIP OP THE RACKET 35 F. B. ALEXANDER : No. Large Majority R. D. LITTLE : Yes. Use the H. H. HACKETT: Yes. Thumb J. C. PARKE: No. Up Handle C. P. DIXON : No. R. L. MURRAY: Yes. G. M. CHURCH: No. W. M. WASHBURN : No. ELIA FOTTRELL: Yes. CLARENCE HOBART: Yes. E. B. DEWHURST: Yes. J. R. STRACHAN: No. C. R. GARDNER : Yes. A. S. DABNEY: Yes. G. P. GARDNER, JR. : Yes. F. C. INMAN : No. W. F. JOHNSON: Yes. N. W. NILES: Yes. T. R. PELL: Yes. ROBERT LEROY: Yes, decidedly. LeRoy Very A. M. SQUAIR : No. Positive on G. F. TOUCHARD : No. this Point J. J. ARMSTRONG: Yes. LEONARD BEEKMAN : No. W. M. HALL: Yes. RICHARD HARTE: Yes. R. C. SEAVER: No. G. C. SHAFER: Yes. S. H. VOSHELL: Yes. E. H. WHITNEY: Yes. I. C. WRIGHT: No. W. C. GRANT: Yes. Describe the grip you use for forehand and back- hand. R, N. WILLIAMS, 2ND : Face of racket perpendicular DiiHcult to to ground, that is, face of racket is up and down. I hit Describe the ball straight in the middle of racket and don't cover Grip the ball like Mac. (Maurice E. McLoughlin ED.) 36 METHODS AND PLAYERS OF MODERN LAWN TENNIS What is an "Ordinary American Grip"? Dabney's Good Description Fingers and Thumb Parallel for Forehand T. C. BUNDY: Cannot state without photograph. K. H. BEHR: Impossible. R. D. LITTLE: Front of hand facing forward for forehand. Side of hand for backhand. Thumb back of handle. H. H. HACKETT: Ordinary American grip. J. C. PARKE: Oval-shaped handle set firmly into V between thumb and forefinger. C. P. DIXON: Thumb over. R. L. MURRAY: In backhand, I support the racket with my thumb along the handle. G. M. CHURCH : Rather loose grip with the back- hand a little looser, thumb across in both cases. J. R. STRACHAN : In making a forehand stroke, the ball of my hand is on the wide part of the handle and in making a backhand, it is on the narrow part. C. R. GARDNER: A la Pell, I think. A. S. DABNEY: For forehand, grasp the racket naturally as you would grasp a hand mirror. Have the fingers slightly separated, the forefinger more so than the others. The web between the thumb and forefinger about in line with the side of the racket. Backhand: Thumb up the handle, fingers close together. F. C. INMAN : Firm, comfortable grip, a slight shift from fore to backhand. W. F. JOHNSON : Forehand : Fingers on top of handle with thumb over forefinger. Backhand : Knuckles on top with thumb stretched up handle. N. W. NILES: Forehand: Fingers around with forefinger somewhat along handle from others. Second knuckle of thumb about the back or outside corner edge of handle. Backhand: Fingers around handle except thumb, latter flat along back of handle, pointed slightly down. ROBERT LsRoY : My forehand grip has the fingers and thumb parallel, which is held with the face at right angles to the ground. The head of the racket is held only a trifle lower than the handle. As I hit my grip be- Copyright by Underwood & Underwood THOMAS C. BUNDY The Chop-Stroke Played by an Expert. This shows a splendid example of the chop-stroke as played by one of its strongest exponents. Note the downward angle of the blow from above the shoulder, the crouched position and the cramped stance that limits the body swing. Bundy and Wallace Johnson are the best players yet produced of this type. WILLIAM J. CLOTHIER Forehand Stroke With Moderate Top-Spin. With the racket finishing over the right shoulder, as shown in this picture, the ball gets a moderate forward twist. This is the happy medium be- tween the straighter strokes of Larned and the extreme top- spin shown by McLoughlin. GRIP OF THE RACKET 37 comes tighter. Backhand grip much the same except for the position of the thumb. G. F. TOUCHARD: The only difference is in the position of the thumb which is midway between up and down and around the handle. J. J. ARMSTRONG: Impossible to describe on paper. LEONARD BEEKMAN : Forehand : Racket slightly bent forward. Backhand: Try to copy Pell's, the face of handle against the part of hand between thumb and first finger. W. M. HALL: Racket and arm in straight line. RICHARD HARTE: My hand is well spread out, the forefinger seeming to point the direction. R. C. SEAVER: Hold the racket tight for forehand, and in changing to backhand, turn racket and hold loosely. G. C. SHAFER: Thumb free on forehand, in use on backhand. S. H. VOSHELL: Backhand thumb up handle. E. H. WHITNEY: I hold my racket so that racket and arm are both in the same plane. In changing from forehand to backhand, I turn the racket over half way that both sides of the racket are used. W. C. GRANT: Thumb wrapped around handle for forehand. Thumb up handle for backhand. Does your grip shift from forehand to backhand more or less than one-quarter circle? How much less or more? R. N. WILLIAMS, 2ND : More. T. C. BUNDY : Little more. K. H. BEHR : Don't know. R. D. LITTLE: About one-quarter circle. H. H. HACKETT : About that. C. P. DIXON : Should say about one-eighth more. I take the ball rather low on backhand and with check cut. R. L. MURRAY: Just about one-quarter. Several Try to Copy Pell's Backhand Grip Whitney Aims to Keep in the Same Plane Most Experts Shift About One-Quarter of a Circle 38 METHODS AND PLAYERS OF MODERN LAWN TENNIS Dcwhurst Disagrees with Most Others Many Opinions on this Point G. M. CHURCH : A little more than one-quarter circle. W. M. WASHBURN: It shifts about three-eighths of a circle, perhaps a little less. ELIA FOTTRELL: I think about one-quarter circle. CLARENCE HOBART: It shifts about one-eighth. E. B. DEWHURST : About one-eighth of a circle, 45 degrees. One-quarter of a circle is a right angle. No one changes this much. J. R. STRACHAN : Just about 90 degrees. C. R. GARDNER : About one-quarter. A. S. DABNEY : Yes, about three-quarters of an inch in all. F. C. INMAN : Yes, little less than y^ circle. W. F. JOHNSON : Grip changes very little. N. W. NILES: Slightly more, barely enough to be called "more;" second knuckle of thumb is on corner in forehand and just over corner in backhand. T. R. PELL: One-half circle, I think. ROBERT LsRoY : Almost a full quarter circle. Fore- hand, the back of my hand is at almost right angles to the ground. Backhand, it is exactly parallel with the ground. A. M. SQUAIR : Less than one-quarter circle. Practi- cally more on backhand ground-strokes. Less than one- quarter on low backhand volleys, in fact not more than one-eighth on any backhand. G. F. TOUCHARD: If the smooth side is used for forehand the rough side will be out for backhand. J. J. ARMSTRONG : About same. LEONARD BEEKMAN : Just about a fourth. W. M. HALL: About one-third. RICHARD HARTE: Slightly more. R. C. SEAVER: Full half circle. G. C. SHAFER : One-eighth of circle. S. H. VOSHELL : Just one-quarter. E. H. WHITNEY: More. I. C. WRIGHT: One-quarter circle. W. C. GRANT: No. EYES ON THE BALL 39 IV. EYES ON THE BALL FOUR CARDINAL POINTS TO REMEMBER 1 Keep your eyes on the ball from the beginning of the forward swing until the ball has been hit. 2 Look azvay from the ball during the stroke only after you have become a proficient player, and then only when in good prac- tice. 3 Look back at the ball even then if you find you are hitting badly. 4 Against an expert, watch his eyes closely to discover which way he is aiming the ball. IT IS obvious that it is impossible to keep your eyes on the ball all of the time during play, because you must devote some attention to your opponent's position in court. It is necessary to glance up occasionally, especially when moving about the court rapidly, in order to keep the height of the net clearly in mind, its distance from you, and'the relative position of the lines of the court. Without these details, you will be all at sea in placing the ball, and sometimes even in getting it over the net. If the other man runs up to vol- ley the next return, you must know of his move- ments to make your next stroke a passing at- Cardinal Points to Keep in Mind Impossible to Watch the Ball All the Time 40 METHODS AND PLAYERS OF MODERN LAWN TENNIS Necessary to Watch Your Opponent Ball Must Be Followed as It Approaches When Should the Player Lift His Eyes? tempt or a lob ; if he shifts his position far to one side or the other, that will govern the direction of your next stroke. It is apparent therefore that you must look away from the ball frequently during play, and the question naturally arises just when you must centre all of the attention on the flying sphere so as to make a perfect stroke. As the ball approaches you, it must be watched closely until you are moderately certain where it will strike and have made your calcula- tion as to where you should stand to meet it. At this point, many players take a quick glance at the opponent to get a last bulletin as to his move- ments and to finally adjust their own compass be- fore steering the next stroke. A fraction of a second is long enough to get this information and then all attention should be centered on the ball again to make the stroke you have resolved to try under the circumstances. Often it is necessary to make a final correction in the angle of the swing and the stroke. The ball rises on the bound, the racket comes for- ward to meet it, and the stroke is made. Now, when should the player lift his eyes? In golf, we are told by every master of the game, and repeatedly warned of the inviolability of this rule, that the ball must be clear away from the club before the eyes can be lifted, and most instructors demand that the eyes should watch the tee even after the ball has left it. But in tennis, we shoot with closer aim than in golf. We have a broader striking surface and F. B. Alexander's Style of Forehand Ground-Stroke. The position of the feet is rather unfortunate in this picture, the player evidently backing away from a close ball, but it illustrates well the peculiar style of swing used by Alexander. The racket drops low and far behind the player, whipping forward with a marked follow-through that gives the ball great speed, while its hidden back-swing conceals the direction well. EYES ON THE BALL 41 we calculate more closely on the flight of the ball. It is very often a matter of inches rather than feet between success and failure in passing an opponent at the net. It seems almost impossible to calculate so nicely without looking at the spot aimed at, and I doubt if it can be or is done by experts. There is a curious inconsistency in all the written works of instruction on the game that I have never seen fully explained, yet which is quite reconcilable. Every authority with whose work I am familiar advises players to keep their eyes on the ball and makes no exception to this rule. Most of them lay great stress on this car- dinal point, and perhaps with good reason cer- tainly so, in so far as they are prescribing for beginners at the game. But the fact remains that hardly one expert player in a dozen follows the very rule that is urged so strongly, and this fact makes the begin- ner doubt the soundness of the advice he has just read. Instantaneous photographs of the best players in action, if they be taken at the right point during the stroke, generally show the eyes lifted and looking in the direction that the ball is intended to take. I have made a hundred experiments to prove the correctness of this theory, which seems startling at first to most students of the game, who have been drilled from infancy to the theory of watching the ball at all times, and with scarcely an exception they have all verified my contention. Closer Aim Needed Than in Golf Inconsistency of Written Rules Few Experts See the Ball Struck Many Experiments Confirm Theory 42 METHODS AND PLAYERS OP MODERN LAWN TENNIS Beginner Must Not Look Up Inexperience Demands Close Attention Experts Suffer Most from Bad Bounds For the beginner, it is absolutely essential that he watch the ball up to the very instant of impact. The chief anxiety in the early stages of learning lawn tennis is to hit the ball in the cen- tre of the racket, to get away a clean stroke. If the preliminary calculation to anticipate the bound of the ball has to be altered even slight- ly because of an uneven rebound or simply from the inexperience which has not yet taught the player to anticipate its flight with perfect accuracy, then it is only apparent at the last frac- tion of the second in which the ball is struck, and the sweep of the racket must be altered quickly. As the novice grows more accustomed to this anticipation of the ball's flight, he becomes more certain to hit the ball with the centre of his racket, and gradually finds himself able to look away from it a fraction of a second before the impact. Then and not till then will his game im- prove in the next point of advancement, the abil- ity to place the ball at will where he wishes. In itself, watching the ball closely limits the power of attack, and this is true of experts as well as beginners. Few students of the game ever realize why it is that an expert player is more affected by uneven court surface and poor playing conditions than a novice, but I think they will find this in the habit he has formed of looking away from the ball before he strikes it. Put your tournament expert on a poor court and the eccentric bound of the ball will make him concentrate his attention on the ball until the last second and his placing will suffer materially. EYES ON THE BALL 43 Ask any experienced player if he does not ease up on his stroke a little when he anticipates or gets a bad bound ; ask him why he does that and he will tell you that the uncertainty throws him off. Well, that uncertainty kept his eyes longer on the ball than usual, and instead of placing his return within a foot of the side-line and six inches above the net, his concentration on the ball itself left him a little less certain of the direction of the side-line and the exact height of the net, so he was forced to play a little safer, letting the ball sail two feet over the net and three feet inside of the edge of the court. If the player learns to take his eyes away from the ball before striking, he earns the great advantage of looking at the mark he is shooting for just as he strikes. The final twist of the wrist and the slight deflection of the muscles that let him control the ball with great accuracy, are only possible with the eye on the exact point at which he is directing his shot. Does a billiard player look at the cue ball or the object ball? Does the bowler look at his ball or the head pin he is aiming for? Does your wing-shot look at the game or his gun? Does your baseball pitcher look at the ball he is throw- ing? The batter in baseball does look at the ball, and the golf player keeps his eye close on the little sphere, but neither of these tries to place the ball with such accuracy as does the tennis player, and if either could learn to look away Uncertain Bounds Keep Eyes from Looking Up Advantage Earned by Looking Up Baseball and Golf Are Different 44 METHODS AND PLAYERS OF MODERN LAWN TENNIS Most Players Look at Their Targets Whitman an Exception to the Custom Experts Read Opponents' Eyes from the ball, he would be better able to do so. In golf, the player has no such control of the striking weapon, no such broad striking space and short handle as in tennis, while in baseball the blow must be much more closely aimed than in either of the other games. An inch off in the line of the bat's swing and the blow is ruined, while to add to the batsman's difficulties he is matched against the most expert control of an opposing pitcher, who is trying his best with al- most marvelous skill to make the ball shoot in unknown and unnatural angles to avoid the bat. This accounts for the many missed efforts to hit the ball, or "strikes." Perhaps the only really successful exception to the general custom of looking away from the ball among expert tennis players was Malcolm D. Whitman. He came nearer to keeping his eyes on the ball, or rather did keep them on the ball longer, than any other really great player whom I have seen. But Whitman's attack was far below his defence at all times. He did watch the ball almost to the point of impact, if not en- tirely so, and this fact made it extremely difficult to anticipate the direction of his passing strokes, although they were seldom so fast or so aggres- sively directed as the other great players of his time. Now we come to the result of this looking up before hitting which takes place among ex- perts. Few tournament players attempt to antic- ipate the direction of their antagonists' placing by EYES ON THE BALL 45 watching the motions of the arm or of the racket alone. On the contrary, they read the eyes of the other player. The direction in which your opponent looks as he makes his stroke will almost always give you a better line on where to expect the next at- tack than any motion of his racket or his arm. Long before the ball has left his racket the tell- tale eyes will almost invariably reveal his secret. Among expert players this is even more the rule than among ordinary players who watch the ball longer. The average reader will doubt this state- ment, I anticipate, and I am therefore prepared to offer proof of it in advance of his distrust. Per- haps the most perfect proof that good players watch the eyes of their opponents, not their rack- ets, was furnished by Fred H. Hovey, who adopted a most skilful deception that conclusively proved this point. When drawn in toward the middle of the court on a short ball, with his opponent at the net, Hovey found it very easy to pass his man by the simple ruse of looking in one direction and placing the opposite way. The other man invari- ably jumped in the direction he looked and the ball sailed serenely past him on the opposite side. The effect of this play is almost uncanny, as I discovered in playing against it many times. Even though I knew the deception, the strength of habit was so strong that the instant the eyes looked up toward the right, I found it impossible His Direction This Theory Proven in Several Ways Hovey's Clever Little Ruse 46 METHODS AND PLAYERS OP MODERN LAWN TENNIS Almost Always Good for an Ace Wright Deceived by Nlsbet Ware's Variation of the Same Device to avoid starting in that direction, and a dozen times the ball went past me on the other side. Personally, 1 learned to use that little ruse and found it almost invariably good for an ace under conditions that allowed an easy pass, un- less the opponent at the net guessed properly the direction of my attempt and jumped that way be- fore the ball started. Playing the opposite way made the stroke less fast and close to the net and side-lines, but there was always plenty of room on that side for a slow pass. Another proof that the expert player looks up before he strikes was furnished by Beals Wright in his matches with the English expert, H. A. Nisbet, when he was in this country. Nisbet when at the net trying tc anticipate an op- ponent's pass would jump quickly to the right or left just before his opponent made his stroke, and instantly jump back again in the opposite direc- tion. Wright declared that he had lost so many aces by this manoeuvre that he came to expect it every time the relative positions recurred, yet with the idea clearly in his mind he found that he invariably looked up before striking, saw Nis- bet jump and involuntarily turned his stroke in the opposite direction and lost. Leo Ware with an opponent at the net would look straight at him as though to drive the ball through him by sheer speed, and then turn his wrist in making the stroke and lob the ball over his head, with the frequent result of earning an ace on the lob, as his opponent would misread his EYES ON THE BALL 47 eyes and keep his weight forward to meet a drive until too late to allow him to get back for the lob. McLoughlin in his recent book, cites a clear case of reading the opponent's eyes, telling (on p. 124) how he first learned the direction of Brookes's service by watching his eyes. Before he discovered this source of information, he couldn't tell where the ball was coming. But I should be sorry after all this to have it thought for a moment that I advocate taking the eyes off the ball by a man who is learning to play lawn tennis. On the contrary, I cannot emphasize too strongly the necessity of everlast- ingly keeping your eyes on the ball. It is the most essential point in learning to hit the ball. Watch it as closely as you can until you not only have learned to hit it, but to hit it ninety- nine times out of a hundred in the centre of the racket. Even past that, it is necessary to watch the ball until you have learned to hit it with the centre of the racket in all the varying posi- tions and with each of the many styles of strokes that you are expected to play. The playing centre of the tennis racket is very much smaller than it seems. The catgut strings are highly resilient in the very centre and for a few square inches around this central strik- ing-point. This resiliency decreases rapidly as the strings approach the edge until they reach the wood, which is the point of absolute non-resil- iency. Eighty per cent, of the ruined strokes of the beginner come from missing the centre of the racket. McLoughlin Read the Eyes of Brookes Watch the Ball Till Expert Easy to Miss Centre of Racket 48 METHODS AND PLAYERS OF MODERN LAWN TENNIS Second Stage of Learning the Game Difficult to Keep Direction If "Off Your Stroke," Go Back to First Principles One should not make an effort to look away from the ball in striking ; he should always try to look at it. But soon after the principles of mak- ing the stroke are mastered and the novice has learned to hit the ball well, he will unconsciously graduate to the second stage of learning tennis, which is in placing or controlling the direction of the ball. Then when he begins to place more ac- curately he will find that he loses the sense of his own location, and the accurate direction of the opponent's court and height of the net, un- less he looks up constantly to keep these details clearly in mind. The player runs about the court so much, twists and turns and shifts his own position so often, that it is constantly necessary to look in the direction he is playing to correct his steering com- pass, so to speak, and to get his bearings adjusted frequently. Soon the desire will follow to place closer to the lines and to hit the ball faster and closer to the net in consequence, and then this need to look up as the stroke is being made will force itself upon you unconsciously and it need not be resisted as in golf unless it tends to make you miss hitting the ball properly. But before all things else, learn to walk be- fore you try to run. Do not begin with the eyes off or take them off the ball before the complete mastery of the strokes themselves has been ac- complished, and whenever you go "off your stroke" you will generally find that going back to first principles and keeping the eyes on the ball longer will bring back the lost skill. In the nee- EYES ON THE BALL 49 essary ten years that it requires to make a first- class player, at least the first two should be devoted to hard practice with the eyes on the ball. Even among the most apt pupils there is great danger of wrecking a promising career by hurrying one's progress in this particular even more than in any other. There is much diversity of opinion as to the point at which an expert takes his eyes off the ball. I am convinced that this varies greatly with the individual and that no accurate rule can be laid down. Among the best American experts, the average is well after the ball leaves the ground, but some of them look up immediately after it bounds. Very few actually see the ball strike the racket except in smashing, but here it is possible to watch the ball longer than in serv- ing because the direction does not have to be con- trolled in such narrow limits, or so accurately. Personally, I do not remember ever seeing the ball actually touch my racket. Dewhurst, whose opinions are worthy of se- rious consideration, says in his "Science of Lawn Tennis": "The fault of taking the eye off the ball before it is hit constitutes the main source of error with most players." Nor do I question the accuracy of this state- ment. The necessity for taking the eyes off the ball is a constant source of error, but I believe it to be a necessity. I have never yet seen a really severe player who did not do so. To keep the eyes on the ball until the stroke is completed means to weaken the attack, and it would seem Time to Lift Eyes Varies In Smashing, Ball Can Be Watched Longer Dewhurst's Opinion Sound but Misleading 50 METHODS AND PLAYERS OF MODERN LAWN TENNIS Rushing Opponent Must Not Disconcert Dohertys Dwell on This Point Vaile's Impossible Advice better to maintain severity of attack even though in doing so errors creep in from the lifting of the eyes. Dewhurst emphasizes the danger of trying to watch the rushing opponent who follows his service up to the net with so much fuss as to dis- tract the attention of the striker-out, and make him lift the eyes too soon and spoil his attempt at passing. That is an undeniable source of dan- ger, but it seems to me due more to allowing one's self to be flustered by the rush of the threat- ening volleyer than to the danger of lifting the eyes too soon. The same result will follow if the nerves become unsteady under the rushing net attack, even though you keep your eyes on the ball throughout the stroke. In their book on the game, the Doherty brothers also dwell on this point with the added warning that in handling the American twist service it is doubly necessary: "One may have a dim idea where one's opponent is, but the eye must be glued upon the ball." Vaile carries his instructions for keeping the eyes on the ball to such an extreme that he ad- vises the player to watch that part of the ball that he intends to hit. This seems like splitting hairs, and I have made many tests since this theory was brought out to see if it were possible to watch part of a flying lawn tennis ball, but always with- out success. In golf, it is often advised that the player should look at the back of the ball as he strikes it to prevent "topping," which often results from EYES ON THE BALL 51 looking at the top surface of the ball. But here we have a stationary object and a very small striking surface, which both differ from the prob- lem we have to solve in tennis. There the ball flies so fast through the air that it is manifestly impos- sible to select a single part of it for attention, so I seriously doubt if Vaile's advice on this point is practicable. Cannot Watch Part of a Flying Ball 52 METHODS AND PLAYERS OP MODERN LAWN TENNIS OPINIONS OF THE EXPERTS. Do you consciously raise your eyes before the ball is hit? Some of the R. N. WILLIAMS, 2ND: No. Best Players T. C. BUNDY : No, if so I miss the shot. Raise Their K H BEHR . Y es. F. B. ALEXANDER: No. R. D. LITTLE : No. H. H. HACKETT: Yes. B. C. WRIGHT: Yes. J. C. PARKE: No. C. P. DIXON : Yes, a fraction of a second. R. L. MURRAY: Yes. G. M. CHURCH : If my opponent is at the net, yes ; if he is in the backcourt, no. W. M. WASHBURN : No. ELIA FOTTRELL: No. CLARENCE HOBART: No. E. B. DEWHURST: Not consciously. J. R. STRACHAN : No. C. R. GARDNER: Unconsciously. A. S. DABNEY: Sometimes; ought not to. G. P. GARDNER, JR. : No. F. C. INMAN : No. W. F. JOHNSON : No. N.W. NILES: No. T. R. PELL: No. LeRoy ROBERT LfiRoY : No, I look first and lower them so Looks Up as to look at the ball when I hit it. First A. M. SQUAIR: No. G. F. TOUCHARD: No. J. J. ARMSTRONG: No. LEONARD BEEKMAN : No. W. M. HALL: No. RICHARD HARTE : No. DEAN MATHEY: No. EYES ON THE BALL 53 R. C. SEAVER : Yes. Unconsciously G. C. SHAFER: Yes. Raises Eyes, S. H. VOSHELL: I don't think so. Says Whitney E. H. WHITNEY : I raise them but not consciously. I. C. WRIGHT : No. W. C. GRANT : Yes, in serving. Do you read your opponent's eyes for the direction of his stroke? R. N. WILLIAMS, 2ND: Yes. Williams Reads T. C. BUNDY: No. ' the Other K. H. BEHR: No. . . Man's Eyes F. B. ALEXANDER: Never. ; R. D. LITTLE : No. H. H. HACKETT: No. B.C.WRIGHT: No. : J. C. PARKE: No. C P. DIXON : No. R. L. MURRAY : Yes. , G. M. CHURCH : Against some players. W. M. WASHBURN : No. ELIA FOTTRELL: Sometimes. CLARENCE HOBART : No. E. B. DEWHURST: No. J. R. STRACHAN: No. Few Others C. R. GARDNER : Sometimes when he looks. s ay They Do A. S. DABNEY: No. G. P. GARDNER, JR.: Not consciously. F. C. INMAN: No. W. F. JOHNSON : No. N. W. NILES: No. T. R. PELL: No. ROBERT LsRoY: Yes, always. A. M. SQUAIR: Not only the eyes, in judging direc- tion of opponent's return, his general position in the court and mine give the first hint. I try to decide first where the danger spots are, where the "hole" is in my court, what I would do if I were in his place. Then his body position 54 METHODS AND PLAYERS OP MODERN LAWN TENNIS Squair Tells His Method of Anticipation What First Shows Direction ? Hackett Says Intuition Guides Him (facing or sidewise to net, etc.) length and direction of beginning of stroke, his eyes. His grip of the racket, strength and direction of the wind, the spin you gave the ball, all these help in deciding in what direction his return will come. I watch the ball more than anything else, although I try to see all he does. Finally, it is the ball itself which shows for certain the direction. G. F. TOUCHARD: No. J. J. ARMSTRONG : No. LEONARD BEEKMAN : Yes. W. M. HALL: No. RICHARD HARTE : No. DEAN MATHEY: No. R. C. SEAVER: Certainly. G. C. SHAFER : Yes. S. H. VOSHELL : No. E. H. WHITNEY : No, only in the serve. I. C. WRIGHT: No. W. C. GRANT: Not always. // not the eyes, what do you rely on to first show the opponent's direction arm, racket or ball? R. N. WILLIAMS, 2ND : Eyes, arm, racket, body, ges- ture before and at the moment of hitting ball. T. C. BUNDY : His position and mine ; also stance. K. H. BEHR: None, generally from his position in the court. F. B. ALEXANDER: Racket and general position. R. D. LITTLE : Everything ; racket motion, study of habits, favorite shots, etc. H. H. HACKETT: Intuition. B. C. WRIGHT : Position in court and arm. J. C. PARKE: Position of opponent and self in the court and opponent's feet. C. P. DIXON : Stance, arm and racket. R. L. MURRAY : Also arm and racket. G. M. CHURCH : Usually on the racket. W. M. WASHBURN : His general attitude. ELIA FOTTRELL : It depends on the opponent. EYES ON THE BALL 55 CLARENCE HOBART : His position and where he may be expected to play from. E. B. DEWHURST : Position of ball ; position of self ; attitude of body and feet of opponent. J. R. STRACHAN : Arm. C. R. GARDNER: Depends on the man. It may be one or all or none of these. A. S. DABNEY : On his general position in the court, habits of direction, psychological guess work, etc. A com- bination of mental process acquired by long practice which becomes intuitive. G. P. GARDNER,, JR. : Nothing in particular. F. C. INMAN: Racket. W. F. JOHNSON : Arm. N. W. NILES : His habit, i. e., what he usually does. His stance, his racket. T. R. PELL: Watch ball only. ROBERT LEROY : I look also at his racket and arm. A. M. SQUAIR : Arm, racket and ball are seen prac- tically at the same time. The arm and racket give the warning but the ball is decisive. G. F. TOUCHARD: There is an obvious place for every shot. It depends on whether your opponent may be counted on to do the expected thing. J. J. ARMSTRONG : You watch the ball and instinct- ively know the direction of the return. LEONARD BEEKMAN : Also his racket. W. M. HALL : Racket and position of his body. RICHARD HARTE : His arm, then racket, then ball. DEAN MATHEY : The ball almost entirely, although sometimes the racket may have some influence. R. C. SEAVER: I think you judge your opponent's return strokes by his position in court. G. C. SHAFER: All help indicate direction. S. H. VOSHELL : Arm, racket and ball. Position of opponent in court. E. H. WHITNEY: Principally the position of the ball, and the position the player himself is in. I. C. WRIGHT: Intuition. Dabney Makes a "Psychological Guess" Touchard Says There Is an Obvious Place for Every Shot 56 METHODS AND PLAYERS OF MODERN LAWN TENNIS V. FOOTWORK FOUR CARDINAL POINTS TO REMEMBER: Cardinal 1 Keep up on the toes whenever the ball is in Points to play. Keep in Mind 2 Keep the knees bent just before and while making the stroke. 3 The line of the feet should b'e almost invari- ably parallel with the flight of the ball. A When waiting uncertainly for the next stroke, the position of the feet should be at an angle diagonal to the net. up on Your T^ HE use of the feet in lawn tennis is of far T Toes All the | greater importance than one generally rea- lizes. The balance of the body, the facility for moving quickly in any direction, the all-im- portant follow through, and even the actual strik- ing of the ball, depend largely for success on good footwork. First and most important, one should be up on his toes, actually as well as figuratively, while making nearly every stroke. All life and snap disappear from the play when you settle down on your heels and instantly you are placed on the de- fensive. To attack sharply, to put "sting" in the ball, requires the elasticity of motion that can be had only when up on your toes. FOOTWORK 57 Bent knees are also essential during most of the play, and although strictly speaking the knees are not the feet, their use should come under the head of footwork. It may be more restful, per- haps, to stiffen the knees and settle down on flat feet, and this is sometimes safe when the ball is not actually in play or just about to be put into action. But while the play is on, or just before receiving the service, one should set all his springs for instant action and the greatest of these are the knees and feet. Now, the position of expectancy is the one we must assume most often the waiting position when the service is about to be handled, when at the net waiting for a volley, and even when back of the base-line anticipating the drive of your opponent. For this it is most apparent that not only should the knees be bent and the weight car- ried on the toes, but also that the angle of the feet should be such as to allow the quickest start in any possible direction that may be demanded. I lay great stress on this point because I have found that a great many good players do not make use of it. Even the present American cham- pion, Williams, shows distinct defects in his foot- work, and seems to win despite it, rather than because of the position of his feet. Ex-champion Whitman also played too frequently with straight knees, flat feet and with his body squared around toward the net. On the other hand, we find that McLoughlin, Larned, H. L. Doherty, Wrenn, and other great masters of the game almost invariably and Bending the Knees Adds Fire to Action The Waiting Position of Expectancy Many Good Players Do Not Stand Right 58 METHODS AND PLAYERS OF MODERN LAWN TENNIS Feet Should Not Parallel the Net Moving Backward Facilitated How the Position Works Out involuntarily fell into the orthodox positions that gave them the greatest power and latitude in ac- tion. Before a player can actually get set to make his next stroke he may be called upon to move quickly forward or back, to the right or to the left. With the feet parallel to the net, he is free for instant side motion, and if they are spread far enough apart, he will be very quick in jumping to either side. But if he is suddenly called on to move forward or backward from this position, he must lift one foot and put it down again either behind or in front of the other to push off and start his weight backward or forward. Remember, it is easy to move the feet, but in shifting position the real problem is to move the whole body quickly. Carrying the weight low, with the feet spread well apart and the diag- onal "stance" allows the quickest action possible in any direction, while the other permits quick ac- tion only sidewise and entails a slight delay in moving backward or forward. Let us look at the practical working-out of this theory. You are at the net trying to antici- pate your opponent's passing stroke. In the par- allel position, you feel ready to jump quickly in either direction. Good. But suppose he lobs over your head. This position of the feet will find you anchored at the net, and the best you can do will be to turn and run for the ball to save the situa- tion with another defensive job. If your feet had been in the diagonal position, the instant the overhead attack was discovered FOOTWORK 59 the forward foot would have pushed the whole weight backward and you would have been able to back up fast enough to have smashed the lob, or at least to have volleyed the ball and saved the attacking position. Even that tiny fraction of a second that is lost in lifting one foot and putting it forward to push off the weight backward, would have been enough to have saved the situation. It is just such points as this that make the clever player better than his less thorough rival. Suppose on the other hand, you are at the base-line with feet parallel to the net, expecting a deep volley from an opponent at the net, confident that you could move quickly in either direction to anticipate the return. What happens if the other man plays a short ball, drops a stop-volley just over the net? Again that fraction of a second needed to start forward is lost and you cannot get in fast enough to reach the low-bounding ball that might otherwise have offered an easy chance for a kill if you had got there. The position recommended at first seems to favor the forehand stroke and it is true that it takes a shorter step to swing for the forehand stroke than if the ball comes on the other side. But on the other hand, for the backhand stroke, you simply step forward with the right foot, turn- ing the body with the step, if the ball is coming short ; or backward with the left foot, if the ball is coming deeper. Either way, you swing quickly into position for backhand play, and although the turn of the body is slightly greater than if Getting Back from the Net for a Lob Just as Bad at the Base-Line Diagonal Position Seems to Favor Forehand 60 METHODS AND PLAYERS OF MODERN LAWN TENNIS Feet Must Be in Line with Flight During Stroke Foot-Faults as Troublesome as Ever Simply a Matter of Which Happens First the feet had been parallel with the net, the motion can be made quicker. On the other hand, the turn for the forehand stroke is less. In actually making the stroke, whether it be forehand or backhand, the feet should be almost if not quite in line with the flight of the ball. This rule is most essential and the failure to ob- serve it is one of the most common faults of beginners. In making the stroke, as we shall presently see, the weight of the body must be swung forward from one foot to the other, very much as in good golf, and in order to preserve the balance it is necessary that the forward foot shall be in the line of the flight to catch the weight and quickly recover the balance for the next movement. The use of the feet in serving is one point that has caused more trouble in the lawn tennis world than anything else. Foot-faults have been a constant source of fresh legislation on both sides of the ocean, and even to this day the diffi- culty of judging a fair service is no less difficult than it was twenty years ago. No rules that can be devised will do away with the difficulty of deciding which of two things happens first. If the foot crosses the line before the ball leaves the racket, it is a fault ; and if the ball leaves the racket first, it is not. No matter what words are used to describe this infraction of the laws there will always remain that same diffi- culty in deciding which happens first. For the player who wants to avoid the dan- ger of being foot-faulted, and who prefers to FOOTWORK 61 eliminate even the suspicion that keeps the base- line umpire watching him so closely that it is in- clined to upset his game, the safest way is to keep both feet well behind the line. Many players make foot-faults through sheer carelessness and they are generally the result of not taking care in planting the left foot before serving. It is safer to give the line six inches of margin and not tread even close to the limit allowed the few inches gained otherwise are not worth the risk of being foot-faulted. But many players plant the left foot carefully enough and then after they lock up to toss the ball in the air, they promptly lift the foot again and replant it nervously a few inches closer to- ward the net. Whitman used to do this con- stantly, and Theodore Pell has also been a bad transgressor in this respect. Beginners frequently develop a habit of ad- vancing the left foot in playing the backhand stroke, and this awkward position cuts off the back swing of the racket. There is no freedom of swing and little chance to follow through with the arm across the body in this position, and it is absolutely necessary to put the right foot forward and turn the body toward the ball to succeed at all in making the stroke. Carelessness Causes Many Foot-Faults One Common Fault of Beginners 62 METHODS AND PLAYERS OP MODERN LAWN TENNIS The Question of Bending the Knees Parke Says All Foot-Work Must Be Done on the Toes OPINIONS OF THE EXPERTS. Do you use bent knees and carry weight on the toes when making stroke? R. N. WILLAMS, 2ND : I think so. T. C. BUNDY : Usually. K. H. BEHR: Yes. F. B. ALEXANDER: No. R. D. LITTLE: Knees probably somewhat bent as weight is carried well forward. H. H. HACKETT: No. B. C. WRIGHT: For some strokes bent knees, as volleying and half-volleying; on toes when serving and receiving. J. C. PARKE : Knees straight but not stiff. All foot- work must be done on toes. C. P. DIXON : Yes. R. L. MURRAY : Yes, decidedly. G. M. CHURCH : Yes. W. M. WASHBURN: Yes. ELIA FOTTRELL: Yes. CLARENCE HOBART: Not consciously. E. B. DEWHURST : Not particularly. J. R. STRACHAN : I think so. C. R. GARDNER: Yes. A. S. DABNEY: Not always. When volleying low balls, yes. Not always on ground strokes. G. P. GARDNER, JR. : I think so. F. C. INMAN: I do in preparing for stroke but straighten and take firm stand when hitting. W. F. JOHNSON : Bent knees and carry weight on ball of foot. N. W. NILES: Yes. T. R. PELL: No. FOOTWORK 63 ROBERT LEROY: My knees are somewhat bent. My weight shifts as I hit, forehand, from right foot to left, backhand, vice versa. This is a very marked characteris- tic of my forehand stroke, and gives it great force with- out much muscle behind it. A. M. SQUAIR : Knees slightly bent. Balanced on How Can a both heel and toes. Player Balance G. F. TOUCHARD: Yes. on Heels? J. J. ARMSTRONG: No. According to position of player and ball. LEONARD BEEKMAN: No. W. M. HALL: Yes. RICHARD HARTE: No. DEAN MATHEY : I think I do, to a certain extent at least. R. C. SEAVER : I do not bend knees, but run forward to meet ball. G. C. SHAFER : Yes. S. H. VOSHELL: Yes. E. H. WHITNEY : Yes. I. C. WRIGHT : No, but you should. Do you stand, while waiting for the next stroke, with feet parallel with the net or diagonal? R. N. WILLIAMS, 2ND : Parallel. Feet Parallel T. C. BUNDY: Quartering. with Net or K. H. BEHR: Depends entirely on stroke awaited Diagonal? and position in court, at net one-half diagonally. F. B. ALEXANDER: On account of weak left ankle, my weight is more on my right foot ; parallel. R. D. LITTLE: Hardly diagonal, but certainly not parallel. H. H. HACKETT: Parallel. B. C. WRIGHT : Being left-handed, the right foot a few inches in advance. J. C. PARKE : I never stand during a rally. Before rally commences, my feet are parallel to net. 64 METHODS AND PLAYERS OF MODERN LAWN TENNIS Majority Favor Parallel Stance LeRoy Strong on Foot-Work C. P. DIXON : Diagonal. R. L. MURRAY: Parallel. G. M. CHURCH : Nearly parallel. W. M. WASHBURN : Parallel. ELI A FOTTRELL: Almost diagonal. CLARENCE HOBART: Parallel. E. B. DEWHURST: Parallel. J. R. STRACHAN: Between the two. C. R. GARDNER : Depends on what expecting. Diag- onal ordinarily. A. S. DABNEY : Parallel. G. P. GARDNER, JR. : Parallel. F. C. INMAN : Diagonally. W. F. JOHNSON : Diagonal. N. W. NILES: Parallel. T. R. PELL : Parallel. ROBERT LEROY: Always diagonal. Before making the stroke, I try to make sure that, for forehand, my right foot is well back (from the net) of the left one ; for back- hand, vice versa; when hitting, I stand sidewise to the net. A. M. SQUAIR: Can't say definitely. Depends on stroke and position in the court. More likely to be diag- onal than parallel, I think. G. F. TOUCHARD: Diagonal. J. J. ARMSTRONG: You don't know what position you will be forced to assume. LEONARD BEEKMAN : Feet parallel. W. M. HALL : Usually parallel. RICHARD HARTE : Parallel. DEAN MATHEY: Parallel until I see whether I am to take a forehand or backhand stroke. R. C. SEAVER : Parallel. G. C. SHAFER: Diagonal, usually. S. H. VOSHELL: Parallel. E. H. WHITNEY : Diagonal. I. C. WRIGHT: I have poor form. W. C. GRANT: Diagonal. THE SWING AND HITTING THE BALL 65 VI. THE SWING AND HITTING THE BALL Six CARDINAL POINTS TO REMEMBER: 1 The back swing should begin zvell before you knozv just where the ball will bound. 2 The body weight must be shifted from the back to the forward foot as the racket comes forward, and its momentum added to the swing of the arm. 3 The follow through should be as complete as possible, with weight, arm and body fol- lowing after the ball. A The shoulders must be turned in making the stroke, and turning the hips will add power. 5 Every motion of arm, racket, and body should be in direct line with the ball's night; all side motions detract from the stroke. 6 Keep away from the ball, before hitting, both sidewise and backward, so that you can lean toward it to strike, and always be moving forward when you hit it. Keep the elbow well free from the side. AFTER the use of the feet conies the use of the body and the arm, entirely aside from the actual making of the stroke. Whether you make a forehand or backhand, a Cardinal Points to Keep in Mind Entirely Aside from Making the Stroke 66 METHODS AND PLAYERS OP MODERN LAWN TENNIS Three Distinct Actions Run Into One Starting the Back-Swing Early Novices Find This Difficult lift or a cut stroke, the general principles involved are much the same, and a thorough study of these will help the beginner a great deal. Three distinct actions must be kept in mind, although they frequently all run into one with such rapidity that it is hard to separate them. First we have the back swing in preparation for ^ the stroke; then the act of hitting the ball, and finally the follow through. A full and free back swing is most essential. It is not necessary, as in golf, to wrap your arm and racket around behind your neck in order to get the full impetus necessary for a hard drive, but a stroke that starts only a foot or two back of the point of impact with the ball is unlikely to have any great power. In coming into position for a stroke that is made on the run, as a great many of them are during fast play, the racket must be swung back long before the ball is ready to bound. Uncer- tainty of the actual point at which it will be met does more to prevent a full swing than anything else with beginners, but one should remember that it is easier to correct a badly aimed shot after the racket is well behind you, than to make a good stroke without the necessary back swing. In coaching young players, I have always found it most difficult to get them to swing back v early enough ; they seem afraid to start the stroke until they are sure where the ball will come. Yet there is no reason why this bad tendency cannot be overcome in short order. At the back of its preliminary swing the THE SWING AND HITTING THE BALL 67 racket must pause anyway and lose its mo- mentum before starting forward, so that it can be checked for a slightly longer period if neces- sary, if you should unintentionally swing too early for the stroke. It is far better to err on this side than on the other, so it is a safe rule to keep swing- ing back earlier until you find you must noticeably check the racket before starting the forward swing for the stroke. This pause at the end of the back swing has an inclination to steady the stroke, but it can easily be exaggerated and it then has a tendency, par- ticularly when marked, to expose to the opponent the direction of the attack. George Wrenn ex- aggerated this pause until it became a distinct drawback to his play, while Larned delayed his forward swing just long enough to steady the stroke without exposing direction. The total absence of any pause may result in hurrying the stroke too much and the tendency to "snap" on the ball which follows this habit invariably results in a loss of control. If full time is not allowed and the forward swing is hur- ried, the slightest deviation of the ball from the expected flight will result in a bad stroke, as there is left no time to correct the swing to meet this shift. At the end of the reach backward, it will be noticed that the arm swings naturally either up- ward or sidewise behind you. By all means, select the upward motion. This keeps the racket in the direct line of flight and avoids the side motion that is so apt to throw off the accuracy of the Far Better Too Early Than Too Late Pause Helps to Steady the Stroke Avoid Side Motion in Back-Swing 68 METHODS AND PLAYERS OP MODERN LAWN TENNIS Increasing the Arc of the Arm's Swing Making the Actual Stroke The All-Important Foil ow- Through stroke as well as the body's poise during the forward stroke. It is also well to increase somewhat the arc of this circle in the back swing by turning slightly with the shoulders so that you have the longest reach possible without getting out of position for a free stroke. The shoulders at the end of the back swing should be parallel with the feet and the line of flight of the ball. The weight of the body, too, should be shifted full on the back foot and in making a severe stroke, it should be swung back as far as it is possible to preserve the balance. When the time is right to begin the forward swing, that is to make the stroke, the body turns on the hips, the right shoulder comes forward, followed by the upper arm, and then the fore- arm; and finally just before the ball is hit, the wrist adds the snap of a whip-lash to the blow and the full weight of the body shifts quickly forward from the backward to the forward foot, so that at the moment of impact every possible energy is concentrated in the blow. Now comes the greatest difficulty that is found in the play of most players. They are inclined to stop here. The ball hit, they feel that is as far as they can control it, and they make no effort to follow through, recovering the balance as quickly as possible in the most convenient way. But this is all wrong. Just as in golf, the follow through is most important, and while it is true that after the ball has once left the racket, it is impossible to further affect its movements, THE SWING AND HITTING THE BALL 69 the after swing of the player does affect the whole stroke most materially. It is impossible to make a true stroke without it, since any effort to cut short the swing infallibly affects the stroke itself and draws the racket away from its work before its maximum power has been exerted. The racket should not only follow the ball itself just as far as you can normally reach, but you should also bend the whole body as far as the balance will allow to lengthen the swing of the arm. The entire body should be turned on the hips, the bent knees allowing it to move forward with the stroke and extend the swing of the racket. At the end of this following swing, the body should turn still further around, the should- ers pulling in the arm and the wrist bending to allow the racket's impetus to be checked with a short swing like the mouKnet of the swordsman. For the most exaggerated ground strokes, the weight of the body is thrown so violently for- ward in the follow through that the balance is frequently checked by carrying the back foot forward to a further advanced position. Indeed this style is not at all uncommon, and where well practiced it almost invariably increases the body swing, the follow through and the power of the stroke. It is an excellent habit to allow the weight to draw the back foot forward to a new position, and the habit of taking this forward step in making the stroke will add greatly to the vigor of the attack. This method should be used sparingly when the player is well forward in his court, for if the Body Should Swing After the Ball Forward Step Will Recover Balance Dangerous in the Front of the Court 70 METHODS AND PLAYERS OF MODERN LAWN TENNIS Every Motion in Line with Ball's Flight Body Must Not Bend Backward Timing the Biggest Factor for Speed weight is thrown too far forward when in the volleying position, it is easy to lose the balance forward and become exposed to an overhead at- tack by a lob before the balance can be recovered. Now, through all these three motions of the stroke, one cardinal rule should always be kept in mind. Every motion should be as far as possible in the direct line of the ball's flight ; every motion that is off this line tends to lessen or check the power of the stroke and to lessen its accuracy. Side motion of any kind only weakens the swing. It is not an uncommon fault among begin- ners to see the player bend his body backward away from the ball, particularly in making the forehand ground-stroke. This only serves to de- tract from the body swing by checking the for- ward motion of the weight. Swinging the racket across the face of the ball to exaggerate the cut checks the forward force of the stroke, and some- times loses more in speed than it gains in the twist. Timing the stroke, of course, is the biggest factor in getting power and speed in the ball. All of the momentum in the racket and arm should be at its maximum at the exact second of impact, and the added power of the body's weight should be exerted just before the ball is hit to increase the force of the stroke. Just as it weakens a stroke to bend back- ward, it adds to its power to bend forward to meet the ball as the blow is delivered. The posi- tion before making the stroke, therefore, should never be close to the ball. Great care should be THE SWING AND HITTING THE BALL 71 taken to keep away from it, not only sidewise, that is, back from the line of flight, but also well behind the spot at which you plan to make the stroke, so as to jump at the ball in making the stroke, and to lean against it hard as the supreme effort is made. Getting too close to the ball either way in- variably spoils the stroke by forcing the weight backward to allow room for the swing, which kills the stroke at once; or by not allowing room for the forward body swing in making the stroke, which greatly weakens it. The feet should be spread well apart always for a powerful swing, but it is possible to get them too far apart. The effect of too wide a stance is to limit the follow through, for this position pre- vents the weight from following well after the ball. So far as possible, the elbow should be kept on a level with the ball as it is struck. For a very low ball, it is generally necessary to drop the head of the racket slightly downward, and for a high bound the opposite may often be the case, but it is well to use the striking arm as a jointed rod in the same plane that the head of the racket travels. Keeping Away from the Ball Elbow Should Be Level With the Ball 72 METHODS AND PLAYERS OF MODERN LAWN TENNIS Should the Stroke Be Made with a Full Swing? Hobart Thinks Short Swing Best OPINIONS OF THE EXPERTS. Do you customarily take a full swing, starting from as far back as possible and following through to the very end? R. N. WILLIAMS, 2ND : Yes. T. C. BUNDY : Try to. K. H. BEHR: I think so. F. B. ALEXANDER : Not necessarily. R. D. LITTLE : Whenever the stroke is not too hur- ried. H. H. HACKETT: Yes. B. C. WRIGHT: No. J. C. PARKE: Not too far back, but following through to end. C. P. DIXON : Half swing to three-quarters. R. L. MURRAY : Not always, but I try to. G. M. CHURCH : No. W. M. WASHBURN : Yes. ELI A FOTTRELL : Always try to. CLARENCE HOBART: Best results by shortening back swing. E. B. DEWHURST: I try to, except in volleying. J. R. STRACHAN : I don't start from as far back as possible, but I do follow through. C. R. GARDNER: No. A. S. DABNEY : Not absolutely full. Follow through should be the most pronounced. G. P. GARDNER, JR. : I think so. F. C. INMAN : Yes. W. F. JOHNSON : No, only a half swing. N. W. NILES : Follow through to the end but do not start correspondingly far back, quite. This applies gen- WILLIAM A. LARNED Perfect End of a Straight Forehand Drive. The action shown in this snap-shot, revealing a perfect follow-through, could hardly be surpassed. Compare the freedom and long sweep of the extended arm with the pictures of Brookes, McLoughlin and other masters, to see why Larned was justly known as the best ground-stroke player in the world. Copyright by Undenvood & Underwood WILLIAM M. JOHNSTON Body-Swing Increasing the Follow-Through. Here is a splendid example of perfect follow-through. Johnston is a very small man, yet drives one of the fastest halls seen in modern tourna- ment play. The secret of his success is well illustrated in this picture. .Note the bent knees, and shoulders turned and carried forward to add to the length of the swing. THE SWING AND HITTING THE BALL 73 erally speaking to all but my volleys, which are or ought to be a quicker and sharper stroke. T. R. PELL: Not always. RORERT LEROY: No. My swing does not (for the Checking the forehand) go very far back, but it is quite high in the air Swing to Make and the follow through is pretty complete, except when I the Bal * Dr P stop it consciously, in order to make the ball drop very quickly, as when passing a volleyer cross-court very gently. A. M. SQUAIR: A full swing usually. G. F. TOUCHARD: I think I do. J. J. ARMSTRONG : Sharp short swing, LEONARD BEEKMAN : Yes. W. M. HALL: Try to. RICHARD HARTE : No, start back and finish well up, but the stroke is not exaggerated. DEAN MATHEY : I try to as I believe this style to be Most Players correct. Favor Full R. C. SEAVER: Yes. G. C. SHAFER: Yes. S. H. VOSHELL: Yes. E. H. WHITNEY: Yes. I. C. WRIGHT: No. W. C. GRANT: Yes. 74 METHODS AND PLAYERS OF MODERN LAWN TENNIS Cardinal Points to Keep in Mind Importance of the Forehand Ground-Stroke VII. THE FOREHAND STROKE FOUR CARDINAL POINTS TO REMEMBER: 1 Learn the drop-stroke and use it always against a volleyer at the net. 2 For driving against a player in the back of his court, use a straight drive or an under- cut ball. 3 Change your pace if necessary to throiv the other man off his game. 4 Play high over the net unless time is import- ant, or the adversary is in position to vol- ley; then play low for a pass, or lob. L ONG after the true swing has been mas- tered, the actual stroke itself should be studied. There is some choice in this mat- ter, and while a player may become a regular user of a certain style of stroke, his play will be the stronger if he succeeds in mastering two or three different methods of hitting the ball so that he may alter the shot to meet the conditions that confront him. Fully half the game is made up of ground strokes even among confirmed volleyers, and with base-line players ninety per cent, of their play is confined to these strokes. And of this share, from sixty to eighty per cent, of the ground THE FOREHAND STROKE 75 strokes are made on the forehand side, since that is the most natural and the strongest way to hit the ball. For the forehand ground stroke then, which is what we have now under consideration, there are three methods of hitting the ball, with many variations of each. First, we have the normal straight drive, made with the racket following the ball in a direct line as long as possible before it starts its flight, so that the ball receives little or no twist in making the stroke. Then we have the undercut ball that is sliced or "chopped" with a glancing downward 'stroke that makes it spin backward on its own axis, or in the direction opposite to its flight; and finally, we have the over-cut or forward spinning ball, that is made with what is commonly known as the drop stroke, the lift stroke, or by some as the "Lawford" stroke. Call it what you will, this is considered by most authorities as the most valuable of all the methods of playing the fore- hand stroke, and will therefore be considered first. Without going too deeply into the history of this play, it is interesting to note how it came to be called the Lawford stroke. Among the very earliest of the English experts was one player, Henry F. Lawford, who stood out among his contemporaries because of the force of his forehand drive off the ground. Lawford was the first to put marked top-spin on the ball and the power and speed of his strokes made him nearly unconquerable when at his best. The original Lawford stroke was made with Three Ways to Hit the Ball Under-Cut and Top-Spin Strokes The Original Lawford Stroke 76 METHODS AND PLAYERS OF MODERN LAWN TENNIS As the Famous Englishman Made It How the American Drop-Stroke Differs End of the Swing Most Important an upward glancing blow, the racket finishing above the head and right shoulder, and the ball receiving a very sharp top-spin that made it fly fast, drop quickly and shoot from the ground. Lawford had many imitators but few ever suc- ceeded in getting this difficult stroke under any close control. Its popularity died out for a time when the English expert retired from competi- tion, only to be revived again in America many years later, or at least the name resurrected and tacked onto a similar lifting drive with top-spin. The American drop stroke differs from the original Lawford stroke chiefly in that the wrist is used a good deal more than with the original, and the body weight is carried more into the stroke so that the follow through is more com- plete. The racket sweeps more to the left at the end of the stroke, and more often finishes over the left shoulder when properly played. But there are nearly as many variations of this drop stroke in use in America to-day as there are players us- ing it hardly two are the same in detail. The stroke can be made with a full back- swing and follow through, or each can be cut off nearly half its length, although there is always a loss in accuracy when the follow through is shortened. The racket sometimes finishes far out to the left and is drawn up slightly at the end of its swing, sometimes over the left shoulder, which is the safest ending for the stroke, and the arc of the swing is sometimes so shortened and exag- gerated that the racket finishes in front of the face or over the head and right shoulder. THE FOREHAND STROKE 77 These extreme drop strokes, as a rule, are not reliable. They require such constant prac- tice and depend on such a perfect adjustment of the angle of the short impact for a true flight that they entail too large a percentage of error to be counted on. Besides, the exaggerated "lift" in the stroke gives the ball a very rapid spin that brings a sharp drop, the blow on the ground checks the ball, and its bound is weakened, offer- ing an easy mark for the back-court player if he gives the ball plenty of room and returns it after a full bound. In addition to this, the making of this exag- gerated stroke itself pumps the player by the very violence of the arm's swing, and exhausts him without giving an adequate return for the effort it demands. I have seen many a young player who worshipped this so-called Lawford stroke, exhaust himself in a short match and finally fall easy prey to an experienced adversary who stayed back in his court and fed the balls back to him until he tired himself out trying to kill with these terrific drives. The most useful form of the top-spinning stroke requires a medium back swing, not a very long one, a sweeping impact rather than a sharp glancing blow, and a gradual upturn at the last end of the stroke to put the spin on the ball after it has received plenty of power for speed and enough follow through for guidance. The Eng- lish players, some of them, have a way of using top-spin at the last end of their strokes that does not give so pronounced a drop as does the glanc- Extreme Drop-Strokes Not Reliable Violence Exhausts the Player Best Way of Playing This Strokt 78 METHODS AND PLAYERS OF MODERN LAWN TENNIS English Method of Putting on Twist Diagrams Show Both Methods ing blow, but has the virtue of being much better controlled. This top-spin is put on entirely with a turn of the wrist just before the racket leaves the ball. THE AMERICAN DROP STROKE SWING OP RACKET SWING OF RACKET [-! FLIGHT OF BALL TH ENGLISH MET*HOD OF PRODUCING TOP-SPIN 7 ' .''&&\ l * ruOHTc,^ po* ///'** THE AMERICAN ^~*f/ CHOP STROKE rucMT or BALL SWINO_OP^ RACKET THE ENGLISH METHOD OF MAKING UNDER-CUT The wrist turns the racket over it and the spin is given from pressure on top of the ball, rather than from behind it as with the style that is more THE FOREHAND STROKE 79 familiar in America. In either case, the rough strings grip the surface of the ball and compel it to revolve rapidly on its own axis. It is appar- ent that this twisting pressure can be exerted with more power when the racket is behind the ball than when above it and the result is shown in the faster rotation generally gained by the American drop stroke than the English type. The variations of the forehand drop stroke are almost unlimited and the best types show the most valuable stroke of the game. But this stroke is useful only in certain circumstances and the top-spin hurts rather than helps the play under other conditions. With an opponent at the net, there is no question that it is the best of all attacks. A top-spinning ball is the most difficult of all returns to volley; firstly, because it drops so soon after crossing the net, and must be lifted back over again; and, secondly, because it glances up- ward from the volleyer's racket and slows up his volley in consequence. To offset this, it is neces- sary for him to meet the ball more sharply and slightly more over it to check the top-spin. In addition to this, the drop stroke carries great speed in the early part of its flight. Its initial velocity is greater than any other stroke, as the drop can be relied on to shorten its flight and bring it into court, and until the top-spin begins to take effect, this ball travels very fast indeed. So the volleyer has speed, dropping trajectory and troublesome rotation all to contend with if he tries to volley a top-spinning ball. Moral : Learn Rough Strings Grip Ball's Surface Top-Spin Most Useful Against a V olleyer Net Player Always Troubled by It 80 METHODS AND PLAYERS OP MODERN LAWN TENNIS Ineffective Against Opponent at Base-Line Alexander's Style the Best Model LeRoy's Short Swing Conceals Direction this stroke and use it every time you try to pass a volleyer at the net. However, the same reasoning that makes this stroke so valuable against a volleyer, destroys its usefulness against a base-line player. After the drop, the top-spinning ball loses its forward speed very rapidly, and when it strikes the ground at an unnaturally sharp angle, more of its life is crushed out. The spin makes it shoot from the bound but the impact of the ball after a deep bound is comparatively weak and if the opponent will stay back well behind his base-line, he will generally find little difficulty in handling the lift- ing drive. Perhaps the best model we have for this stroke is Alexander, and his use of top-spin has been very effective. He combines a very full swing and good follow through with plenty of lift so that his drives are very hard to volley. I do not think I ever met a player whose return of the service was more difficult to volley than Alex- ander when he got the ball on his forehand. It does not pass so often as others but its speed and twist make it very hard to return aggres- sively. On the other hand, the drop stroke players with a shorter back swing, like LeRoy and the late Kriegh Collins, conceal their direction much bet- ter. LeRoy comes up on the ball so quickly and with so little preliminary swing that he is able to whip it across the court and get it out of reach almost before you can realize its direction. Williams also uses the short back swing in his forehand THE FOREHAND STROKE 81 strokes, but he tops less than LeRoy and many others, and gets better length and speed in con- sequence. So, against a back-court player, one finds the top-spin a distinct handicap instead of an advan- tage, and he has the choice of the straight driving stroke or the under-cut ball. Regarding the chop stroke, it might be well to say that nearly every player who has mastered the full use of this stroke has depended on it entirely, and it is doubly diffi- cult to control both the under-cut and the over- spinning strokes. The swings are so dissimilar that it is almost impossible to keep in close touch with both. It is easier to change either cut when needed for variety to a straight drive, which can be combined with the twist strokes much more successfully than they with each other. The under-cut drive, or slice, or chop stroke, as it is most often known, has also its virtues as well as its drawbacks, just like its brother. Against the man at the net it is a positive handi- cap, for no ball is easier to volley than one that is under-cut and no ball is so difficult to pass with as one of these chop strokes. The back-spin keeps the ball up longer in the air, slows up its flight, making it higher and easier to reach than any other stroke, while the rotation tends to make it come away from the volleyer's racket with in- creased speed and crispness. Against the base-line player, on the other hand, it is correspondingly hard to handle. The spin makes the ball catch on the ground and rise to the bound at a low, unnatural angle. After Difficult to Play Both Twists Under-Cut Reverses the Points in Its Favor Hard to Handle from the Bound 82 METHODS AND PLAYERS OP MODERN LAWN TENNIS English Use of the Wrist W. Johnson Developed Long Swing for Under-Cut Seals Wright's Skill with the Chop the bound, the ball hangs lifeless in the air, lack- ing the needed impact from which to get away a good drive. What still remains of its back-spin also tends to draw it downward from the player's racket, and one is never sure how much must be allowed for this, so that the return must be lifted a little higher over the net for safety or another under-cut return made from it to reverse the rota- tion of the ball. The chop stroke is started higher in the back swing than any other and the ball met with a downward glancing blow that makes the end of the swing finish with the racket in front of the left knee. As in the drop stroke, the English vary this stroke somewhat in a similar manner, giving the same full follow through and imparting the spin to the ball by turning the wrist and drawing the racket under the ball just before it leaves the strings. Wallace Johnson has cultivated an excep- tionally long swing for the under-cut stroke and he is perhaps the best exponent of this type we have, but the shot is sometimes cut off to such an extreme that its name of "chop stroke" well de- scribes the motion which resembles the swing of a hatchet in chopping wood. Bundy also makes good use of the undercut, and he crouches even more than Johnson in making the stroke. His ball lacks the speed of the Philadelphia's also. Beals Wright, who became so famous for his clever play in many international matches, devel- oped the chop stroke to its highest possibilities, and it was truly remarkable the accuracy and at- THE FOREHAND STROKE tacking power he secured with it. More than any other, he succeeded in passing an opponent at the net by slowing up his chop strokes and making them drop from sheer lack of speed despite the back-spin. Little calls this the "fadeaway" shot. Wright's greatest success with the stroke, how- ever, depended on an exceptional ability to use the lob for attack. He drove his adversaries back from the net by lobbing and then chopped at their feet. Among young players, this chop-stroke is often cut off so short that it becomes little more than a stab or a jab of the racket, and then the stroke has lost all its value, for it lacks the speed to make it effective. Such shots with the half- arm push or "pat" are the weakest of all attempts at the game, and generally come from the mental attitude of trying to fight the ball away from you, rather than directing the returns with any intel- ligence. Snapping the racket back with a late, jerky back-swing and no pause before the stroke, is nearly as bad as the absence of swing, and brings even more errors. For pure driving purposes, probably the straight stroke without any marked twist is the most reliable. As played by Larned, this stroke became a powerful weapon of attack and its strong flight and deep bound kept his opponent well out of court at nearly all times, unless they risked the difficult run to the net. In making this stroke, a long back swing is even more valu- able than for either of the others, and it is often wise to pause slightly at the end of the back Half-Arm Jabs and Push Strokes Straight Stroke the Best for Driving 84 METHODS AND PLAYERS OP MODERN LAWN TENNIS Little Change Needed to Get the Drop Straight and Drop-Strokes Work Well Together Chances of Getting to the Net swing before striking. This pause has a tendency to steady the aim of the player and eliminate the danger of "snapping" on the ball with a jerky back swing that throws the direction off. The ball is met truly in the center of the racket and followed as long and as far forward as it is possible to reach. More than in any other stroke, the follow through counts here. The shoulders should be thrown forward after the ball rather than turned or drawn upward as in com- pleting the drop stroke and the racket should fin- ish far out in front and perhaps a little over to the left. This is the most valuable stroke to vary with the drop-stroke, and the motions are so nearly alike that it is only necessary to straighten up a little with the shoulders at the end of the stroke, draw the racket up and finish the swing a trifle further to the left, to give the ball a little top- spin. This spin can be increased as much as the cir- cumstances demand by simply increasing the glancing angle of the blow or turning the wrist more in the English style to give the ball the for- ward rotation. When the other man comes to the net, and a passing stroke is needed, then the drop can easily be put on the ball without entirely changing the manner of striking, which would warn the adversary what to look for. In getting to the net, from a position with both players back in their courts, the cut stroke is distinctly better than either of the others, but the straight-hit ball is better than the drop stroke. One distinct advantage of the under-cut ball for THE FOREHAND STROKE 85 this purpose is that it travels slower through the air allowing more time for the dangerous run from the base-line to the volleying position, which reverses the action of the drop stroke. The direction of either stroke toward the centre of the court for the effort to get into the volleying position is as important as the stroke itself, but this phase of the play will be treated later under the head of position play. The use of the "forcing stroke/' that is, the stroke that is intended to get the opponent into difficulties that will force him to give you a weak ball for killing purposes, rather than a stroke that is intended to win outright, is also a matter of tactics, rather than pure strokes, but the method of making it must be treated here. Larned, perhaps, was the most expert player in making these strokes before McLoughlin ap- peared on the horizon, and there are many who still believe that he was better in this play than the Californian who succeeded him to the cham- pionship crown. Larned had a way with him that was well-nigh irresistible, when he wanted to get his opponent into difficulties. He drove his forehand stroke very high over the net and very deep into the court with a peculiar little jump to it that kept pushing his man back behind his court in a most aggressive way. His opponent seemed to be always playing up-hill. For pure driving, the ball should be played high and deep, and for the forcing stroke, unless time is an important consideration to catch the opponent out of position, it should still be kept Use of the Forcing Stroke Larned's Skill at This Play A High, Deep Drive Often Best 86 METHODS AND PLAYERS OF MODERN LAWN TENNIS When to Use the Fast, Low Shot Speed and Drop Needed for Small Openings Changing the Pace a Puzzling Defence high and the bound be made as deep as possible to get the opponent further into difficulties. It is only when the adversary threatens a net attack, or is actually in place at the net, that the risk of the low passing shot should be taken, for then the risk is worth the effort, and then too, shortness rather than length is what is required. The most important consideration is to keep the ball low and to make it drop still lower the instant it has crossed the net. Often it will be found better to slow down the stroke so that it will drop faster, particularly on the cross-court passes. With an opponent off his balance, or when playing for a narrow opening down the alley, speed is often necessary to keep the other man from reaching the ball, but even then a little top- spin or over-twist will help to bring the ball down into the court and also make it fly faster through the air. Changing the pace is perhaps the most puz- zling of all variations of stroke play, and it can be done with either the ground stroke or the volley. One's opponent gets accustomed to re- ceiving the balls from you with a certain amount of speed and impact, and he guages his own strokes accordingly. To alter this materially is generally certain to throw him off his usual stroke and to a certain extent upset his accuracy and control. A fast drive followed by a soft shot that has half the impact in it will make it more diffi- cult for him to maintain a severe attack. This is a most valuable point in defence. Correspondingly, the same play can be used THE FOREHAND STROKE 87 for attack, but in this case it takes the form of variations in the length of your returns. A deep ball followed by a short ball will often prove a very dangerous attack. The antagonist is drawn in close to the net, and then passed before he can get back into position for the next shot, or he is driven back behind his base-line and then given a short ball that pitches in front of the service line. This keeps him running forward and back, in addition to the sidewise work, and the back- ward and forward running will be found quite as tiring and much more disconcerting than the side-to-side hustling. Varying the Length for Attack 88 METHODS AND PLAYERS OF MODERN LAWN TENNIS OPINIONS OF THE EXPERTS: Top-Spin, Under-Cut or Straight Stroke? Most Experts Favor Top-Spin Do you think the top-spin, under-cut or straight stroke without twist the best attack ? R. N. WILLIAMS, 2ND: Straight stroke. T. C. BUNDY : Am essentially a "chop stroke" player but advise top-spin or straight stroke as capable of high- est development. K. H. BEHR : The last for back-court play ; ,the first against a net attack. I employ both about equally, in doubles the former entirely. F. B. ALEXANDER : Great believer in top-spin. One should be able to use a variation at times. R. D. LITTLE: Top-spin, moderately applied. H. H. HACKETT: Straight stroke in singles. Top- spin in doubles. B. C. WRIGHT : For the present game, the top-spin is best as it is harder to volley. The straight stroke is best for a deep shot as the bound is lower, and has more speed. J. C. PARKE: For attack, the straight stroke, with just a suspicion of top-spin for control, seems to me to be the infinitely more serviceable; but in defence, it de- pends upon the nature of the attack, as top-spin is very useful against a volleyer, but equally useless against a base-liner. C. P. DIXON : Top-spin or straight stroke ; the for- mer is undoubtedly the best attack on a hard or fast court. R. L. MURRAY : Top-spin allows of more control as it brings the ball down into the court. G. M. CHURCH : I consider the top-spin drive the best attack, because it increases steadiness and because with it the ball can be hit harder without going out than with any other stroke. THE FOREHAND STROKE 89 W. M. WASHBURN : On grass, the straight stroke is always useful. The topped drive is best against a net player, the cut against a back-court player. A topped or cut stroke is as good on dirt as on grass. ELI A FOTTRELL: A little top-spin (enough to keep the ball in court). More top-spin when the opponent is at the net. CLARENCE HOBART : Straight strokes with slight top for passing strokes. E. B. DEWHURST: Straight stroke with a roll or top. is J. R. STRACHAN: With new balls I use a straight ^stroke and when they become a little worn I use the top- spin as a rule. C. R. GARDNER: Depends on the man you attack. The fastest and most effective strokes so far as pace goes are doubtless hit without twist. Sometimes one has to put top-spin on the ball to make it drop or stay in court. A. S. DABNEY: Top-spin. Straight stroke good if ball is fairly high up. But straight stroke has a spin, i. e., it slides off the end of the racket and has a side spin. Ex- ample Behr. G. P. GARDNER, JR.: It depends on the person's game. F. C. IN MAN : Top-spin. On account of better con- trol. W. F. JOHNSON : The under-cut if accurate. N. W. NILES: Generally speaking "top-spin" should be more decided on dirt than grass. On grass, I think the best ground-strokes are almost without twist, just a tendency of top-spin; i. e., Williams's rather than McLoughlin's forehand. T. R. PELL : My forehand is among the missing, but I think straight stroke best. ROBERT LEROY: Top-spin. As much like S. H. Smith's forehand stroke as possible. The face of the racket should begin the swing almost exactly at right angles to the ground, but before, or really as the ball is Washbur* Prefers Straight Stroke on Grass Depends on the Opponent, Gardner Thinks For Grass, Williams'* Style Preferred to McLoughlin's 90 METHODS AND PLAYERS OF MODERN LAWN TENNIS LeRoy's Opinion Instructive Top-Spin Made Quickly, More Deceptive than When Made Slow Gives Instant's Advantage by Concealing Direction hit, the elbow should be raised and the face of the racket should turn slightly on top of the ball. For a long stroke the top should not be very marked, but for a short stroke, say a diagonal cross-court close to the net, the top should be very emphatic. Topping the ball at the last minute has, in addition to the other advantages better known, one which is not often mentioned : it conceals direction better than any other stroke. I have observed this in many play- ers, notably the late Kriegh Collins (in his doubles return of the service, which he made into an aggressive attack, both forehand and backhand), S. H. Smith, and occasion- ally N. E. Brookes, when he tops his forehand. Of the newer players, R. N. Williams's forehand has almost as much top as Collins's or Smith's, and the results are re- markable. His direction is unrevealed until the very mo- ment of impact or even later. There is one thing about a top-spin for attack that is not often mentioned, and that is that the top forehand stroke if made quickly is more effective than if it takes time to make. Compare Clarence Hobart's and Williams's forehands. The direction of Hobart's stroke was always easy to foresee, and he had to be pretty well set in position to make it well. Williams, on the other hand, makes his stroke on the spur of the moment, and you cannot tell where it is going; it drops like a shot, making it difficult to return, besides which Williams can make it whether he is in position or not, in spite of his having very poor foot- work. The same is true of Brookes, but in his case his foot-work, instead of being a handicap to him, is a help. If you will pardon my alluding to my own single char- acteristic stroke, I find that making the forehand stroke quickly and with a severe top to it enables me to make a fair attack and a very formidable and aggressive de- fence out of my ground-strokes, and this from any posi- tion in the court, almost entirely unaided by good volley- ing, and reinforced by a very mediocre backhand and very bad foot-work. I almost always have an instant's advantage of the other man, as my stroke reaches him THE FOREHAND STROKE 91 before he expects it and the closer he is to the net the more help this is to me. So far as I can see, it is possible to make a forehand stroke topped severely the prelimin- ary to an immediate attack at the net, just as well as if the stroke were made without top-spin. I have seen Brookes do this often. I use a moderate top-spin backhand but do not know enough about the stroke to discuss it. A. M. SQUAIR: Top-spin. G. F. TOUCHARD: I believe it depends entirely on what one wants to do. Ordinarily I believe a side-spin as Little plays to be most effective. J. J. ARMSTRONG: To pass a man standing close to net, use top-spin; for back-court manoeuvering, use straight stroke. LEONARD BEEKMAN : Top-spin W. M. HALL: Depends on style of game against you. Can't give a general rule. RICHARD HARTE: Slight top. DEAN MATHEY : I believe each stroke has its advan- tages and personally use a more or less straight stroke. R. C. SEAVER: I think the under-cut stroke very effective and the hardest to play against, but for a man dependent on covering a lot of ground, the straight swift stroke is best if well placed. G. C. SHAFER: Top-spin for attack, chops and straight stroke on defense. S. H. VOSHELL: A little top-spin. E. H. WHITNEY : Straight stroke seems to me to be by all odds the most effective. I. C. WRIGHT: Straight stroke without twist. W. C. GRANT: For deep strokes, top-spin. For volleying above height of net, and to sides of court, chop. Little's Style Recommended Seaver Favors Straight Strokr 92 METHODS AND PLAYERS OF MODERN LAWN TENNIS VIII. THE BACKHAND STROKE Cardinal Points to Keep in Mind Backhand Position Is Awkward FOUR CARDINAL POINTS TO REMEMBER: 1 Use the thumb along the handle to support the grip. 2 Turn squarely toward the ball and keep your right foot and right shoulder (for right- handed players) toward the direction the ball is to go. 3 Finish with the racket and arm as far ahead in the line with the ball as possible. 4 Do not run around the ball to avoid backhand strokes; play the right stroke and build up your weakness. THE BACKHAND ground-stroke differs from the forehand stroke radically because of the position required of the body in making it, and the awkwardness of the arm-swing that results. In forehand play, the back swing is clear of the body and the turn as the blow is delivered keeps the arm free, but in backhand play the arm must swing across the body, and the pushing muscles of the upper arm rather than those that pull are used in making the stroke. The grip of the hand too allows all the power to be behind the racket for a forehand shot, while Copyright J by Underwood & Underwood HAROLD H. HACKETT A Fine Example of Free Body Action in Backhand Play. Study this splendid illustration of perfect form in backhand play. Note the position of the feet and the freedom of the arm, with the body and shoulders turned full toward the ball. This shows the typical American backhand with the elbow high. R. XORRIS WILLIAMS, 20 End of the Champion's Backhand Stroke. Note the bevel of the racket's head, which has passed under the ball; giving it a back-spin. Williams uses the low elbow of the English style, depending more on the twist of his shoulders for body-swing than on following the ball. Compare the position of the racket with Pell's at the end of a similar stroke, and the difference between passing over the ball and under it will be apparent. THE BACKHAND STROKE 93 on the other side the necessary grip forces the hand above, and in the English style, a little ahead of the racket, giving the effort more of a pull than a push. The shoulder is seldom behind the ball and the turning of the body for the follow through is never so pronounced in backhand play, because the striking arm is already far advanced when the stroke begins and it is diffi- cult to shift so that the ball can be followed as long as in forehand play. Among many of the English players, the body is turned at the end of the stroke so that it nearly faces the flight of the ball, but this side motion tends to make the racket travel across the ball in striking, rather than after it. R. F. Doherty was a notable example of this style, and the pic- ture of Oscar Kreutzer, the German player, in this volume, illustrates the point well. The grip of the racket which results from the awkward backhand position is essentially dif- ferent from the freedom of the forehand stroke, and to overcome the difficulty, two distinctly dif- ferent holds have come into vogue which largely influence the method of hitting the ball in back- hand play. This question of the grip is more fully analyzed in the preceding chapter on this subject but its bearing on backhand play is so important that the underlying principles must be considered here, even at the risk of going over some of the ground a second time. To be sure, the same three styles of hitting the ball that are used for the forehand stroke, i. e., the straight hit ball, the under-cut and the Power Ahead of the Ball, Not Behind English Style Turns the Body at End Different Grips Influence the Stroke 94 METHODS AND PLAYERS OF MODERN LAWN TENNIS Difficult to Avoid Back-Spin with English Grip Thumb- Around Grasp Weakens Driving Power Rigid Joints Limit Shift in Direction top-spinning ball, are available for backhand play, but all three and the methods of making them are vitally affected by the grip of the racket that is employed. If the unchanged grip is used for both sides, or if the thumb is wrapped around the handle with a shifted hold, it is difficult to avoid a backward bevel of the face of the racket which must be altered during the stroke by twist- ing the wrist, unless the under-cut or chop stroke is used. With the thumb around the handle, as more frequently seen abroad than in America, there is a distinct weakness in the driving power, al- though the grasping power to prevent the racket from turning in the hand as the ball is hit is somewhat increased. To overcome the lack of support for the handle when it rests in the crotch between the thumb and first finger, the English- men generally turn the grip a little more and drop the elbow so that in meeting the ball the racket will be supported by side pressure from the thumb to increase its driving power. This brings with it a bent arm, and the striking arm and racket look much like the con- ventional scythe as they sweep forward to hit the ball, with a second bend at the wrist which is also lower than the racket head. The power of the stroke depends on the rigidity of the joints rather than their flexibility, and this very rigidity pre- vents the player from altering and concealing di- rection as much as is possible with the American style. It need hardly be proven that a bent arm is less powerful than a straight one. THE BACKHAND STROKE 95 In the American style, the thumb is used to support the handle of the racket, as a strut or prop against it, and this position permits the player to keep the elbow much higher during the swing. The average American carries his elbow in backhand play about level with the head of the racket and the ball when it is hit, while some pre- fer to keep the elbow even higher. The other extreme, however, with the elbow so high that the racket drops downward from the hand, is natu- rally as bad as the elbow-low position, for it also gives a bent striking arm with all its limitations. There are endless variations of both styles, of course, as there can be no hard and fast rules for such details, and the closer intercourse with English players in many international matches of recent years has made the types lose much of their original nationality. This difference in backhand methods is the most sharply denned contrast between the English and American schools of play, but both styles have now many devotees on each side of the Atlantic. In any case, no matter which method is se- lected, there is no question that the position for backhand strokes requires the body swung well around, with the right shoulder toward the net, or rather toward the intended flight of the ball, and the feet nearly if not quite in line with its flight. In the English style, the whole right shoulder and even the upper part of the body are turned somewhat as on a pivot in making a cross- court stroke, because of the very lack of flexibility in the wrist of which I have already spoken, but Elbow Can Be Too High as Well as Too Low Endless Variations of Both Styles Body Must Be Swung Around to Face Ball 96 METHODS AND PLAYERS OF MODERN LAWN TENNIS Left Foot Should Never Be Forward Flexible Wrist a Great Advantage the more the shoulders can be kept in the line of flight, and the body weight used in a forward di- rection for the follow-through, the straighter and truer will the ball fly and the stronger will be the stroke. All freedom and power are robbed from the stroke if the left foot is forward or the two feet at right angles to the ball's flight so that the playing arm must strike across the body. This position kills the follow-through and the swing is cut short, finishing out to the right instead of in front. Of the methods of actually hitting the ball, we have several to choose from, no matter in which way the racket is held and the arm swung. To be sure, the English grip and elbow position make the rolling lift stroke very difficult, al- though some of the English experts finish the backhand with an upturn and a sweep that car- ries the racket over the ball with a slight forward spin. The English method, however, more often produces a slight back-spin or under-cut, and it is difficult to overcome this with their hold. With the racket as held in the prevailing manner, that is, with the arm nearly straight and the thumb braced up the handle, the stroke can be varied at pleasure with a slight turn of the flexible wrist. By rolling the racket backward and allowing the racket to pass under the ball, :v back-spin is given, and we have an under-cut that has a tendency to keep the ball up in the air long and make its bound low. It is a good stroke for straight side-line shots, when the distance to the base-line or diagonally to where the ball would go THE BACKHAND STROKE out of court, is so long that the stroke can be played fast without danger; but for cross-court shots it is generally difficult to play fast and hold in court. This stroke is easy to volley at the net, too, so that it is seldom as good a passing stroke against a volleyer. With the opponent at the base-line, however, when only driving must be considered, it is very useful, because its low "hop" is a mean, lifeless ball to handle off the ground. The backhand rolling drop-stroke is the most useful for all-around play, although more difficult to learn. Vaile dilates at great length on the vir- tues of this stroke, and he is so strong in his ad- vocacy of it that he cannot find any good in any other way of hitting the ball on the backhand side. Pell has been taken as his model of the perfect backhand, and it must be conceded that Pell's backhand is very efficient. But Pell has devoted so much attention to backhand play that he de- liberately runs around as many balls as possible to favor this side, which is the weaker with most players. Running around to favor the backhand, it is plain, is as short-sighted as running around to favor the forehand. Little also uses this rolling backhand effect- ively and his style of playing it, although less certain than Pell's, carries more "sting" than his rival, and he has maintained a better forehand stroke at the same time. Pell's case, like Mc- Loughlin's, shows the weakness of one-sided de- velopment. In practice anyway, if not in impor- tant match play, it is wiser to devote attention to 97 Under-Cut Ball Easy to Volley Pell's a Model Backhand Stroke Little Gets Top-Spin on Both Sides 98 METHODS AND PLAYERS OF MODERN LAWN TENNIS Back-Swing Should Be Extended Racket Must Finish Low for Under-Cut the weaker side of one's play in order to bring that up to the general standard of the whole game. Constant practice of one stroke generally pro- duces an unbalanced game and notable weak spots for attack. The start of the backhand stroke should be as far back of the left shoulder as is possible to swing the racket, and this can be extended some- what by increasing the backward swing of the body until the weight is carried almost entirely on the left foot before the stroke is started. At the end of the swing, the racket should finish far out in front of the right shoulder, with the weight shifted completely over onto the right foot and the balance thrown as far forward as possible, even to the point of checking the weight with a forward step at the end of the stroke, if necessary. For the under-cut stroke, the racket should finish low, generally at about the height of the waist, but for the top-spinning, rolling lift stroke, the racket's swing should end much higher, gen- erally above the shoulder. The same principles of meeting the ball and imparting the twist apply as in the forehand stroke, and the English experts get the same variations here by increasing their follow-through and imparting the twist with a turn of the wrist at the last moment before the ball leaves the racket. But the backhand stroke without any twist at all, the straight hit ball, is perhaps more val- uable for general play than either of the others. It is certainly easier to control with the thumb-up grip and permits a turn of the wrist at the last THE BACKHAND STROKE 99 instant to alter the direction of passing shots. As played by Larned this stroke probably reached as near perfection as the stroke has ever been pro- duced, and it is probable that Larned's backhand was more effective than Pell's, despite the greater drop that the latter secures by his lifting stroke. Whether a straight hit ball, under-cut or a top-spinning ball is selected as the best style for use, it is generally wisest to use the same stroke on both sides. The player who uses mostly the lift-stroke on his forehand side and then shifts to a chop-stroke for his backhand will frequently find himself in difficulties. An experienced adversary will quickly learn which to expect and place his returns so that the kind of ball he prefers to handle will be forthcoming. The Doherty brothers emphasized in their book the advisability of "stepping into" position for the backhand stroke, and instantaneous photo- graphs of them in action illustrate better than their text just what was meant by this. Many English players make the stroke as they did, and the typical style they used is accountable for it. The Dohertys played many of their backhand drives with the back turned almost directly to- ward the net, with the right foot well in advance of the left. They depended on the rotation of the body on the hips to give them follow-through. This style certainly proved successful with these masters but I would hesitate to recommend it to others because it requires the English thumb- around grip and the low elbow to make it effective. One depends more on a sense of direction than Larned's Perfect Backhand Same Twist for Both Strokes Best Dohertys Almost Turned Their Backs to Net 100 METHODS AND PLAYERS OP MODERN LAWN TENNIS Difficult to any view of the adversary's position also with this Style f hittin the ball > atld {t is m re difficult to change the direction of the stroke after it has been started. in rt cx I V X3 C _M *- i 0$ ~* ^ .H O o t> CO PQ be r- O - S ^."y tn C^ ^^ O -5^ "p- ^2 Hi o "3*1 a 25 o k 4 w a> J^ .C ^ I as O V H > "^ 3 c ^ ^K Q s ** O 2 U CJ CJ jg ! . j O o> < u +j 3 -. ^ *-* S co 1 J TJ 2 C q rt J3 -* o en c3 ^ 1 ^ bfl J -o c rt C '> . - rt > >. m f c rt Q c ^*E 8 Ij.i a ^ K^i o 15 j_j 4 - > rt i> CO ^^* ^ ja.tJ*o O c 2^8 vl *2*rt rt ' S-o CO (n SJ l1 3o s^2 /J U s Q 43 .U, CO ^ "c f OJ II THE BACKHAND STROKE 101 OPINIONS OF THE EXPERTS: Do you carry the elbow in English style, or prefer the American style, with elbow high? R. N. WILLIAMS, 2ND: God only knows what I do here, but I shall stick to whatever I do now, as it is my natural way of doing it. I believe I do both. T. C. BUNDY: Yankee. K. H. BEHR: Carry elbow naturally, low on volley and stroke, I believe. F. B. ALEXANDER : My backhand is nothing to follow. R. D. LITTLE: American style. H. H. HACKETT : American style. B. C. WRIGHT: As my stroke is a chop stroke like a court tennis stroke, my elbow is below my waist. J. C. PARKE : Being English, naturally I prefer our own style, but as an argument in its favor, I may suggest that it is the natural method of playing the stroke. The elbow high appears to me to be unnatural and to cramp the body and to minimize the value of distribution of weight to be obtained from foot-work. C. P. DIXON : Elbow low in English style. R. L. MURRAY : I prefer the low English style, but have always used the high. G. M. CHURCH : I always carry the elbow high in the American style even on backhand pickups. W. M. WASHBURN : American. ELIA FOTTRELL: American style. CLARENCE HOBART : I believe the English best. E. B. DEW HURST : Elbow about level with the wrist ; racket head slightly above wrist. J. R. STRACHAN : American style. C. R. GARDNER: American style mostly. English on backhand occasionally. English or American Style? Parke and Dixon Prefer Their Own Style 102 METHODS AND PLAYERS OF MODERN LAWN TENNIS Dabney Uses All Styles Most Americans Prefer High Elbow Mathey Has Followed the Dohertys A. S. DABNEY : American. I prefer generally getting a top-spin but do not emphasize the high elbow, more than half way between the two styles. Sometimes I cut a high bouncing ball for a decisive stroke, as it is difficult to top-spin these on the backhand. On these shots also I sometimes get a top-spin with elbow down. G. P. GARDNER, JR. : High, I think. F. C. INMAN : I play the American style. W. F. JOHNSON: I carry the elbow several inches below the wrist. N. W. NILES: More latter than former; almost on a line with forearm. T. R. PELL: American style. ROBERT LERov : Elbow high, always. A. M. SQUAIR : Certainly not the English style, but the elbow is not especially high. G. F. TOUCHARD: My elbow is in the plane of my racket on all strokes. J. J. ARMSTRONG : English stroke is best if schooled to use it. LEONARD BEEKMAN : Elbow high, always parallel with flight of ball. W. M. HALL : Elbow about on a level with forearm and racket. RICHARD HARTE : American style. My elbow is slightly above the wrist. DEAN MATHEY: I carry the elbow low, mainly because I have followed out as much as possible the ad- vice of the Dohertys. R. C. SEAVER : I think I carry the elbow low, but I think the American style with elbow high the strongest backhand. G. C. SHAFER : Elbow high. S. H. VOSHELL: American. E. H. WHITNEY : The American style. I. C. WRIGHT: High elbow. W. C. GRANT : Elbow low, with top-spin. VOLLEYING 103 IX. VOLLEYING SEVEN CARDINAL POINTS TO REMEMBER 1 Never volley upward; all volleys should be horizontal or downward. 2 The volleying position should be near enough to the net to meet the ball while it is still above it. Six to twelve feet is about right. 3 Bevel the racket backward for horizontal vol- leys, and let the forearm do the work; the swing should be short and crisp. 4 Never move backward zvhile making a volley; if you can't move forward to meet the ball, stand still and make your arm move for- ward. 5 Strike downward at a ball with top-spin, horizontally at a ball with under-cut. 6 Smashing should be confined to balls in front of the service-line; more is lost than won by smashing from the back of the court, and overhead volleying is safer there. 7 Don't half -volley at all; avoid the position that forces it, and step forward or back for a normal stroke if caught in that position. ORIGINALLY, all strokes in lawn tennis were made after the ball had bounded, and it was not until some years after the game had reached England from its native home Cardinal Points to Keep in Mind Origin of the Volley Stroke 104 METHODS AND PLAYERS OF MODERN LAWN TENNIS The Renshaws Invented the Stroke Time and Wider Angle Gained Element of Time of Great Importance in India that the idea of striking the ball in the air, "on the fly" as we used to say in baseball, came into vogue. But it was only a short time after this before the value of the new stroke was well appreciated. The famous Renshaw brothers, among the earliest English champions, introduced the volley stroke and revolutionized the early de- velopment of the game. Two distinct advantages are offered by the volley, time and angle of attack. A ball hit in the air, particularly when close in toward the net, offers a much wider range of the antagonist's court for attack than when hit off the ground. In addition to this, much valuable time is gained by using the stroke, since the player on the other side has less time to anticipate the volleyed stroke than one played from the back of the court. This element of time is of far greater im- portance than is understood by most players. A tennis player forced to one side of his court to make a return requires a certain amount of time to recover a safe position in the center, from which he can reach any stroke that his adversary may deliver to him. If he is badly hurried, his stroke falters, and he suffers soon from fast breathing, which also hurts his play immediately. To keep an opponent in such a condition is to maintain a constant attack that keeps him on the defensive. Primarily, then, the volleying position at the net is the best position for attack, and by the vol- leying position I mean anywhere in front of the service-line, for it is next to impossible in fast VOLLEYING 105 play to hit a ball off the ground from in front of the service-line. Now, two players cannot sur- vive long with both at the net against each other because the closeness of their positions does not afford either time enough to anticipate the other's attack, and one or the other must lose at once. Hence, it is necessary that one of them must retire to the back of his court and assume the defensive when his adversary outgenerals him and gains the coveted net position. But the reader must not reason from this that it is always safe to make a dash for the net if the other man has not anticipated him. On the contrary, a very dangerous attack can be main- tained from the base-line, and blindly rushing to the net is as short-sighted as camping indefinitely at the back of the court. There are correct prin- ciples which should be learned to show how and when it is safe to take the volleying position. This subject will be fully covered in a later chap- ter under position play. The volley stroke itself can be made at any time until the ball touches the ground, of course, but it is a safe general rule to lay down that it should always be made at the height of the net or above. There are many times when one is forced to play a lifting volley from below the height of the net, but such a stroke instantly be- comes defensive, destroying the very life of the volley, and should be avoided whenever possible. Caught in the front of the court, with a dropping low ball, there is no choice but to volley upward, but as a foreseen and anticipated stroke it is un- Both Sides Cannot Live at the Net Blind Net-Rushing Is Fool-Hardy Volley Should Not Be Made from Below Top of Net 106 METHODS AND PLAYERS OF MODERN LAWN TENNIS English School of Low Volleying Deep Position Condemned sound. One should not intentionally assume a position where such a stroke will be necessary. I know that this advice is not in accordance with one common English method of playing the volley stroke, for many strong English players purposely volley underhand, with an upward tendency. But this conies from their faulty posi- tion for volleying. The English school teaches the volleyer to hang back anywhere from six to ten feet more than Americans believe good tac- tics, and as a consequence of this position you sometimes see opposing volleyers in England both near the service-line, exchanging short lifting volleys, when an American would dart forward and kill the ball. I believe this English volleying position to be unsound, and certainly the closer American methods have forced some of the English author- ities to abandon their first theories, and advise a closer position for this stroke. The Dohertys shifted their position for attack closer to the net after their first experiences with American tac- tics, and others who have followed them to this country have shown a tendency to come in closer to volley. The old English style does not allow the same sting in the attack, and permits the an- tagonist to creep forward against such a weak attack, and sometimes to turn the tables on the deep volleyer. If it is accepted then that the correct posi- tion for a volleyer is close enough forward to meet the ball while it is still higher than the net, one must be governed somewhat by the character VOLLEYING 107 of the adversary's strokes in deciding how close he should come in. If he resorts to lobbing to dislodge the volleyer, then the position should be a little further back, while on the other hand, if he uses a short dropping stroke that falls below the level of the net very soon after crossing it, it is evident that the position must be very close in to receive the ball at the necessary height. But again we are trespassing on the ground to be covered under position play. Generally speak- ing, the best volleying position is from 6 to 12 feet from the net. For the horizontal volley, that is, the ball that is flying nearly horizontally when struck and is met at a height from the waist to the shoulder, the stroke should be made with less swing than is advisable for a ground stroke. The impact of the ball itself will furnish much of the power that is required to give it speed on the return flight, but it should be met with a forward motion of the arm and a snap of the wrist to give the sliot crispness. The forearm is used very much more than the upper arm in this stroke, and when close to the net it will provide all the power necessary for a short volley across the opponent's court. It is generally necessary to bevel the face of the racket slightly backward in making a horizon- tal volley. The ball, even when played while still rising, has a tendency to drop quickly after being hit, and to overcome this the bevel of the racket is used. This has an inclination to give the ball a slight under-cut, which will in its turn tend to Hoiv Close Should You Come Up? Half Swing for a Horizontal Volley Face of the Racket Should Be Beveled Back 108 METHODS AND PLAYERS OP MODERN LAWN TENNIS The Short Cross-Court Volley A Slight Downward Motion Needed Easier to Volley Under-Cut Ball keep the bound low and somewhat embarrass the opponent in making the next return. The amount of power required from the arm, particularly the upper part of the arm, will depend largely on the length of the stroke you are play- ing. For the short cross-volley, it is best played with very little swing of the arm, just a slight forward motion and a twist of the forearm which turns the ball off to the side, and a snap of the wrist that adds crispness to the stroke and makes the ball fly faster; the backward bevel of the face adds a little backspin to keep down the bound and lifts the ball over the net and makes it drop quickly again. These horizontal volleys should be struck with a slight downward motion of the arm, and this is more accentuated in handling a ball with top-spin than any other. Here the tendency of the twist is to make the ball fly upward from the racket and the downward angle of the stroke helps to overcome this, while the beveled face sends the ball away high enough to clear the net. It is distinctly easier to volley an undercut ball at the net than one with top-spin, and this results from the rotation whose effect is to in- crease the speed and crispness with which it goes away from the volleyer's racket. But it is neces- sary to make allowance for this tendency in order to avoid netting the balls. A horizontal stroke with the face of racket bevelled back will gen- erally do the trick successfully. This stroke can be played either forehanded or backhanded with almost equal facility *n.ct is bJO 3 o C . -l 3S en .-i o 6 w fc s fcf 5 . 0) u c cd s. 5 *l- 1 1 \ \ \ 1 \ * x * \ IL \ 1 1 / 1 / / 1 7~ 1 / \ ' \j !\ \ \ \ \ \ & _s \ AMERICAN TWIST REVERSE TWIST with in the unnatural bound, or "break" from the ground. The side spin that makes the ball bend in going through the air has a different effect when it strikes the ground. Spinning sharply from right to left, the bairs rotation is the same as that of a billiard ball with THE SERVICE 139 right English, and when it strikes the ground it has the same effect on the sphere as the English has when the billiard ball strikes the cushion of the table. The spinning motion drags it sharply out of the line of its flight, in the direction of the spin, or to the striker's left and the server's right. This gives it an unnatural bound at a sharp angle from its flight, and a curve that brings it in toward the striker's body and somewhat offsets the curve of its flight through the air. The greatest power in the attack of the 'American service lies in the hidden ability to vary the amount of twist that the ball receives with the most delicate adjustment of the wrist during the stroke. By easing up slightly on the pressure as the racket shifts from the upward to the side mo- tion, the ball can be allowed to leave the strings before the side motion is accentuated, and then it will bound very much less out of its natural course, if at all. By delaying contact with the ball until the racket has reached its maximum height, so the upward and forward spin is not given, the service can be turned with little per- ceptible change in the swing into a fast overhead delivery that will bend very little out of its course, and bound almost true, jumping away from the striker so fast as to score an ace if he has been deceived into expecting a twist delivery. McLoughlin often scores aces by this varia- tion of the service and he keeps his antagonists constantly on the anxious seat to discover whether the delivery they must handle has much or little top-spin, side-twist and break. With such varia- Like the "English' Billiards of Easing Up in the Swing Changes Effect McLoughlin Clever at This Change 140 METHODS AND PLAYERS OF MODERN LAWN TENNIS Long, Deep Bound an Advantage Better to Let Ball Spin Itself Out Action Reversed by a Left-Handed Player tions the service is doubly dangerous, but if served always with the same amount of spin, the striker soon becomes accustomed to its eccentrici- ties and allows for the curve and bound, so that he is able to hit it as well as a straight service, and it is necessarily slower. One feature of the twist service adds to its strength, and this is the long, deep bound that the over-twist gives. Its tendency is to give a high bound that forces the striker well out of court in order to give the ball room. It is spin- ning so rapidly even after it leaves the ground that it is a difficult ball to play while rising, al- though some players have succeeded in return- ing it this way, from the top of the bound well over the shoulder, and thus get the advantage of being able to drive it downward over the net in return. However, most players will find it better to let this difficult service spin itself out to the end of its bound, and while this drives the striker fur- ther from the net, to be sure, it lessens the danger of putting it out of court because of the spinning motion which is then nearly lost, and it also gives more time to guage the flight and angle. Played by a left-handed man, the action of the twist service, so far as the striker is con- cerned, is of course just reversed, the ball curving to the (server's) right and breaking to his left. Dwight Davis used the service at the same time that Ward did, and when they played doubles to- gether both variations were offered to their an- tagonists, since Davis is a left-handed player. THE SERVICE 141 The same effect as regards curve in the air and break from the ground appears in the reverse twist service, as originally served by Malcolm Whitman and as served now by Thomas Bundy. However, this variety is never so dangerous as the other, because it is served with the racket in front of the body, the motion of the racket cross- ing in front of the face from right to left upward, which gives the opposite spin to the ball from the regular "American" service. But this motion gives no such speed as the other service, as the weight of the body cannot be used to help it as in the other delivery. The ball travels slower and bounds shorter, but a trifle more sharply to the side, as the forward motion that must be overcome is less. Length is of great value in all services, par- ticularly when the server is running up to the net. It keeps the striker further away from the vol- leyer, it makes his stroke therefore a longer one and more difficult to make, it gives the volleyer more time to get into position to play, and after he is there more time to anticipate the return of his antagonist. The short service, particularly when it has a high bound, is simply an encourage- ment to being passed. However, there have been some short services that have succeeded. Harold Hackett's is not always deep, but he places it with wonderful accuracy and succeeds in keeping down the bound so that it is very difficult to get an ag- gressive return from it. Another short service that was very decep- tive was that used by Dr. Eaves, the English ex- Same Effects In the Reverse Twists Cross Motion Checks Speed Length of Great Value in All Services Short Service Must Have a Low Bound 142 METHODS AND PLAYERS OF MODERN LAWN TENNIS Risk Double Fault Rather Than Weak Second pert who was in America some years ago. Eaves used a very sharp out-twist that kept the bound low and he placed his service well to the sides of the court so that it was difficult to pass him. I have already spoken of the dangers of a weak second service, and this fault cannot be en- larged upon too much. It is better to risk a double fault than to offer so weak a second delivery that it is easily killed by the opponent. Williams hazards much on a fast second service and prob- ably gains more than he loses by it despite the large number of double faults made in some of his matches. THE SERVICE 143 OPINIONS OF THE EXPERTS. Does the American twist service pay the average player? R. N. WILLIAMS, 2ND: No. T. C. BUNDY : If severe, yes. K. H. BEHR : Net player only. F. B. ALEXANDER : Yes. R. D. LITTLE : No. H. H. HACKETT : I think so. , B.C.WRIGHT: No. J. C. PARKE : No. C. P. DIXON: On the whole, yes. R. L. MURRAY : Yes, it does. G. M. CHURCH : I don't think so, especially if a man is ambitious to rise to the top rank, he should develop as fast a service as possible with just enough twist to in- sure steadiness. If he does not intend to enter tourna- ments and his opponents are going to be men of no great experience, the American twist service will be a big asset to his game. W. M. WASHBURN : I don't think so. ELIA FOTTRELL : No, second ball too easy to hit. CLARENCE HOBART: Hardly now. Good when it was novel. E. B. DEWHURST: No. J. R. STRACHAN : Yes. C. R. GARDNER : Not the average, perhaps. A. S. DABNEY : Yes. F. C. INMAN : No. W. F. JOHNSON : No. N. W. NILES : Probably yes, but not a good player. For its "break," consistency and speed, a fast top service like Williams's is better. Does American Twist Pay Average Play erf Church Thinks It Does Not Niles Thinks Fast Top Service Better 144 METHODS AND PLAYERS OF MODERN LAWN TENNIS Reverse Better for Left- Handed Player Should Second Service Be Omitted f T. R. PELL: Yes. ROBERT LERov: Yes, unless he is a left-hander, in which case he should cultivate the double twist (like Whitman's, Clothier's and Bundy's) only. A. M. SQUAIR: No. G. F. TOUCHARD : No. J. J. ARMSTRONG : No. LEONARD BEEKMAN : No. RICHARD HARTE : No. DEAN MATHEY: Not for the twist he gets, merely for the control. R. C. SEAVER : Yes, if he can stand the strain. G. C. SHAFER: Yes. S. H. VOSHELL: Yes. E. H. WHITNEY : Not unless it is mastered. I.C.WRIGHT: No. W. C. GRANT: No. Would the game be improved by allowing only one service in singles? In doubles? R. N. WILLIAMS, 2ND : No. No. No. T. C. BUNDY : Not in either. K. H. BEHR: (1) No. (2) Yes. F. B. ALEXANDER : Do not believe so. Such a radi- cal change would mean an entire reversal of lawn tennis tactics. R. D. LITTLE: Yes. H. H. HACKETT: No. No. B. C. WRIGHT: I am in favor of but one service, only for big match play, however. J. C. PARKE: No. If umpires would enforce the present foot-fault rule by penalizing all doubtful services (as per instructions of our L. T. A.) it would be a suffi- cient handicap upon the server. C. P. DIXON : On this point I am not convinced. Should say it would not improve singles play to allow only one service, but am rather in favor of allowing only one THE SERVICE 145 service in doubles as the service in doubles plays by far too important a role. The percentage of service games won in doubles must be very high. R. L. MURRAY : No, it would not in either singles or doubles. Skill in serving ought to be worth something. G. M. CHURCH : I don't think either game would be improved by allowing only one service. W. M. WASHBURN : There seems to be no necessity for such a radical change in the game at present. ELIA FOTTRELL: No. No. CLARENCE HOBART: Yes, in both. If every one served like McLoughlin, the game would be ruined. E. B. DEWHURST : No. I have advocated the short- ening of the service court, say one foot, so that the service may not become the whole game and so spoil every other part of it. J. R. STRACHAN : No. C. R. GARDNER : Possibly, but I think not. A. S. DABNEY : In singles, no. In doubles, perhaps, but I doubt it. This could make an argument. G. P. GARDNER, JR. : I do not think so in either. F. C. INMAN : No. W. F. JOHNSON: No. N. W. NILES : I believe it would in both cases. Have never tried or seen it tried out, however. T. R. PELL : I think it would be a great mistake to allow only one service in either. ROBERT LEROY: No. The brilliant services which are being developed yearly add to the interest of the game and the delight of the spectators. It is up to the players to develop equally brilliant defences to offset the services. A. M. SQUAIR : I think not. G. F. TOUCHARD: Not in my opinion. J. J. ARMSTRONG: No. LEONARD BEEKMAN : Not in either. W. M. HALL: No, it would change it completely in my opinion. Would probably necessitate enlarging service court. Most Players Oppose Such a Change Dewhurst Has Another Suggestion Brilliant Services Add Interest to the Game 146 METHODS AND PLAYERS OF MODERN LAWN TENNIS RICHARD HARTE : No. No. DEAN MATHEY : I do not think so. R. C. SEAVER: No. G. C. SHAFER : Two serves best in both. S. H. VOSHELL : No, in either case. E.H.WHITNEY: (1) No. (2) No. I. C. WRIGHT : No. Grant Thinks W. C. GRANT: Yes, in both cases. The server has Change Would too much advantage as the rule now stands. Be Wise THE FIRST RETURN 147 XI THE FIRST RETURN FOUR CARDINAL POINTS TO REMEMBER: iM' ! I < 1 From a service to the far edge of the court, the pass up the line is generally best. 2 // the server hangs back, cross-court passes have more room to get past in front of him. 3 When no passing shot seems profitable, lob if opponent comes in close, or drive at his feet if he hangs back. 4 In doubles, drive across the lowest part of the net in the centre, or lob; do not drive at the net man. THERE is one and only one stroke in the game that is restricted to be played off the ground, and that is the first return. Not only that, but the position of the striker-out is more confined and the difficulty of his stroke greater than any other the player must negotiate. For these reasons, it is as well, perhaps, to con- sider the first return as a play in itself and treat it separately from the other ground-strokes of the game. j- ;-.^j "!'\\$. The difficulty of the striker-out has been greatly increased of recent years by the steady development of the American twist services, Cardinal Points to Keep in Mind First Return Closely Restricted by Rules 148 METHODS AND PLAYERS OP MODERN LAWN TENNIS Difficulty Increased by New Services Four Plays Open When Server Runs In Pass Down Right Line Easiest whose powerful attack has embarrassed him until he is now conservatively believed to be twenty per cent, weaker than his adversary in the first duel. After the ball has been brought into general play, the striker can regain an even footing with the other man only by dislodging him from the net (if his adversary is a volleyer and has followed up his service) or by passing him. In considering the best handling of the serv- ice, it is necessary to examine the matter in two different lights ; first, when the server runs up to the net, and second, when he does not. Against the volleyer, who is fast on his feet and well settled in position to handle the first return, the striker has four plays open to him. He can pass down the line, he can pass across the court, he can lob over the server's head to drive him back, or he can drive toward the adversary with a low dropping stroke that is kept close to the net or drops soon after crossing it so that it leaves no chance for a killing volley. The pass down the line is always easier (for a right-handed player) in the right court, where his forehand can be brought into the play. If the service is directed toward the edge of the court, this stroke will generally offer the best chance, for the cross-court pass is then more difficult and the line more open for attack. For a player like Larned or Pell, with a fine control of the back- hand ground-stroke, the line pass is also open in the left court when the service comes toward the side. But when the server works on the centre THE FIRST RETURN 149 theory, or without that plan of action, keeps his service well centred, the line pass is not open for a fast ball, and is more difficult for a slow ball. From the centre of the court, the dropping ball is often the best attack against a good smasher to whom it is dangerous to lob. The cross-court shot can be played slow from the centre to either side, but the striker is always in trouble against a fast server who centres his service and closes the alleys to attack by passing up the side-lines. Occasionally, a short cross-court pass will be found very useful from the outside edge across in front of the server as he runs up to volley. From the far side of the court, this allows a sharper angle and more speed because of the greater distance the ball must travel, and while difficult to execute, it is a most valuable attack for occasional use. This shot should not be played often because it will give the server an easy chance to kill if he is able to anticipate it and lean toward the cross-court position to intercept it. Your own position at the side of the court will make it impossible for you to defend against his volley and the court will be open to him; such a shot must win outright or not at all. But another side of this stroke is its value as a surprise and to keep the volleyer in the centre of the court. If the cross-court return of the service is never used, an experienced server will find it easy to direct his attack to the far edge of your service court and lean toward the same side to intercept your attempts at passing along From the Centre, a Dropping Ball the Best Short Cross-Court Pass Is Useful Valuable as a Surprise 150 METHODS AND PLAYERS OP MODERN LAWN TENNIS Brings Volleyer Back to Centre of Court Beds Wright Best at the Dropping Attack the side lines. Then it is that the cross-court shot is most valuable, and one or two successes with this stroke will bring him back to his correct position and give you an even chance once more for the line pass, unless he centres his service. Failing to find the necessary opening for any passing shot, a dropping ball down the centre of the court will make the volleyer block the ball up- ward again over the net, if you succeed in making it low enough and drop quickly enough for the purpose. Your second shot may offer a better chance for a winning pass and often does. At least it brings the striker back nearer on even terms with the server if the latter does not make a very aggressive stroke from such a return of his service. Beals Wright was unquestionably the best player ever developed at this particular shot and he was very successful in dropping the ball with a slow chop-stroke from the service, particularly from a high-bounding service, that came very close to putting the volleyer on the defensive. When the server came forward to reach this "f ade- away" return before it got too low for an aggres- sive volley, Wright would lob over his head and he won many aces in this fashion. It is more dif- ficult to play a top-spinning ball with a slow stroke, but it can be done, particularly when the bound is high, and the top-spin will make such a return much more difficult for the opposing vol- leyer to handle than if it is played with a chop or under-cut. The lob is often a good answer to a difficult THE FIRST RETURN 151 service, and varied with passing strokes or drop strokes at the feet of the server, it is doubly valu- able. To lob regularly to a server is to court de- struction, for he will soon be able to anticipate the shot and then only the deepest and straightest dropping balls will not be killed and even they are likely to be volleyed back so deep as to drive you out of court to handle them. But worked in occasionally with the other variations, the lobbing return has a tendency to keep the server from coming in close, which opens up his feet in turn for the dropping attack. Particularly is this valuable from the extreme left of the left service court, where the backhand is attacked, and the server is running up diagonally to meet the return. A lob diagonally to his back- hand corner then will be very difficult for him to reach, and may make him turn and give you the attack. Lobbing the service is generally better to- ward the end of a hard match, rather than at the start when the adversary is fresh and strong. When he begins to show signs of fatigue, particu- larly if you are stronger than he at the end, a lobbing attack generally wins good results. Per- haps the most dangerous lob of all for the server is one that is made with the same motion used in playing a passing stroke. It is quite possible to swing the arm forward as though to drive the ball, and turn it at the last instant and lob with the face of the racket bevelled back. The server is almost certain to lunge forward, if this stroke is concealed well, in order to volley the next stroke, The Lob Is Often a Good Attack Keeps the Server from Creeping Up Close Lobbing Better at End of a Match 152 METHODS AND PLAYERS OF MODERN LAWN TENNIS Williams Plays the Ball as It Rises Is This Style Practicable? Timing Must Be Perfect for Success and he will then be caught off his balance for a probable ace. The problem of handling the service aggres- sively has been studied from many angles, and it is still possible that some better methods of mak- ing the first return may be developed that will make unnecessary any change in the rules to re- strict the server's present advantage. Champion Williams and a few others have a method of their own for this which deserves serious consideration. Williams believes that the proper answer to the fast twist services is to stand in close to them and take the ball as it rises. This, he contends, will not only bring the striker closer to the attacking position, but it will gain time and often catches the server before he gets settled at the net. Theoretically, there is no doubt that this is sound, but is it practicable ? That is the question. Williams himself uses this style with considerable success and Brookes also has a tendency to play the ball as it rises. In the hands of a master with the skill of a Brookes or a Williams, there is no doubt that such an attack on the server can often be made very powerful, but it depends for its success on a wonderfully quick co-ordination of eye, brain and arm and fast footwork. The slightest miscalculation of distance or time ruins the stroke. We had an example of that last year in the internationals when Williams made such a poor showing against both Brookes and Wilding, At all times in both matches, I thought he was too close in to receive the service, and the ball was allowed to shoot in against this Copyright by Underwood & Underwood DEAN MATHEY The English Style of Volleying With Elbow Low. Note the bent wrist that brings the racket's head well above the forearm. This stroke is unusual among American players, but is more effective than the same method used for ground-strokes. Compare with pictures of Behr and Murray volleying. THE FIRST RETURN 153 faulty position, when he could have met it with more power if he had stood further back. But Williams told me that his error in these matches was not that he was too close, but that from this close position he did not step still further in to meet the ball as it came up from the ground. This new development, this tendency to lean toward half-volleying in order to save time, may be the coming development in the game. I am not prepared to say that it will not, but I doubt very much if such a play will ever be practicable for the average tournament player. Even among the most expert players, I believe it will fail in the hands of two men for every one who succeeds with it. The great danger of standing in close to play the ball as it is rising, comes from the chance of a clever server on the other side watching your position and placing the service either out of reach or in such position as to make the return more difficult than if it were given a full bound, and time were allowed to take a full swing and to gauge the flight properly. Should this style ever come into general use even by the best tournament players, I have no doubt that an improvement in placing the service would soon follow, and to prevent being aced the striker be forced back again into giving the ball more room by the accuracy of placed services which could not be handled on the rise from close in. This play allows only a short backswing, or with a server who places well, only a half swing, and this also handicaps the power of the return. Champion's Fault in the Internationals Danger of Standing In Close New Services Might Stop Such Play 154 METHODS AND PLAYERS OF MODERN LAWN TENNIS McLoughlin Points Out Disadvantages Collins Used This Style in Doubles In Doubles, First Return Depends on "Formation" McLoughlin sums up the disadvantages of this play well in his new book, as follows: "Brookes and Williams are the two great players who by preference play a rising ball, that is, a ball that has not reached the height of its bound a method I emphatically do not advocate for the average player. To attain such accuracy as that of Brookes or Williams in this respect requires not only a marvellously true eye, but bespeaks long years of faithful practice. The player who strokes the ball on its rise has no time for delibera- tion. Accuracy must become a matter of second nature, but when once achieved it gives him a tremendous advantage over his opponent. He is enabled to return a service before his rival can get to the net; consequently, he catches the server midway of the court and at a disadvant- age." In doubles, Kriegh Collins used this style for his first return, stroking the ball with a top-spin before it reached the top of its bound, and he earned considerable success with it. But Collins was constantly drawn too close in while making this stroke and was often passed by the server on his first volley as a result of his bad position. Then too, he did not have to meet the terrific twist services that now threaten the striker. The first return is quite as important in doubles as singles, if not more so, and it is often governed by the "formation" of the serving side. The problems that confront the striker under such conditions will be analyzed in the chapter on doubles. With the normal conditions on the other THE FIRST RETURN 155 side of the net, however, the first return in doubles is almost invariably a cross-court drive or a lob over the net man's head. Occasionally it may be better to lob over the server as he runs in, but to drive at the net man is suicidal. For this first cross-court drive, the chief re- quisite is that it must be low and drop as quickly as possible. The net is lowest in the centre and this favors a cross-court shot. Speed is of less value than low trajectory, as is shown by Hackett's ability at this play. Without speed, Hackett makes more of his first return than any other player I know, by keeping his shot always within a foot and generally within six inches of the net, and dropping it before the server can volley it back at his feet. The ball with an exaggerated top-spin, how- ever, is very valuable for this first return in doubles, for it "ducks" quickly from its twist and is more difficult to volley. Alexander's forehand drive is particularly effective for this stroke, and it was the combination of this with Hackett's clever first return, more than any other feature of their play, that made this pair the leading team of the country and kept them so long in the championship position. There is some little latitude or should I say longitude? in the angle of placing this first cross-court drive. With a server who is inclined to hang back for fear of lobbing or who naturally assumes a deep position for volleying, a short angle can often be found for an ace across in front of him. On the other hand, the server who First Drive Must Be Low and Cross-Court Sharp Top-Spin Makes Ball "Duck" Pass in Front of Servers Who Hang Back 156 METHODS AND PLAYERS OF MODERN LAWN TENNIS comes in very close almost invariably leaves a hole between himself and his partner that can be used by the striker for a fast drive down the centre of the court. Lob Valuable Except when the opponents are exceptionally in Doubles . . . ,111-1 i strong in smashing, the lob is always a good re- turn of the service in doubles, being more valuable than in singles for this play. With a server who comes in so fast he cannot back up his partner, a lob over the net man's head is frequently a win- ning shot, or at least one that will turn the attack against them. Against the American formation the lob is especially valuable because the diagonal path of the server in running to the net brings him there a trifle later and makes it more difficult for him to get back for a lob. Over the net man's head, in this case, will give a diagonal ball that will be hard for either man to reach. Dewhurst be- lieves that this play will break up the American formation when well directed. THE TWIST ON THE BALL 157 XII. THE TWIST ON THE BALL FIVE CARDINAL POINTS TO REMEMBER: 1 Nearly every tennis ball carries more or less twist, as few can be hit without it. 2 Every spinning ball is depressed in its flight, by the greater friction of the air, away from the side that is twisting forward. 3 The ball curves in the opposite direction that the racket travelled when it hit the ball. 4 When it bounds, the break will be in the same direction the racket took. 5 Top-spin makes the ball drop and under-cut keeps it up longer by offsetting gravity. FEW LAWN TENNIS players realize how important is the part that is played by the spinning of the ball in its flight. Even so good a player and writer as Dr. Dewhurst speaks repeatedly of a drive without twist, and others refer to balls hit in such a way. Now, as a matter of fact, it is next to impos- sible to hit a tennis ball with absolutely no twist. The roughness of the felt cover which clings so closely to the resilient strings of the racket, makes the ball revolve from the slightest side motion of the racket as the blow is delivered. Cardinal Points to Keep in Mind Few Realize Importance of Twist 158 METHODS AND PLAYERS OP MODERN LAWN TENNIS Almost Impossible to Hit Ball Without It Even the Earth Revolves on Its Own Some Twist Necessary in Tennis A perfectly straight-hit ball, which is intend- ed to have no twist, will carry out this plan of ac- tion only if the swing of the racket, during the en- tire time it is in contact with the ball, is absolutely parallel with its flight, and this is next to impos- sible for the most expert player to accomplish, even had he so intended. But this would not only be difficult but a dis- tinct drawback, since a spherical body without twist travels through the air less accurately than one which is rotating on its own axis. This prin- ciple is as old as the hills. Scientists tell us that the largest of all spherical bodies we have to do with, the earth, could not maintain its true course through the heavens if it did not have its own re- volving motion that gives us our day and night. Applied to smaller bodies, it has been clearly shown that a smooth bore cannon cannot fire as far or as accurately as one with the rifling that makes its shot revolve on its own axis. The rifling was put there for that purpose, and the results have proved its success. Your golf ball, your base- ball, your cricket ball and the spheroid in practi- cally every other sport follows the same rule. So we find that some twist at least is neces- sary in all tennis strokes, both because it cannot be avoided and because it is advantageous anyway. Then how much and what kind of twist is most desirable ? Ah, that is a more difficult question to answer. Vaile wrote a whole volume on "Swerve," as he called the unnatural action of balls in cricket, lawn tennis and golf when spinning through the air, and in this he served the cause of lawn tennis THE Twist ON f HE BALL 159 X better than in most of his other theories on the game. But he did not answer the difficult ques- tions even then, his work being more scientific than practical. A spherical body rotating on its own axis encounters more resistance in the air on the side that is moving forward than on its other side, and in seeking the line of least resistance it is de- pressed slightly away from that direction. That is the underlying principle on which is based the whole theory of twist strokes. It is the old question of the carriage-wheel over again. The top of a carriage-wheel fnoves faster (in relation to things standing still) than does the bottom because the forward motion of the centre or axle increases the motion of the top and decreases the motion of the bottom. Similarly the forward motion of a flying ball increases the movement of the side that is revolving forward and decreases the motion of the opposite side. In the theory of rotation, the maximum curve will be reached in a ball whose rotation is exactly equal to its forward motion. The back-spinning side will encounter more or less friction according to how much its speed around its own axis is greater or less than its forward progression. In a ball that revolves very rapidly, the back-spin- ning side meets some friction which offsets the pressure from the opposite side, while a slow spin- ning ball has a similar effect except that the pres- sure on the back-spinning side is from the front instead of the back. Where the speed of revolu- More Air Resistance on Side Moving Forward Old Carriage Wheel Problem Again Theory of Rotation 160 METHODS AND PLAYERS OF MODERN LAWN TENNIS Baseball First Game to Curve the Ball Rough Tennis Ball Curves Easier Lawford Used a Sharp Twist tion and progression is exactly equal the swerve or bend in the air will reach the maximum possible. The first practical demonstration of the pos- sibilities of the twist appeared in baseball. Here the pitcher has learned to curve the ball with marvelous skill. Thrown from the hand, it is made to spin in the air and curve at will in one direction or another to deceive the batter. Right and left curves have been followed by drop curves and "upshoots" which seemed to defy the laws of gravitation. Now a baseball has a smooth horsehide cover and weighs several times what a tennis ball does. The latter is covered with rough felt that offers more resistance to the air in its flight, and its weight of only two ounces makes it particularly susceptible to curves in the air. But the contact of the racket's strings with the surface of the ball offers no such fine control as a pitcher's grip on it. Nevertheless, tennis players have developed many curves that have added variations to the game that have not been yet exhausted. The first use of this twist of the ball appeared in the Lawford stroke originally used by one of the earliest English masters of the game, who struck the ball with such a sharp upglancing blow that it took on a rapid forward spin which made it "duck" in an unnatural way soon after crossing the net. This stroke in a modified form still re- mains as one of the most useful drives we have in the modern game of to-day, and it is fully de- scribed in a previous chapter on the forehand strokes. THE TWIST ON THE BALL 161 The forward spinning ball has been matched by its reverse, the under-cut stroke, with sharp backspin that gives the opposite effect to the flight of the ball. Struck in this way, the greater resistance underneath the ball in its spin- ning works against the natural gravitation and the ball sails longer in the air, flying nearer hori- zontally than if hit without twist, and finally dy- ing with a lifeless swoop at the end of its flight when gravitation has overcome the spin. Hit with the same power and the same tra- jectory, a ball will fly about twenty per cent, fur- ther before touching the ground if under-cut than if played with sharp top-spin. But these are only the simplest uses of the spinning ball in tennis. Right and left twists come next and then all the variations and combi- nations of the two. Finally, we come to the effect of the rotating motion on the bound of the ball after its eccentric flight has ended, and here we encounter the well-known principles that are in- volved in billiards, where the spinning ball gets an unnatural rebound from the cushions. To make the tennis ball revolve on its own axis, the racket strikes a glancing blow, the strings brushing or wiping across its rough sur- face with a gripping contact that gives a rapid spin. The rougher the stringing of the racket, the more complete will be its grip on the ball, and the longer the racket is kept in contact with it, the more fully will it be able to transfer its motion. In the early days of the game, when the cut strokes of court tennis were in use, many devices Under-Cut Ball Carries Rapid Spin Right and Left Side Twists Also Glancing Blow Makes Ball Revolve 162 METHODS AND PLAYERS OP MODERN LAWN TENNIS Rough Stringing Tried to Increase Twist Loose Strings Increase Spin Drop-Stroke Like Billiard Follow-Shot Spin Drags Ball Forward from Bound were tried to increase the cut or spin. Knotted stringing in the rackets and double weaves of the catgut were experimented with, but finally the manufacturers settled on the present method as the best. Lop-sided heads were used first; then some bright mind thought the lop could be used on both sides and a racket that was almost triangular followed. One extremely wide abortion was cre- ated on the theory that the wider the racket the more twist could be secured, but it was finally dis- covered that the ball held contact with the strings for such a short time that extra width could not increase the rubbing surface. The looser the strings are in a racket the longer can the contact be maintained, and tight, highly-resilient, thin strings tend to lessen the ability to twist the ball. Other than cut strokes, however, are made better with tight stringing. The lift, or drop-stroke, with its straight top-spin, simply imparts with an upward drag of the racket as it strikes the ball, a forward rotation like a follow shot in billiards, with the axis of the spin parallel with the ground. The greatest fric- tion is on the top side of the ball in consequence, and this friction, added to gravitation, makes it drop unnaturally from its original line of flight when the first force of its forward movement is spent. When this ball strikes the ground, its spin- ning motion drags it ahead with a sudden shoot that depresses the height of its ordinary bound. The spin continues with it although dying rapidly, and it is inclined to shoot upward from the racket THE TWIST ON THE BALL 163 when you try to return it. At the net, when the top-spinning ball is encountered, it is especially difficult to volley because of its tendency to dip just about the time it reaches the volleying posi- tion, and also because of its rotation. This spin makes the ball jump upward from the racket, and slows up the return unless the vol- leyer understands the proper way to handle it, Difficult to Volley Top-Spinning Ball TO GRAVITY OVERCOMES WOWWARD MCfriOM AMO BM.t CROPS FACT. GRAVITY OVVRCOMCS PWICTtOM AMO BALL DROPS SPSMT AND UF6LESS EFFECT OF TOP-SPIN AND UNDER-CUT. Diagrams Show Effect of Twists on TWIST BALL'S FLIGHT WITH SIDE TWISTS. which is to bevel the racket slightly backward and to strike a slightly glancing blow downward to overcome the spin. The under-cut ball, with its back-spin, is just the reverse of the drop-stroke, and it receives its rotation from a downward glancing blow from the racket, or a down drag while the strings are still Under-Cut Ball Reverse of Drop-Stroke 164 METHODS AND PLAYERS OF MODERN LAWN TENNIS Spin Resists Gravitation Mean Bound from Chop-Stroke Vertical Twist Can Also Be Used Rule That Governs Curves and Breaks in contact with the ball. The effect of this twist is to produce greater friction on the bottom of the ball, and this resists gravitation until the forward power of the ball is spent and then the ball drops spent and lifeless to the ground. The bound from the under-cut ball is more of an awkward kick than a true bound, and it jumps up with some of its back-spin still in operation to bother the player who has to return it. The bound is low and the spin makes it necessary to get well under the ball and lift it slightly higher to clear the net than a similar ball without spin, for the rotation has a tendency to make it carrom down toward the earth again from the racket. Vertical twist can be put on a tennis ball from either the right or left side, but, except in the service which is hit with a glancing blow overhead, it is difficult to make a driving stroke at the ball with any angle that permits vertical rotation. The axis of the spin on the ball, how- ever, can be nearly vertical in some ground strokes, and the ball will bend to one side or the other from this twist according to which way it is spinning. It is a safe rule to know that a spinning ball will always curve in the opposite direction that the racket travelled in hitting it. When it comes to the bound, the ball will break in the same direction the racket travelled in hitting it, upward, down- ward, to the right or left, or diagonally, if the racket's path was diagonal, at the moment of hit- ting the ball. The racket frequently swings around a con- THE TWIST ON THE BALL 165 siderable part of a circle in making a stroke and it is not always apparent at which part of the swing the ball was hit, but when you find the path of the racket at the time of impact, you can safely calcu- late that the ball will curve away from this direc- tion and bound toward it. Twist services, with the methods involved in making them, have been fully described in the chapter on service. However, the principles of ball rotation are more closely involved in this stroke than any of the ground strokes, and even at the risk of repeating, the service must be consid- ered here. In this stroke, more than in any other, are the vertical and horizontal twists combined and their effect is very puzzling unless the princi- ples are thoroughly analyzed and understood. The ball, being struck with an upward motion of the racket similar to that of the drop-stroke off the ground, has much of the same action, but at the end of the stroke, the racket is dragged diag- onally across the line of flight and the ball re- ceives a sharp side twist, which, added to and altering the forward spin already imparted to it, gives a diagonal rotation. The effect of this altered rotation is to make the ball bend sharply to right or left in the air, ac- cording to whether the out-twist or reverse twist is used, and whether the stroke is played by a right-handed or a left-handed player. The action of the ball is just reversed by the same stroke played with the opposite hand, for the path of the racket in hitting it lies in the opposite direction. The top spin makes the ball spring for- Watch Path of Racket for Secret Both Vertical and Horizontal Twists in Service Effect of the Altered Rotation 166 METHODS AND PLAYERS OF MODERN LAWN TENNIS Sudden Drop ward in its bound and the sudden drop gives a and Sharper different angle of impact with the ground from the normal service and a consequently sharper upbound, while the side-spin makes the ball drag or break sharply off in the direction of its spin. THE TWIST ON THE BALL 167 OPINIONS OF THE EXPERTS: Do you intentionally put twist on every ball? R. N. WILLIAMS, 2ND: No. Should Every T. C. BUNDY : Service, yes, reserve twist. Ball Carry K. H. BEHR : Almost, except a few volleys. Twist? F. B. ALEXANDER: Usually. R. D. LITTLE: Yes. H. H. HACKETT: No. B. C. WRIGHT : On eighty-five per cent. J. C. PARKE : No. C. P. DIXON : No. R. L. MURRAY: Almost. G. M. CHURCH : Yes, except on pickups. W. M. WASHBURN : No. ELIA FOTTRELL: No. CLARENCE HOBART : No. E. B. DEWHURST: No. J. R. STRACHAN : Yes. 1 C. R. GARDNER: No. A. S. DABNEY : Top-spin on ground strokes. Some- Majority times cut on volleys, but mostly straight. Think Not G. P. GARDNER, JR. : A slight spin usually. F. C. INMAN : Only service. W. F. JOHNSON : Not intentionally, but naturally. N. W. NILES : On nearly every shot. T. R. PELL: No. ROBERT LERoY : No, I do not use a twist and do not think I should care to if I could. A. M. SQUAIR : On most, but not on all. G. F. TOUCHARD: No. J. J. ARMSTRONG: No. LEONARD BEEKMAN: No. W. M. HALL: No. 168 METHODS AND PLAYERS OP MODERN LAWN TENNIS RICHARD HARTE: Yes. Second Service DEAN MATHEY : No. Only on my second service for Carries Most control. R. C. SEAVER: No. G. C. SHAFER: Yes, reverse. S. H. VOSHELL : No. E. H. WHITNEY: No. I. C. WRIGHT: No. W. C. GRANT: Hardly any on first service; quite a little on second. Do Speed and Control Go With the Twist? Do you consider a ball played without tivist to have as much speed or control as a twisting one? Washburn Has Never Seen a Ball Without Twist R. N. WILLIAMS, 2ND : I believe more. T. C. BUNDY : Depends entirely on player. K. H. BEHR: I doubt it. F. B. ALEXANDER : More speed, but less control R. D. LITTLE: No. H. H. HACKETT : Not as much speed, possibly more control though. B. C. WRIGHT : The more twist, the less speed. De- pends on the player. J. C. PARKE: More speed, but perhaps less control. C. P. DIXON : Quite as much speed. R. L. MURRAY : Less control but more speed. G. M. CHURCH : No. W. M. WASHBURN: I have never seen a tennis ball played without twist of some kind. ELIA FOTTRELL: More speed, less control. CLARENCE HOBART : Yes. E. B. DEWHURST: More speed and more control. J. R. STRACHAN : It has more speed but less control C. R. GARDNER : More speed and theoretically more control without twist, but for me it is easier to control with top or under-spin. THEODORE R. PELL A Rear View of the American Twist Service. This shows well the dropping of the racket from the wrist at the end of the back-swing. Pell does not bend his body quite so much as others in this delivery, and he does not get so much twist and curve in the air, nor so much break from the ground. Wilding's Style of Service. Note the low ball and short swing of the racket. Wilding's service was good, but never so dangerous as the American leaders who developed the twist deliveries, nor as that of Brookes, who placed his delivery with great accuracy. THE TWIST ON THE BALL 169 A. S. DABNEY : On volleys, yes. On ground-strokes, top gives more control and speed. G. P. GARDNER, JR. : More speed, less control. Twist Gives F. C. INMAN : More speed, less control. Less Speed, N. W. NILES: As much speed but usually not so More Control accurate. However, so long as the balls remain heavy as on grass, an almost straight shot except in serving is as good if not better. T. R. PELL: No. More speed, less control. ROBERT LERov : Yes, it usually has more of both. A. M. SQUAIR: As much speed, but usually not so much control. G. F. TOUCHARD: There is no such thing as a ball Nearly All without twist. The more on a ball the more its flight is Agree retarded. J. J. ARMSTRONG : Yes. LEONARD BEEKMAN : No. W. M. HALL: No. RICHARD HARTE : No. DEAN MATHEY: More speed, less control. R. C. SEAVER: More speed and more control for nine out of ten players. G. C. SHAFER : More speed usually, less control. S. H. VOSHELL: More speed, less control. E. H. WHITNEY: More speed, but not such good control. I. C. WRIGHT : Without twist much better. W. C. GRANT : A moderate top-spin gives more con- trol and better direction. Potnt Do you think a ball with top-spin or under-cut a better attack against a net player? Against a base-liner? R. N. WILLIAMS, 2ND : Hardly. Which Ball T. C. BUNDY: Top-spin against a net player, about Offers Best equal against base-liner. Attack? 170 METHODS AND PLAYERS OP MODERN LAWN TENNIS Parke and Dixon Both Favor Top-Spin Beats Wright Only Man with Under-Cut Attack K. H. BEHR: Top-spin vs. net attack, under-cut better vs. base-line, but few can do it. F. B. ALEXANDER : Top-spin, fifty-fifty. R. D. LITTLE : Top-spin is better either way. H. H. HACKETT: I consider top-spin only good in doubles. B. C. WRIGHT: Top-spin against a net player. Under-cut against base-line, as it hangs low and shoots. J. C. PARKE: Under-cut is never an attack in the proper sense of the word (meaning aggressiveness) but is purely defensive in my opinion. C. P. DIXON : A ball with top-spin is the best attack against a net player; under-cut would be more effica- cious against a base-liner. Some base-liners might relish it. R. L. MURRAY : Top-spin by far, against both. G. M. CHURCH : I think a ball with stop-spin is the best attack against every opponent except when you are inside the service-line and your opponent is near the base- line. In this case, I frequently use an under-cut. W. M. WASHBURN : Top-spin is better against a net player; cut against a base-liner. ELIA FOTTRELL: (No. 1) Top-spin. (No. 2) Top- spin. CLARENCE HOBART : (1) Yes. (2) No. E. B. DEWHURST: Top-spin in both cases. Beals Wright was the only player who did anything with cut, and it was his volley that won. J. R. STRACHAN: Some players cannot handle a low-bounding ball and in that case an under-cut ball is more effective, while others cannot handle a high one. If the latter be the case, a top-spinning ball is a better shot because the ball would bounce high. I think that the top-spinning ball is the better form of attack against a net player. C. R. GARDNER: Top-spin (dropping ball) is good against a net attack, and under-cut often breaks up a back-court player. THE TWIST ON THE BALL 171 A. S. DABNEY : Top-spin always. But a good under- cut will bother a pure base-liner exceedingly. G. P. GARDNER, JR. : Depends largely on player as a rule. Top-spin for net player and under-cut for base- liner if you can control it. F. C. INMAN : Top-spin. Faster and as much con- trol against all players. W. F. JOHNSON: A ball with top-spin is better against a net player and an under-cut against a base- liner. N. W. NILES: Top-spin is better against a net player. An accurate under-cut shot is better against a back-court "stroke" player. The twist is apt to make the stroke player uncertain. T. R. PELL: Top-spin against a net player best. Under-cut against a base-liner. ROBERT LEROY : With top-spin, against a net player. Probably also against a base-liner. As a rule those who can send a good under-cut (lik;e Wallace Johnsoni) can't go to the net after making it. A. M. SQUAIR: Top-spin is best usually against both net and base-line players. G. F. TOUCHARD: Top-spin, except against a base- liner. J. J. ARMSTRONG: Against a net player, top-spin. Against a base-liner, straight ball. LEONARD BEEKMAN : Top-spin against a net player; under-spin against base-line player. W. M. HALL : Top-spin against net player. Under- cut against base-liner. RICHARD HARTE: Top-spin in both cases, for the ball can be hit harder, with better placing. DEAN MATHEY: Top-spin better attack against net player. Under-cut better attack against base-liner. R. C. SEAVER : It's a harder ball against a net player. Against a base-liner not so effective. G. C. SHAFER : Top-spin best attack in both cases. S. H, VOSHELL : Top-spin against both. Most Favor Top-Spin Against Net Player, Under-Cut Against Base-Liner Some Believe Straight Ball Best Against Back-Court Player 172 METHODS AND PLAYERS OF MODERN LAWN TENNIS Whitney Differs from the Others Which Ball Is Easier to Volley? All Look Alike to Church Majority Find the Under-Cut Ball Easier E. H. WHITNEY: Against a net player I think the under-cut ball is the best attack, as it is more apt to drop so the opponent has to return it up to you. The under-cut ball is never very effective against a good player. It loses all its speed. I. C. WRIGHT: Straight, hard, well-placed more important. W. C. GRANT : A ball with top-spin is more difficult to volley. While volleying, do you find it easier to volley an under-cut or a top-spinning ball? R. N. WILLIAMS, 2ND : Same. T. C. BUNDY: Top-spin and under-cut about equal. K. H. BEHR : I think the latter. F. B. ALEXANDER : Fifty-fifty. R. D. LITTLE : Under-cut is easier to volley. H. H. HACKETT: Top-spin. B. C. WRIGHT : Under-cut as it hangs to the racket better and usually not dropping. J. C. PARKE: Under-cut. C. P. DIXON : Easier to volley an under-cut ball. R. L. MURRAY : I never noticed. G. M. CHURCH : The spin on the ball to be volleyed makes no difference to me; the difficulty in volleying varies directly with the speed of the ball to be volleyed. W. M. WASHBURN : Under-cut. ELIA FOTTRELL: An under-cut ball. E. B. DEWHURST : Under-cut ball easier because of slower flight. J. R. STRACHAN: C. R. GARDNER: An under-cut. The under-cut is easier to volley after one learns to hit hard and higher. A. S. DABNEY : Under-cut easier. G. P. GARDNER, JR. : Under-cut is more unusual and apt to be deceptive at first. F. C. INMAN : Under-cut, it comes much slower. THE Twist ON THE BALL W. F. JOHNSON : Under-cut. N. W. NILES : Easier to volley an under-cut ; slower. T. R. PELL: Under-cut. ROBERT LERov: Much easier to volley an under- cut. All volleyers know this, and that is why some one like Clothier or G. P. Gardner, or even Colston, can win against a remarkable under-cut player like Wallace Johnson. A. M. SQUAIR: Very little difference. G. F. TOUCHARD: Under-cut. , J. J. ARMSTRONG : About same. LEONARD BEEKMAN : Under-cut. W. M. HALL: Under-cut. RICHARD HARTE: Top-spinning. DEAN MATHEY: Easier to volley an under-cut be- cause it "floats." R. C. SEAVER : Am not qualified to make remarks as a volleyer, but I think the under-cut ball easier to volley. G. C. SHAFER : About the same, but you may have to volley the top-spinning ball lower. S. H. VOSHELL: Top-spinning. E. H. WHITNEY: An under-cut is much easier to volley. ., , I. C. WRIGHT : All look alike to me. W. C. GRANT: Under-cut. A Few Think They Are About Equal 174 METHODS AND PLAYERS OP MODERN LAWN TENNIS XIII. LOBBING Cardinal Points to Keep in Mind Legitimate Value of the Lob FIVE CARDINAL POINTS TO REMEMBER: 1 Lob low to attack and lob high for defence. 2 Except to gain time, only lob when the oppo- nent is close up; if he is back in his court, he will be in position to kill it. 3 Place your lobs to the backhand corner, and always make them deep. Nothing is worse than a short lob. A Do not lob all the time; vary the stroke with others, and use it only when needed for de- fence, or to dislodge a volley er. S Lob high and deep when pressed for time either to recover position in court, or to get a breathing spell. THE LOB is a stroke that is too often mis- taken for a sign of weakness, and it is only among the better players that its true value is understood and appreciated. The stroke has a position in the scheme of good tennis as defi- nite and respected as any other stroke in the cate- gory. Opposed by a net attack, it is a perfect de- fence, except against that rare exception to the general average of even strong tournament play- LOBBING 175 A Safe Answer to the Net Attack ers, the man who can smash from his deep court with aggressiveness and accuracy. Among the great majority of players a deep lob is almost a perfect defence. Few can kill more such balls than they miss, and all but the best experts are generally forced to a deep overhead volley that is little more dangerous from that distance than a ground stroke. Against all such players then, a deep lob is a safe answer to the net attack, and if no opening is presented for a passing stroke when your op- ponent goes to the net, the lob puts you back at least on even terms with him unless he is a smasher of extraordinary power. If the volleyer hangs back from the net, if he is more than ten or twelve feet away, of course he is open to a dropping horizontal attack at his feet that is even more threatening than a lob. On the other hand, if the volleyer comes in very close to the net, then the lob is not only a perfect defence, but can be turned into a danger- ous attack. A clean ace can often be scored on this stroke, if the lob be played low just out of the volleyer's reach, and when caught in close the op- ponent can often be forced to turn and play the ball from the bound, giving the attacking position over to the other man. Unless played high, the lob will not give such a close net player enough time to back away and volley the ball. The balance of power in the lobbing game Balance of between the persistent lobber and the persistent p er Very Delicate smasher is very delicate, and the victory generally goes to the man who is steadiest, no matter which Also an Attack in Itself in Some Cases 176 METHODS AND PLAYERS OF MODERN LAWN TENNIS Tiresome Work, Smashing Lob After Lob Lobbing to Make the Other Man Miss Foote Wore Down His Opponents This Way end of the duel he assumes. The player who can- not kill overhead often beats himself through his own errors, even though his opponent does noth- ing more than lob defensively. It is difficult and tiresome work at best, smashing lob after lob, and unless there is speed and accuracy in these smashes enough to beat the other man quickly, the smasher is likely to wear himself out in such a duel before the lobber and finally lose through exhaustion or unsteadiness. Personally, I have seen scores of men beaten in this way and I have been the victim of many such campaigns. The smasher generally has a little the better of the struggle at first, but over- head play is much more tiring than lobbing, and if the match is drawn out long, he is likely to gradually fade away and the steady lobbying will wear down his attack until his errors far outnum- ber his aces scored. Arthur Foote, one of the "first ten" players of the land some years ago, used this method of campaign with success for some seasons. He lobbed so accurately and with so little effort that he wore down scores of antagonists and beat them from his own superior steadiness. Always out- played in ground strokes at the start of the match, his play invariably suffered by contrast, but when the other man's freshness had gone, Footers stead- iness would win for him. More recently, Abra- ham Bassford, Jr., earned considerable success with similar methods among the second-class players. In doubles, the same tactics have been sue- LOBBING 177 cessfully followed for a long time. In 1895, Clar- ence Hobart and Fred Hovey held the American championship and were challenged for their title by Robert Wrenn and Malcolm Chace at New- port. The challengers believed that the old hold- ers could not smash lobs, and they started out from the first game to lob everything miles high, with the expected result that the champions gradually faded until at the end of the match they were missing many more lobs than they killed, and the championship changed hands that season in consequence. A little later on, Ward and Davis adopted similar tactics with success. They be- came so proficient at lobbing and placed their lobs with unerring accuracy so close to the back line that there were few teams which could handle them aggressively. But in doubles, there is a greater need for lobbing than in singles, since the advantage of the attack arbitrarily given to the servers is so much stronger than in singles, owing to the smaller expanse of net each player has to cover. The chances of the strikers to successfully pass their opponents at the net is much smaller and the lob is more often needed in doubles than in singles. But the lob is a strong weapon of attack, not only negatively, through the weakness or er- rors of the opponent who is unable to kill it, but as a positive aggressive attack. Against a man in the back of his court, particularly one who does not smash well, it is sometimes possible to lob and run in to take the attacking position at the net Lob a Dangerous Attack in Doubles More Need for It Than in Singles Can Be Made Very Aggressive 178 METHODS AND PLAYERS OP MODERN LAWN TENNIS "Irish Lob" Is Often the Best Net-Rushing Tactics Can Be Stopped Keeping the Volleyer Back Opens Fresh Holes yourself. A weak volley of such a deep lob often affords an opportunity for the lobber to kill the return. For this kind of work, the "Irish lob" is the best. This is simply a high deep lob with a little under-cut to give the ball back-spin and make it drop straighter. The higher a ball is lobbed, the straighter and faster it must fall, and speed in the dropping ball as well as the lack of incoming angle increases the difficulty of the smasher. Your net-rushing volleyer who follows up his service each time must keep in mind always the danger to which he is exposed in an overhead attack. If his opponent does not lob at all, lie may throw all caution to the winds and dash head- long at the net every time, but if he is given one or two well-timed lobs, the constant menace over- head will affect his net play materially. The whole success of the volleying campaign depends on getting to the net very fast behind the service, and if the server rushes too close or is caught still moving forward a low lob will often score a clean ace. It is not always the actual effect of the lob itself that is most valuable; it is the moral effect on the adversary, who is almost certain after a few successful overhead attacks to come in a trifle slower and a trifle less close to the net for fear of the lob, and this gives his opponent a fresh opening either by dropping the ball close to the net, by side-line passing strokes or short cross- court passes that could not get past in front of the volleyer if he were three feet closer in. Two LOBBING 179 or three aces won by lobbing over the head of the net-rusher will sometimes break up his game entirely or weaken his attack so that he can be passed with ease. Against the volleyer after he is once safely settled at the net, the lob is still a splendid weapon of attack. The same considerations affect his po- sition, and if he ventures too close, a clean ace can sometimes be scored on a low lob. This anxi- ety which he must always feel when close in, if a shrewd lobber is opposed to him, makes him keep one foot well behind ready to start back- ward instantly if necessary to smash a lob, and this position makes it more difficult for him to start quickly from one side of the net to the other to reach passing shots along the lines. Covering the lob also adds much to the dan- ger of its attack. Leonard Ware used this clever deception with consummate skill. He could lob with almost exactly the same motion he used for his forehand drive, and with an opponent at the net, he would go through all the motions of try- ing to pass him, drawing his man forward to anticipate the pass, and then turn the stroke at the last second into a lob that often caught him off his balance for a sure ace. Catching your adversary off his balance in this way with his weight thrown forward when an attacking lob is made delays his effort to get back for it by just enough to make his return defensive if not to make him miss altogether. The aggressive lob is made doubly danger- ous, and the value of a defensive lob increased, if A Clean Ace Sometimes Scored by Low Lob Ware's Skill at Covering the Lob 180 METHODS AND PLAYERS OF MODERN LAWN TENNIS Selecting the Backhand Corner Lobbing to Gain Time the backhand corner of the antagonist's court is selected to place it in. No matter how well an ex- pert may play backhand strokes off the ground, there is not one chance in a thousand that he can volley overhead backhand. H. S. Mahony, one of the old-time British experts, really could use this stroke effectively, but outside of this one player, I never met a man who did not run around such a lob and smash it or volley it over his forehand shoulder. (I do not say right shoulder because this is reversed by left-handed players. ) To place a lob in the backhand corner therefore makes it doubly difficult for the other man to get properly under it for the smash or volley. If he should let it drop and play it from the bound, such a position makes him run around the ball and outside of the court in order to get the return on his forehand side for the return. A low lob in the deep back- hand corner is a winner every time. There is also another defensive use of the lob which is very valuable. It is a time-saver useful in two different ways. When forced out of posi- tion, particularly when outside the court with an opponent at the net, a lob and preferably a high one, will afford the time to get back into position safely, and if it is played deep, will not give the average opponent any distinct advantage. It is very discouraging to drive your man clear outside of the court by a well-placed forcing stroke that was expected to open the court for a killing shot, and then have him put up a lob that is too deep to be killed. He immediately scampers back into his defensive position in the middle of the court, LOBBING 181 and the attack must begin all over again in order to secure an opening for the expected kill. When hard-pressed for breathing time, the lob is a splendid time-saver, and a perfectly legiti- mate play. Often in match play a man will find himself temporarily embarrassed either from run- ning too hard from side to side, or from some sudden effort that has left him breathless. A deep lob at this point gives him the few precious sec- onds needed for one or two slow breaths and then he will be ready for the next thrust without the "bellows-to-mend" feeling that is sure to make him miss his stroke. At the end of a hard match when exhausted, or sometimes in the middle of a match before you get your "second wind," there sometimes comes a time when some relief is needed or everything is lost, and then your old friend the lob is again the life-saver. But the constant use of the lob in match play is most likely to kill its value. To lob steadily is sure to give the opponent clear warning of what to expect, and he soon becomes so accustomed to handling that stroke that he does not miss the kill so often as you might reasonably expect. He will soon begin to hang back in his court for the lob also if it comes to him regularly; he will get his eye on the ball and his smashing arm in good working order. After that, lobbing will be a los- ing manoeuver. The keynote to successful lobbing rests in keeping your opponent guessing as to when and where the lob is coming to him. If you also at- When Out of Breath, Lob Saves the Day Its Constant Use Will Kill Its Value Must Keep Your Opponent Guessing 182 METHODS AND PLAYERS OF MODERN LAWN TENNIS Beats Wright's Clever Use of the Lob The Lob-Volley Is Rarely Used tack his feet with short balls, he will fear the lob more because he must come in closer to stop that attack, and if you only lob when you have drawn him in, your lobs will be always more dangerous. As a systematic attack, the stroke is used best as Beals Wright used it, in conjunction with a short dropping stroke at the feet of the opponent that alternately drew his man in and drove him back again, exposing him constantly to a winning at- tack. Wright used this method with exceptional skill against an opponent at the net, and promptly took the attack into his own hands as soon as he could dislodge him from the volleying position by this kind of play. The lob-volley is simply a lob played with a volleyed stroke, and is rarely used. Occasionally, both players will be drawn in close and one will have the chance to lob a volley over the other's head, but the stroke is difficult to execute and in this position the ball can generally be killed with a passing volley. LOBBING 183 OPINIONS OF THE EXPERTS Do you use the lob as an attacking stroke f R. N. WILLIAMS, 2ND : I do not much. It is one of Is the Lob my weaknesses. Used to T. C. BUNDY: Yes. Attack? K. H. BEHR : No, because I can't. F. B. ALEXANDER: Yes. R. D. LITTLE: Occasionally. H. H. HACKETT: Yes. B. C. WRIGHT : When the opportunity offers. J. C. PARKE : Yes, whenever I use it at all. C. P. DIXON: Yes, and originally a very effective one. R. L. MURRAY : No, only as defensive. G. M. CHURCH : Yes. W. M. WASHBURN : When my opponent crowds the Most Experts net. Use It, ELIA FOTTRELL : Sometimes. More or Less CLARENCE HOBART: It is sometimes very satisfac- torily so used. E. B. DEWHURST: Why not? J. R. STRACHAN : No. C. R. GARDNER : Seldom. A. S. DABNEY: No. G. P. GARDNER, JR. : Not often. F. C. INMAN : No. W. F. JOHNSON : On occasions. N. W. NILES : At times, yes. T. R. PELL: Sometimes. ROBERT LEROY: Very seldom. A. M. SQUAIR: Sometimes. G. F. TOUCHARD : Quite often. J. J. ARMSTRONG : Sometimes. 184 METHODS AND PLAYERS OF MODERN LAWN TENNIS LEONARD BEEKMAN : Sometimes, but seldom. W. M. HALL : At times. RICHARD HARTE: No. DEAN MATHEY: Yes. Seaver Says It R. C. SEAVER : A great deal ; it wears the other Wears the player out more than anything else. Other Man Out G C SHAFER: Yes. S. H. VOSHELL: Sometimes. E. H. WHITNEY: Yes. I. C. WRIGHT: Defensive only. W. C. GRANT: Yes, if opponent is close to net. Do you consider persistent lobbing, to make the opponent lose, good tennis and good sports- manship? Is Persistent R- N. WILLIAMS, 2ND: Hardly. Lobbing Good T. C. BUNDY: Consider it a very aggressive stroke Sportsmanship? jf done well, and good tennis. K. H. BEHR: Yes. F. B. ALEXANDER : Certainly. R. D. LITTLE: Certainly. H. H. HACKETT: Yes. B. C. WRIGHT: Yes. It is difficult to lob consistently and his opponent should be strong at all points. J. C. PARKE : I would not go so far as to call it bad sportsmanship, but I would certainly call it bad tennis. Most Players C. P. DIXON : Certainly justifiable in match play to Approve of It use means which are perfectly legitimate and open to both players. R. L. MURRAY : Absolutely, unless the sun is hot. G. M. CHURCH : Yes. W. M. WASHBURN : Yes. ELI A FOTTRELL: Yes. CLARENCE HOBART : Yes, of course. E. B. DEWHURST: Why not? Not good tennis but all right. LOBBING J. R. STRACHAN : Yes. I think that persistent lob- bing is good sportsmanship. Some players use a lob as others do a drive, that is, as their effective stroke. C. R. GARDNER : Personally, I have always preferred not to do this ; but I shouldn't consider it bad sportsman- ship to beat a man by using any stroke in tennis. A. S. DABNEY : Yes, if it wins it is good judgment and that is part of the game. But if the opponent is always in the back court then it is not tennis. I mean if he never comes to the net. G. P. GARDNER, JR.: Yes. F. C. INMAN : Yes. W. F. JOHNSON: May be neither, but often neces- sary to win. N. W. NILES: Latter, yes. Not particularly good tennis usually, especially in singles. T. R. PELL: Yes, perfectly fair if you can win by it. ROBERT LERov: Yes. A. M. SQUAIR: Yes. G. F. TOUCHARD: Certainly. J. J. ARMSTRONG : Yes. LEONARD BEEKMAN : Yes. W. M. HALL: Yes. RICHARD HARTE : Yes. DEAN MATHEY: Yes. R. C. SEAVER : Lobbing is part of the game, I think it is good sportsmanship; never thought of it in any other sense. G. C. SHAFER: Yes. S. H. VOSHELL : Yes. E. H. WHITNEY : No indeed. I. C. WRIGHT : Yes, it is part of the game and a dif- ficult shot. W. C. GRANT : It is honest tennis and if opponent is weak on overhead strokes, it is part of the game. 185 Any Stroke of the Game Legitimate A Few Against It 186 METHODS AND PLAYERS OF MODERN LAWN TENNIS Do Experts Place Lobs on Backhand? Murray Does Not, but Ought To Majority Favor This Attack Do you intentionally place your lobs to opponent's backhand corner f R. N. WILLIAMS, 2ND : No. T. C. BUNDY: Yes. K. H. BEHR: Yes, when I can, which is seldom. F. B. ALEXANDER: Not always good policy, gener- ally sound; some men smash better that way than the other ; depends on whom I am against. R. D. LITTLE: It depends on the opponent and his position in the court. Generally, it is safe to lob over opponent's backhand shoulder. H. H. HACKETT: No. B. C. WRIGHT : Yes. J. C. PARKE: No. C. P. DIXON: More perhaps to backhand than to forehand, but much depends on the exact position of your opponent at the time and also the relative strength of opponent on forehand and backhand. R. L. MURRAY : No, but I ought to. G. M. CHURCH : Not unless my opponent is very slow in covering court. W. M. WASHBURN: Often, unless I am in such a bad position as to make an attempt to place too danger- ous. ELIA FOTTRELL: Mostly. It always depends on his position in the court. CLARENCE HOBART : Sometimes. E. B. DEWHURST: Why not? J. R. STRACHAN : No. C. R. GARDNER: If he is discomfited thereby, yes. A. S. DABNEY : Yes. G. P. GARDNER, JR. : Usually. F. C. INMAN : As a rule. W. F. JOHNSON : Quite often. N. W. NILES: Yes. T. R. PELL: No. ROBERT LEROY: Yes. LOBBING 187 A. M. SQUAIR: More frequently there than in the other corner, unless I find that my opponent can smash best from that corner. I myself can smash better from there than in the forehand corner. G. F. TOUCHARD : Nine times out of ten. J. J. ARMSTRONG: Sometimes. LEONARD BEEKMAN : Yes. W. M. HALL: Sometimes. RICHARD HARTE: No. DEAN MATHEY: At times. However, I think that this has been the custom so long that most everyone is always prepared for this shot. R. C. SEAVER : Try to. G. C. SHAFER : Yes. S. H. VOSHELL: Yes. E. H. WHITNEY: Yes, if I can do so. I. C. WRIGHT : Not necessarily. W. C. GRANT: Not necessarily; it depends where my opponent is, in his court. Mathey Thinks Most Players Expect It 188 METHODS AND PLAYERS OF MODERN LAWN TENNIS Cardinal Points to Keep in Mind Base-Line Play vs. Volleying XIV. "'"' ' POSITION PLAY I FIVE CARDINAL POINTS TO REMEMBER: 1 Never come to rest between the service and the base-lines; this is the forbidden zone. 2 All volleys should be made from well in front of the service-line. 3 When forced to defence, retire to behind the base-line. 4 Study the centre theory and use it for safety in net play; it cannot be used against an opponent at the net. 5 Don't run around the ball to protect a weak backhand; play it the right way and so build up your weakness to strength. N O CONSIDERATION of the question of position in court could be undertaken without discussing the time-honored con- troversy of base-line vs. volleying methods. Almost from the infancy of the game, this has been a much-mooted question, and one that has never been definitely settled beyond dispute. Could a perfect volleyer beat a perfect base- line player? That is the question. There is no doubt that good base-line play will always beat poor volleying, and that good volleying will al- POSITION PLAY 189 ways beat poor base-line play. The only question then is whether perfect volleying or perfect base- line play will win from the other. And this is purely an academic question after all, for we have no perfect base-liners and no perfect volleyers. Among the others, it is invariably a question of relative skill, not relative methods of play. No matter what the answer may be to the academic question raised, there is no doubt that a judicious combination of the two styles will beat either alone. The ideal lawn tennis player is he who makes his own openings for the killing strokes from the back of the court; who goes to the net at the turn of the tide, and then finally administers the coup de grace at the proper mo- ment. It is he who never makes a fancy killing shot, but never misses an easy kill ; he who is able to dislodge a net volleyer with a well-timed lob if he cannot pass him outright, and he who can hold his place at the net against the best passing and lobbing. There are sound principles back of every combination that comes up on the court, and the intelligent student of the game becomes as fa- miliar with the possibilities of the different posi- tions as a chess player with the different varia- tions of the opening and the other familiar group- ings of the pieces. There are also known angles very similar to those of the billiard table which are as fixed as in that game, but which can be par- tially overcome by artificial means, as they are by the English of the billiard player. To begin with the fundamentals, the player's Purely an Academic Question The Ideal Player Combines Both Styles Sound Principles and Known Angles Involved 190 METHODS AND PLAYERS OF MODERN LAWN TENNIS Position Depends on Fixed Rules Basis of the Centre Theory Angles at the Disposal of the Adversary position in court must be governed chiefly by the position of the ball first, then by the position of the opponent, and finally by the known character- istics of the antagonist's play. If your return has carried the ball far over to the right of the other man's court, your waiting position must be correspondingly to your own left to anticipate his next shot. Similarly, you must lean toward your own right when you have played the ball far out to the left side of your opponent's court. Speaking generally, you are safer on sharp cross-court angles the farther you are from the net, and the more in danger the nearer you ap- proach the net. Conversely, you are more or less safe in the net position according to how near the centre of your opponent's court the ball is placed when he is ready to make his next return. This is the basis of what is known as the centre theory, and those who study it most closely find it the best means of strengthening their net at- tack. A glance at the accompanying diagram will explain perhaps better than can be done in words what the centre theory is. It is based on the possible angles that the opponent has at his disposal to pass you on the next stroke. At the net, the volleyer has a limited time in which to move over from his position to either side to an- ticipate the next stroke of his adversary, and the faster the ball is hit, the less time will be allowed for this shift. It is very seldom that the opponent will play the ball straight at you on the contrary, his object will be to play it out of your reach, and POSITION PLAY 191 the further away from you he places it, and the faster he hits it, the less time you will have to reach the ball. As a drive with much pace requires greater length in order that the ball shall have room to make the necessary drop from the height of the net to the ground before reaching the boundary lines of the court, a straight side-line stroke can always carry more speed than a cross-court shot. Now, a side-line shot cannot be played from the middle of the court. A cross-court to the side-line can be made, but this is not a line pass, which can only be made from one side directly parallel with the line. Therefore, it is apparent that it is doubly difficult to use speed from the middle of the court, unless the return be made to travel straight down the centre, to gain the full length of the court to the base-line, and such an attempt is easy to anticipate at the net no matter how much pace it carries. Even the speed of the cross-court shot is very much limited by forcing the opponent to play it from the centre of the court. If he is off at either side of the court, his ball may have the full width of the court for its flight before it need drop to keep in court, but from the centre, the greatest distance that is offered is half the width of the court plus the lengthwise distance it can travel before reaching the side-lines. By keeping your opponent in the centre of his court, then, you force him to cut down the speed of his passing strokes or play out of court. The more he lessens his speed the more time you will Speed Greatest on Side-Line Shots Cross-Court Shots Must Be Slow 192 METHODS AND PLAYERS OP MODEKN LAWN TENNIS Fast Balls Go Out of Court Diagrams Explain the Centre Theory Angles Shorter When Opponent Is in Close have to reach the return, and the safer you are in close to the net. Against some players, partic- ularly those who use the chop-stroke, I have even found it wise to use a very short ball with low bound in the centre of the court, for the closer the opponent approaches your net position, the nar- rower become the angles of possible direction for his passing shots. 1 ) 1 1 i 1 1 1 1 \ 1 I 1 I 1 ) 1 1 1 \ ! J ( \ i - / \ V , i X \ i / \ . i / \ / / . / \ \ t / X V X / / X \ // J' jj /' ""'""""-.^ / / VOLU XT ' \ / \ <\ \ \ \ \. \ \ \ \ X % z ^f ul I \ i,.. v '~% g VOLLEY ^t X 5 \ CHANCES OF THE VOLLEYER WITH THE CENTRE THEORY AND WITHOUT IT. A little study of the accompanying diagrams will make it plain that in the centre theory, the striking point at which the adversary hits the ball is the apex of a triangle, the sides of which are the lines of his possible passing strokes, and POSITION PLAY 193 the base of which is that part of the net that the volleyer is able to cover. Now the sides of this triangle diverge more rapidly when the opponent is drawn further forward in his court by short shot. In addition to this, he must play a slower ball, as his angle of direction becomes more dif- ficult, and this in turn adds to your advantage in the additional time allowed to reach his return. On the other hand, note what happens when you go to the net on a ball placed off at one side, as shown in the second diagram. Whether your man be at the left or right side of his court, he will have the choice of a fast side-line drive, with the full length of the court wide open to him, and a short croas-court pass with the full width of the court in front of you. You cannot possibly afford to play a short ball to the side, for this wide choice with the side opening for a fast ball, will give your opponent such a golden opportunity that it is almost hopeless to try to hold the net position from such a weak stroke. There is nothing more dangerous to the net volleyer than to find his opponent with this choice, and one waits in this position with fear and trem- bling, metaphorically speaking if not physically so, when he hesitates whether to dodge to the right or the left to intercept the next attempt at a pass. Nothing is more welcome to the average tourna- ment player than to find his opponent at the net with the ball short and off to one side of his court, preferably of course on the forehand side, and the option in his hands of playing a fast side- line shot, with the long white line to guide his // Is Dangerous to Play Short at the Side Volleyer in Trouble After Such a Shot 194 METHODS AND PLAYERS OP MODERN LAWN TENNIS How to Apply the Centre Theory A Distinct Help for Defence To Force an Adversary to Come In eye in placing the ball, or a short teasing cross- court drop stroke that is so difficult for the vol- leyer to reach, and if reached to kill. If we accept the centre theory as the safest to work on, as the majority of experienced tour- nament experts have already done, the question arises as to how it can be best employed. In serv- ice, it is doubly valuable as a help in getting to the net safely, for it has the same effect here and will lessen the speed of the striker and cut off his an- gles of passing. This has been more completely treated in the chapter on the service. In general play, it is a distinct help for de- fence, and a valuable forcing play for attack. One must remember that every stroke of the game is not intended to win outright ; some of them are intended by wise players to furnish future oppor- tunities for killing strokes. One needs defence at the back line, and to keep the ball down the middle of the court helps to prevent the adversary from finding winning openings and limits his chances of getting you into difficulties that will provide them. If I were opposed by a player whom I felt I could not actually beat and still thought he might lose by unsteadiness, I could think of no safer play than to return everything possible to the centre of his base-line and let him drive the balls out in his effort to put them out of my reach. This ap- plies to base-line play of course, and would be feasible only so long as the opponent stayed back in his court. Unless he were a powerful ground- stroke player, such a campaign would almost cer- POSITION PLAY 195 Against a Volleyer Most Useful for Safety in Net Attack tainly drive him to running up to the net, and should you be opposed by a man whom you were very anxious to draw up to the net, this is one of the best ways to do it. Once your adversary has gone forward to* No Value volley, however, the usefulness of the centre the- ory is gone. Then you must pass him or lob, unless he hangs back far enough to give him a dropping shot at the net that he cannot kill. But apart from purely defensive play, the centre theory is most valuable for safety in at- tacking and as a forcing stroke. The most diffi- cult manoeuver of the net attack is getting safely to the net position. The idea that one only has to run up when he gets ready to volley, will be dispelled the first time it is tried against a good passing adversary. The right time must be chosen for such a shift and even then the way must be prepared by the proper play. With the opponent far off to one side of his court it is often safe to run in by driving the next ball to the oppo- site side, but the safety of this play depends largely on his inability to pass well when running fast, for if he can you will offer him just the chance he wants to win the rally. It would be better to drive that next ball deep down the centre of the court to near the base-line and then run straight in. Your chances of being passed will be lessened, and moreover, your being able to run straight instead of diagonally up will keep your weight in line with the flight of the ball and nearer the line of the most probable flight of Drive to Centre of BaserLine 196 METHODS AND PLAYERS OF MODERN LAWN TENNIS When Up, a Good Defence of Net Position Sharp Angles Always Full of Danger Centre Principle Used Without the Name the next return, than if the ball were placed off to one side before running in. Once settled safely at the net the centre the- ory is still a splendid defence of your position if you do not get the opportunity at once to end the play by killing the ball. There are many times when a man is volleying that he can return the ball but cannot kill it, and then the part of wis- dom is to keep the other man from passing and wait for a better opening for the kill you are playing for. Again the centre theory is needed, for the volley that does not kill is better in the center of the court so that the next return shall not turn the tables against you and put you on the de- fensive. From every viewpoint then, the centre theory is a help to defence and a greater help to safety while attacking. For the man who wants to throw all caution to the winds and rip and slash his way through all opposition, perhaps the better course is to adopt only the sharpest angles for all his strokes, but this opens him up to even greater dangers than he is hoping to ensnare his antago- nist with, and unless he is very skillful at this style of game the safer man on the other side of the net is likely to beat him. Among many of the experts who do not openly recognize this centre theory, which was put into practical use, if not invented, by R. D. Wrenn twenty years ago against Larned and Neel, the same principles are in use without the name. One may object to calling the principle a theory, and perhaps he is right, but it is good sound tennis, POSITION PLAY and a careful study and practice of its use will improve the game of many of those who do not understand position play properly. The forcing stroke is one that is not intended to win outright but to force the opponent into such difficulties that will later furnish an opportunity to make the winning shot. The inspired player who makes winning strokes from all kinds of im- possible angles may be very much admired by the gallery but he is seldom found as consistently in the column with the winners as his brother who does not make so many fancy kills, but adopts the forcing stroke as a method of producing easy chances and then never fails to take advantage of an easy opening when he gets it. In defence, it is used to embarrass the antag- onist so that the attack can be turned against him, and during an attack it keeps the other man con- stantly in trouble when no winning opening is presented, so that the attack cannot be turned against you. At the net, a ball often comes that it is not possible to kill outright, yet it can be played with another forcing stroke that will furnish the chance. It should be placed short across or deep into the corner unless the centre theory is used, as it is always dangerous to allow the oppo- nent to get close in when a ball is placed to the side. With an opponent at the base-line, the vol- leyer often has the choice of trying to cut his volley off short to one side for an ace, or of play- ing it deep into the opposite court to force a better opening for a winning stroke. It is dangerous to 197 Definition of the Forcing Stroke Keeping the Other Man in Trouble Volleyer Need Not Always Play for an Ace 198 METHODS AND PLAYERS OF MODERN LAWN TENNIS // No Opening to Kill, Use Forcing Stroke Correct Position for Volleying English Ideas Are Changing try this short cross-court volley unless the other man is far enough back and to one side of his court to allow that stroke to win outright. If the adversary has time to get in and play the ball he is likely to be so close to you, and so far to one side that he will have an easy opening for a pass- ing stroke that should score the ace. When no sure opening exists for a winning shot, a deep volley to one extreme corner is likely to draw the opponent off enough in that direction to furnish the opening on the next return for the winning short cross-volley to the opposite side, unless of course the other man anticipates your strategy and lobs or scores a pass from the deep ball you offer him. The correct volleying position is in the centre of the angles of the possible good returns of the adversary, and it must be shifted from side to side as the ball is played toward one side or the other. How close it should be to the net opens up one of the most difficult questions that have developed in the game. The English players, many of them, volley from near the service-line, and the ball has always dropped well below the top of the net before it reaches them. This posi- tion makes it necessary to volley underhand and with a lifting stroke that of itself limits the speed of the ball. It robs the player of the opportunity to meet it while still rising, which is a wonder- ful advantage. Americans all come in much closer to volley and Australians also find a closer position more profitable. Even the British experts of the last POSITION PLAY 199 few years have seemed to appreciate the weakness of their backward position for volleying and they approach closer to the net than those of previous decades, although still further away than the av- erage American tournament player. Kidson, the best Australian authority, places the volley- ing position at fifteen feet from the net and ag- gressive American volleyers cut this to from eight to twelve feet. The advantage of the closer net position must be apparent at a glance. It permits the ball to be struck when at its maximum height and before it falls below the top of the net, which in itself adds greatly to the attacking power of the volley. Then the time allowed the opponent to anticipate the stroke is lessened by the shorter flight of both the coming and going ball, and the angles of pos- sible winning shots are decreased rapidly as the volleyer's position approaches the net. The drawbacks to offset this advantage lie in the shorter time the volleyer has to reach the ball, and the danger of overhead attack by lobbing. There is no doubt that the lobbing danger is increased by every yard that the vol- leyer creeps forward, but this can be offset by good footwork, and if the quick-moving volleyer is always on his guard against this danger he need have little fear of it. Williams, for instance, hangs back badly in his volleying, and his failure to go in close to the aggressive net position shown in the international matches last year, was apparently due more to his fear of being lobbed than to any desire to volley Advantage of the Close Net Position Drawbacks Against It Williams'* Weakness at the Net 200 METHODS AND PLAYERS OF MODERN LAWN TENNIS Volleyer Must Always Be Ready to Get Back Length Limits the Power of the Attack from that position. His dread of the overhead attack, on the other hand, would disappear if he used better footwork and was ready when close to the net to start back quickly without turning. One can approach the net safely only so far as his quickness and preparedness will permit him to back away under a good lob and still play it before it has touched the ground. It is always a defensive play to let a lob bound, for if you are caught so close in that you must turn and play the ball from the bound, the quick adversary is almost certain to have followed up his successful lob to the net and taken the attacking position away from you. The ability to come in close increases materially with good footwork because that is the basis of a man's ability to back away fast. A quick eye, a quick brain, and speedy co-ordination of muscles with mind are what count most, of course, in the final analysis of most all the prob- lems of the game, as in this case. Primarily, length is defensive, and only in a passing shot is it an advantage in an attempt to score. It is always a strong bulwark in defence, but limits the power of the attack because the possible directions of attacking strokes on deep returns keep the ball nearly parallel with the side- lines and within a range of the width of the base- line, making it easier for the opponent to cover his position. He will have less distance to travel, if all of your returns fall in the back of his court, when he need only trot across from one side to the other. When length is varied as well as side placing, POSITION PLAY 201 the attack becomes more dangerous. There are far greater possibilities in the front of the court for attack than have ever yet been developed, al- though Holcombe Ward and Beals Wright did more in this line, particularly in stop-volleys and short cross-court cuts, than has been accom- plished by more recent experts. It is even more difficult for a player to run forward and back- ward than it is to run from side to side in his court. An attack, therefore, that is varied, not only by side placing, but by short and deep balls alternately, will be specially dangerous to him. At the net, this varying of length is also possible by the mixing of stop-volleys with deep strokes. The great danger here lies in letting the other man get in close, as I have said before, so the stop-volley is generally used only as a stroke for an outright win. But short cut-volleys from side to side are very effective when varied with deep returns to the base-line. In correct position play, there should be two distinct bases, one for volleying and another for ground strokes, to one of which the skilful player should return after each stroke. These will be varied slightly from time to time during play by the exigencies of the occasion and the position of the ball. For defensive play, for practically all ground strokes, the position should be behind the base-line, and how far behind it depends chiefly on your opponent's length and speed and your own preference as to height in taking the ball. The player who plays a rising ball well can of course come in a little closer for his ground Great Possibilities in the Front of the Court Winning Openings in Short Volleys Two Bases for Play Advisable 202 METHODS AND PLAYERS OP MODERN LAWN TENNIS Baddeley's Forbidden Zone Maintaining Position Sidewise strokes than he who prefers to hit the ball after it has started to fall from its maximum height. But in fast play it is seldom safe to come to rest inside of the base-line unless you are in front of the service-line. Wilfred Baddeley, one of the early English masters, proscribed as a "forbidden zone" all of the court between the service and base-lines, and presented the fixed principle that in fast play no man should come to rest within this territory. You can run through it safely as often as you like, but keep on the move while there, either forward or backward, and come to rest only behind the base-line or well forward for the volley. If drawn into the "forbidden zone" to make a return the player should instantly, after making his stroke, go forward to continue his attack, or backward if the circumstances advise a defensive position on the next return. How close the volleying position should be has already been discussed, but according to American ideas this should be from eight to twelve feet from the net. A very important principle of position play demands that the careful player be not drawn out of position sidewise, as well as forward or back. After being forced far out to the side of the court, time must be reserved by some means to get back to the playing centre. This is easy with a deep slow drive if the opponent is in the back of his court, but if he is at the net, a lob may be the only means to gain the needed time to recover position. If this is played high and deep, how- ever, it will generally afford the relief needed, POSITION PLAY 203 unless the other man is a dangerous smasher, when you may be forced into the choice between an outright passing stroke or a sure loss of the point. Uneven development of one kind of play often forces the player out of position sidewise. A man with a weak backhand, which is the most common defect encountered, will frequently run around the balls at his left, so that he may play them with his stronger forehand stroke. But this apparent advantage is exposing a weakness in another direction by his being drawn off to the side. The loss in position which results from playing the same ball forehand when it should be played back- hand is six to eight feet, and it takes time to recover this much space when the play is fast. Take a simple case. A ball is placed over close to your left line and should be played with a backhand stroke. If properly played, your posi- tion will be perhaps three feet inside the line when the ball is hit. If you run around the ball, you will be about three or four feet outside the line when you hit the ball, some six or seven feet further from the center of the court than if you had played the ball correctly. Now, if the next return be placed far off to the opposite side, or be volleyed down the right side at all, you will find it difficult to get back in time, and if you fail it will probably be by less than six feet, so that those precious six feet lost by running around the ball will have been enough to cost you the point. As Little says, running around the ball is only a Secondary defence that should be adopted How a Weak Backhand Loses Many Points Running Around the Ball Poor Tactics A Secondary Defence, at Best 204 METHODS AND PLAYERS OP MODERN LAWN TENNIS McLoughlin's Success No Criterion Attacking Weakness Through Strength only when it is impossible to hit it in the natural way. It is far better to play it badly in the right way and practice on the weak stroke until it has been mastered, for it should be unnecessary to run around the ball in this way. A chain is no stronger than its weakest link, and a tennis player is no stronger than his weakest stroke, if his ad- versary knows how to take advantage of that weakness. Some quick players, those especially quick on their feet, are able to successfully run around the ball, and McLoughlin did it constantly against Brookes in the Internationals last year, running around the services of the great Australian in the left court, which were carefully placed on his backhand side. But McLoughlin might do with his quickness on his feet much that the ordinary player could not do, and it is a poor play to rely on at best. When forced into this make-shift, one should never play safe, but hit hard for an ace. Against such players, a constant attack of the weak side is not always the best. It is often better to attack their weakness through their strength by drawing them off first to the side on which they are best, so that the ball can be placed so far to the other side that they have not time to run around it. This is often better than forcing the weaker side and depending on winning an ace on the next stroke because they are out of position. The two critical points in position play lie in the rush for the net when the man at the back POSITION PLAY 205 of his court takes the bit in his teeth and tries to win by volleying, and the time when the opponent lobs over his head. If the volleyer backs away and smashes or volleys the lob, he must spring forward again immediately to prevent the next return, if he has not killed the ball, from falling at his feet. On the other hand, if the volleyer lets the ball drop and turns to return it off the ground, that is the time the other man must be ready at once to take advantage of his success by rushing in the instant he sees the other start to turn. The possession of the net position implies an advantage of fifty per cent, in the power of the attack, and every clear opportunity to seize it without unnecessary danger of being passed should be taken advantage of without hesitation or delay. But the position in court and the wisdom of taking the net at all depend largely on the style of play that the opponent is best at. One should not play into his hands, and it may be part of his strategy to draw you in to the net because he is especially expert in the passing strokes. In such a case, it is well to be doubly wary and not to be drawn in unless the other man is in such diffi- culties that his chances for such a pass are re- duced to the minimum. On the other hand the adversary may be poor on the ground strokes, preferring himself the net position, and then every opportunity should be seized to rush in, even at the risk of some danger in getting there. It simply reduces itself to fore- Critical Moments in Position Play Seize the Net Position Without Delay Do Not Play Into the Other Man's Hands Make Him Play the Strokes He Likes Least 206 METHODS AND PLAYERS OP MODERN LAWN TENNIS Playing for the Smaller Opening Catching the Opponent Off His Balance ing the other man to play the strokes he is least expert in, and at the same time to try to gain and hold the position from which you can play the game best. When passing an opponent at the net, the smaller opening is often the best if he is moving fast to get back into position. Suppose you have tried a pass along his right line ; suppose he has jumped across in time to intercept it and you are selecting the opening for the next attempt. If the opponent has hardly had time to get back to his playing center again, he will probably be on the move when you hit the ball the second time and still going toward the centre. Often the opposite side seems to offer a much wider opening to place the ball through, but one must remember that he can cover more ground in the direction he is moving than the opposite way, for it takes time to stop and turn. It is often best in such cases to play for the smaller opening, that is, to try the same side again, although he may be just leaving that side of the court when you start your stroke. This is called catching your man off his balance by the tournament experts, and they find it very profitable if the direction of the play is well covered. POSITION PLAY 207 OPINIONS OF THE EXPERTS. Against a persistent lobber, would you stay up and smash or go back to stop the lobbing f R. N. WILLIAMS, 2ND: Depends on conditions. T. C. BUNDY : Stay up and kill, if your overhead is developed ; if not, develop it. K. H. BEHR : Stay up and keep smashing. F. B. ALEXANDER : Stay up, speaking personally. R. D. LITTLE: Stay up and smash. If you can't stand the lobbing strain, you can never win from the base-line. H. H. HACKETT: Stay up. B. C. WRIGHT : Remain at the net. J. C. PARKE : Doesn't affect me. C. P. DIXON : This would depend on my form at the time. Should start smashing, but if making many mis- takes should retire to the base-line. R. L. MURRAY : Stay up and smash him out. G. M. CHURCH : Stay up and smash. W. M. WASHBURN : It depends how I was smash- ing. I should stay up unless I was completely demoralized overhead. ELIA FOTTRELL : Stay up and smash. CLARENCE HOBART: Try both. E. B. DEWHURST : The former if I was able. J. R. STRACHAN : Stay up and smash. C. R. GARDNER : Which ever seemed best in the par- ticular instance. A. S. DABNEY : I'd stay back to stop it if I was los- ing by smashing badly. G. P. GARDNER, JR. : Stay up and smash. F. C. INMAN : Up and smash. W. F. JOHNSON : A consistent division. Stay Up or Back Against a Lobber? Smash Him Out, Says Murray 208 METHODS AND PLAYERS OF MODERN LAWN TENNIS Pell Thinks a Good Lobber Would Drive Smasher Back Most Others Advise Staying Up N. W. NILES: Stay up. If very bad overhead for some reason like sun, might stay back if opponent did not come up. T. R. PELL: You can't stay up on a good lobber; better keep back. ROBERT LERov : I don't know ; I should probably try to do each in turn. A. M. SQUAIR : Stay up in most cases. G. F. TOUCHARD: Stay up and smash. J. J. ARMSTRONG : Stay up and smash. LEONARD BEEKMAN : Stay up and smash. W. M. HALL: Stay up unless I was missing. RICHARD HARTE: Stay up and smash and if one smashes well he will soon behave. DEAN MATHEY : Stay up and smash. R. C. SEAVER: If I was a good net player I would stay up as long as I could. G. C. SHAFER: Stay up if in smashing form, other- wise back. S. H. VOSHELL: Stay up. E. H. WHITNEY : Stay up and smash. I. C. WRIGHT: Stay up; wait for a short one. W. C. GRANT: I should stay up. Which Is the Stronger Game, Base-Line or Netf Do you believe base-line play or volleying the stronger game? R. N. WILLIAMS, 2ND : Both together. T. C. BUNDY : Volleying. K. H. BEHR : Of the two, volleying generally. F. B. ALEXANDER: Volleying. R. D. LITTLE: Volleying is the winning aggressive game, but the base-line is a very necessary thing. H. H. HACKETT: Volleying in exceptional cases. Base-line play ordinarily. B. C. WRIGHT: Volleying, as the modern game of aggressiveness has proved. POSITION PLAY J. C. PARKE : Depends entirely on the calibre of the player. C. P. DIXON: Neither; the strongest game is the blend or mixture of both and the right judgment in use of either. The two Dohertys were well armed at all points. I don't deny, however, that a one-stroke player may go a good way. R. L. MURRAY : Volleying. G. M. CHURCH : I think that volleying is the strong- er game. W. M. WASHBURN : It depends on the individual. ELIA FOTTRELL : Volleying. CLARENCE HOBART: The perfect base-line player would beat the perfect volleyer. E. B. DEWHURST : As the service rules are at pres- ent, volleying is the winning game. J. R. STRACHAN: I think that base-line play is stronger. C. R. GARDNER : Would you prefer a million dollars' worth of diamonds or a million dollars' worth of pearls? A. S. DABNEY : Volleying. G. P. GARDNER, JR. : A combination. F. C. INMAN : Most players in this country win at the net. W. F. JOHNSON : A perfect back-court game always the best. N. W. NILES: Volleying, so far as both have been developed. From what I hear, the Englishman, Smith, in his prime could beat any volleyer from back court. T. R. PELL: Volleying. ROBERT LsRoY : Volleying. A. M. SQUAIR: Volleying. G. F. TOUCHARD: I don't believe in either style to the exclusion of the other always. J. J. ARMSTRONG : Volleying with a strong service ; vice versa without. LEONARD BEEKMAN : Volleying. W. M. HALL: I think the volleying game will beat base-line, other things equal. 209 Hobart Believes in the Base -Line Game Smith Might Beat Any Volleyer Most Americans Favor the Volley Game 210 METHODS AND PLAYERS OF MODERN LAWN TENNIS RICHARD HARTE: If played well, there is little to choose. Don't Crowd DEAN MATHEY : Volleying. the Net Rashly, R. Q SEAVER : Volleying. Says Shafer Q Q SHAFER : Volleying when you have the open- ing. Crowd the net when you can, but not too rashly. S. H. VOSHELL: Volleying. E. H. WHITNEY: I think the two styles must be used together, with the pendulum swinging in favor of the volley. I. C. WRIGHT: Volleying. W. C. GRANT: I should try to reach the net when- ever I could. Will not a combination of both styles beat either alone? R. N. WILLIAMS, 2ND: Yes. Combination of T c BuNDY: Depends entirely on how efficient. Both Beat T^ TT T> v Either T ' H< BEHR: Yes - F. B. ALEXANDER : Perfection in both styles would, but do not consider that possible. R. D. LITTLE : Yes, in perfection. H.H. HACKETT: Yes. B. C. WRIGHT : Yes, but seventy-five per cent, vol- leying. J. C. PARKE : Probably. C. P. DIXON : Yes. R. L. MURRAY : At its best, yes. Church G. M. CHURCH : I don't think so, because if a man Thinks Not pays equal attention to both volleying and ground- strokes, he will not be as expert in either one as if he specialized in it. W. M. WASHBURN: Yes. ELIA FOTTRELL: Yes. CLARENCE HOBART: Yes, if good enough. E. B. DEWHURST: Yes, the striker is a base-liner every other game. POSITION PLAY 211 C. R. GARDNER: Depends. A. S. DABNEY : Yes, on the average. G. P. GARDNER, JR.: Theoretically, yes. F. C. INMAN : Yes. W. F. JOHNSON : Yes. N. W. NILES: A remarkable server and volleyer Most Other apparently will beat one having the combination, if latter Players Say is not almost as good at net and back-court as former is at net. However, a combination will usually win. T. R. PELL: Yes. ROBERT LEROY: Yes, decidedly. A. M. SQUAIR: Decidedly yes. G. F. TOUCH ARD : Always. J. J. ARMSTRONG: Yes. LEONARD BEEKMAN : Yes. W. M. HALL: Probably. RICHARD HARTE : Yes. DEAN MATHEY : Not necessarily ; witness McLough- lin. R. C. SEAVER: Yes. G. C. SHAFER: Yes, usually. S. H. VOSHELL: Yes. E. H. WHITNEY: Yes. I. C. WRIGHT: Yes. Are there not bigger possibilities in the use of the front of the court for aces, in short cross- court strokes and short balls, than have yet been developed? R. N. WILLIAMS, 2ND: It is hard to predict the Are future. More T. C. BuNDY : Yes. Possibilities in K. H. BEHR: I suppose so. the Front F. B. ALEXANDER: No more than Holcombe Ward developed. R. D. LITTLE: I don't think so. The greatest pos- 212 METHODS AND PLAYERS OF MODERN LAWN TENNIS Ward Said to Have Done All Possible Much Difference in Views on This Question Johnson Believes There is Always Room for Improvement Indeed There Are, Says LeRoy sibilities to come are in change of pace, study of position and balance. H. H. HACKETT: I doubt if there are greater pos- sibilities than developed by Ward at his best. B. C. WRIGHT: Yes, most players go for passing shots too much. J. C. PARKE: No. C. P. DIXON: Possibly so, but I have still faith in development of swerve, break, twist and cut strokes. I do not consider that all these have been fully exploited so far. R. L. MURRAY : There certainly are. G. M. CHURCH : I do not think so. W. M. WASHBURN: Yes. However, such strokes are exceptionally hard to control. ELIA FOTTRELL : I think so. CLARENCE HOBART: Yes. E. B. DEWHURST : May be, but very difficult off the fast service and driving of to-day. C. R. GARDNER: I think so. A. S. DABNEY : I don't think so. G. P. GARDNER, JR. : Probably. F. C. INMAN: Yes, but few of our players could make the shots today. W. F. JOHNSON : Yes, there is always a chance for greater development. N. W. NILES: I believe every practical shot of the above variety is, or has been, used as a regular play, i. e. } Beals Wright's slow shots cut to your feet ; English- men's sharp cross-court off the service in doubles, etc. No one person, I guess, has ever developed the majority of these shots. If he did, I think he might do so at the expense of the rest of his game. T. R. PELL: Yes. ROBERT LEROY : Indeed there are. Look at the way the Johnson brothers of Boston used these strokes in doubles a few years ago with great success. It can also be done in singles. POSITION PLAY 213 A. M. SQUAIR : Quite possibly. G. F. TOUCHARD : I don't know. J. J. ARMSTRONG: Beals Wright, best exponent of this game. LEONARD BEEKMAN: Yes. W. M. HALL: I think so. RICHARD HARTE : Yes. DEAN MATHEY: Simply a question of getting in closer to the net. R. C. SEAVER: Yes. G. C. SHAFER: Probably but we have some excel- lent net men. S. H. VOSHELL: No. E. H. WHITNEY: I don't think so. If you overdo this kind of play, you will either be passed easier or get lobbed over your head. I.C. WRIGHT: Yes. Whitney Does Not Think So Do you use the "centre theory" in running to the net? R. N. WILLIAMS, 2ND : Not always. T. C. BUNDY : Depends whether opponent is cross- courter or straight driver. K. H. BEHR: Against a balanced player almost always. F. B. ALEXANDER : Not always. R. D. LITTLE : To some extent. H. H. HACKETT : At times. B. C. WRIGHT : No. J. C. PARKE: Sometimes. C. P. DIXON : Yes, with good length to support it, but there is nothing like varying your game and place- ment. R. L. MURRAY : Yes, I do at times. G. M. CHURCH : About half the time. W. M. WASHBURN : Unless I wish to place to my Do All Experts Use Centre Theoryt Both Englishmen Favor It 214 METHODS AND PLAYERS OP MODERN LAWN TENNIS Strachan Runs Up in the Centre Says Armstrong: "No Theories for Me" opponent's backhand, or to some unguarded point in his court. CLARENCE HOBART: Sometimes. E. B. DEWHURST : Yes. J. R. STRACHAN : I very seldom run to the net, but when I do I run up in the centre. C. R. GARDNER : Not so much as I should, perhaps. A. S. DABNEY : Sometimes. G. P. GARDNER, JR. : As a rule. F. C. INMAN : Often, but not always. W. F. JOHNSON : Yes. N. W. NILES: If the "centre theory" means, run- ning to the net down as nearly the centre of the court as possible when not anticipating, I do use it. T. R. PELL: Yes. ROBERT LEROY: Yes, when I can, but I have dif- ficulty because I am accustomed to play my ground- strokes close to the side-lines. A. M. SQUAIR: Usually, not always. G. F. TOUCHARD: Yes. J. J. ARMSTRONG : No theories for me. LEONARD BEEKMAN : No. W. M. HALL: At times, particularly against chop- stroke players. RICHARD HARTE : A little. DEAN MATHEY: At times. Believe it to be abso- lutely sound. R. C. SEAVER: Yes. G. C. SHAFER: Somewhat, but usually play to the weak spot and then run in. S. H. VOSHELL: Sometimes. E. H. WHITNEY : Only intuitively. I. C. WRIGHT : Depends on position. W. C. GRANT: In serving, I follow the direction of the ball, i. e., in serving to the corners, I play a little to that side of the centre of the centre-line. MATCH PLAY TACTICS 215 XV. MATCH PLAY TACTICS FIVE CARDINAL POINTS TO REMEMBER: 1 Feel out your opponent at all points and attack his weakest spot. 2 Finding a vulnerable point, hammer away at it unceasingly. 3 Shift tactics always when losing, but never change a winning style. 4 Save your strength by judicious finesse, and if your opponent weakens, play safe. 5 Banish all spectacular gallery strokes, and play to the score, not the crowd, if you want to win. Cardinal Points to Keep in Mind BEFORE TOUCHING on the subject of match-play tactics, I feel inclined to sug- gest that a goodly part of the volume under the title of "Tennis Tactics," written by Ray- mond D. Little a few years ago, might safely be reprinted here under this head, and I could hardly hope to improve on it. Certainly, Little's ex- pounding of the inner workings of the best play- ers, his "inside tennis," #s baseball lovers might describe that part of the game, is most lucid, most helpful and most enlightening to the great ma- jority of those who are safely past the first prin- Little's Book on "Inside Tennis" 216 METHODS AND PLAYERS OF MODERN LAWN TENNIS Mental Attitude Appealed to You Know What You Can Do, But Not Your Opponent Feeling Out the Other Man's Strokes ciples and who want to improve on their match play skill. It is a book for tournament players, not for beginners, but the best of its kind extant. The mental attitude of the player is what I wish to appeal to chiefly in this chapter; it is a point of the game too often neglected. We often consider, or many of us do, that winning or losing at tennis is simply a matter of which player can hit the ball most skillfully. But this is not so; there is much more in the mental work of the players and we constantly see an inferior stroke player beating one who seems to be the better. Cherches le brains! Unless you are very familiar with your adver- sary's play, when a match or even a practice game begins, you know very closely what you can do yourself, but you seldom know what the other man will do. That is a condition of mental un- certainty that ruins the hopes of many tourna- ment players. They feel that they must win from the start or not at all, and they become so en- grossed with the making of their own strokes that they have no time to discover what the other man is doing. Personally, after twenty years of tournament play, I found that I was still in a most receptive frame of mind whenever I met a player with whose game I was not familiar. I was perfectly con- tent to play at the start the most ordinary strokes with as much variety as I could muster, and to watch my man very closely to see how he handled each variation that I offered him. First, I watched to see whether he was better at backhand or fore- Copyright by J. P. Paret WILLIAM A. LARNED Moderate Smash of a Lob. Generally an overhead volley of this kind is quite as effective for killing a short lob as a hard smash, and entails much less risk of error. A dropping ball can be volleyed off to one side and killed without excessive speed. The left foot here has come forward to clieck the weight. Com- pare this with position of Wilding before making a similar stroke. ANTHONY F. WILDING Waiting for an Overhead Smash This shows the splendid action of the ex-champion waiting to kill a deep lob. As the racket comes down the left foot will move forward to check the weight thrown into the stroke. Stepping forward to meet the ball always gives better power than letting the ball meet the racket. MATCH PLAY TACTICS 217 hand; then, if he seemed to prefer cross-courting or driving down the lines ; next, if he always re- turned the service in a stereotyped fashion ; when I went to the net, whether he lobbed at all, or con- fined his efforts to trying to pass. Sometimes, I would deliberately leave an opening at one side of the court to learn if he was observant and watching for quick openings. This is the way the experienced tournament player sizes up his man and learns where lie the best openings for attack. Once this has been learned, half the battle is over and then it is only a matter of steadily hammering at the weaknesses in the enemy's armour to gradually run the score up to the winning total. But one cannot take it easy on the court even after this stage has been reached. Remember, the other man may be think- ing, too; he may fathom your method of at- tack, and you may suddenly find that he is antici- pating your strokes. Let me tell a little story of a match some years ago in the New York state championship at Syra- cuse to illustrate the point I am trying to explain. I met the late Alexander Jenney in the semi-final round in this tournament after he had vanquished several pretty strong players. Jenney was entirely unknown to me but he had the reputation of play- ing a wonderfully strong forehand drive. The entire local contingent had turned out to see their favorite meet one of the visiting players, and their hopes ran high at the start when the studying process began. Ball after ball that went to Jenney's forehand Hammer Away at His Weakness A Weak Backhand Furnishes a Target 218 METHODS AND PLAYERS OF MODERN LAWN TENNIS A Story Illustrates the Point Protecting Backhand Exposes Forehand Uncertainty of Attack Spells Success came back faster than I had ever seen tennis balls fly before. His drives were literally unplayable ; I could not even reach them, much less return them, and it became apparent in the first game or two why he had beaten the other men. I tried the backhand side and the ball came back awkwardly and with little speed. His backhand returns were so slow and so high over the net that it was easy to go to the net and volley with little risk of being passed. But Jenney soon saw that the attack was di- rected at his left and worked over to that side to protect his weakness until he left so much of his forehand court open that it was an easy matter to ace him on that side. After the first three or four games, my opponent had very few oppor- tunities to play his favorite forehand stroke, as the ball was kept always on his backhand until he worked over too far, and then he was driven back into his correct position in the middle of the court by an ace or two out so far on his forehand that he could not reach them. From 3 in his favor in the first set, the match was lost by 3 6, 6, yet his forehand strokes were better than mine at all times. Once an opponent's weakness is discovered, the attack should be centered at this point so long as it is successful, but be always on the watch for a shift on his part that will show he is anticipat- ing your attack. That is the time to change it immediately. The unexpectedness of an attack is the precious jewel that wins success for it. Yet there are one or two sound principles MATCH PLAY TACTICS 219 that can always be relied upon; they need hardly be varied. A man with a pronounced weakness on one side can always be attacked there; he cannot entirely cover it up by running around the ball, for instance. He can lean a little toward his weak side perhaps with safety, but against a quick adversary the instant he goes so far as to run around the ball, he is wide open to a winning attack, an ace I mean, on the other side. Running around a ball is at best only a secondary defence to cover a pronounced weakness. I have had many good demonstrations of this principle, because I was always a weak backhand player. Holcombe Ward used to drive me out of court on the left side with his American twist service and then ace me on the forehand side when I tried to run around the ball to hit it forehanded. In the right court, the ball bounded toward the centre of the court and I could with safety run out to the left and make a strong return from it without losing a safe position in court, but never on the other side. There are many other points of weakness that can be found if diligently searched for. Many players have a peculiarity of becoming "set" in a fixed position when waiting for their return, and such men can almost invariably be thrown off their stroke, by directing the attack to the side where they are not expecting it. Another delicate point to be watched is the balance of the antagonist. Some players are so quick to anticipate an attack that they show in advance what their defence is to be, while Running Around Weakness to Cover Up How This Worked Out Against Ward Surprising a Player in a Set Position 22.0 METHODS AND PLAYERS OP MODERN LAWN TENNIS Catching Your Opponent Off His Balance Covering the Stroke to Increase Attack A Low Lob Catches Close Net Player others have a tendency to throw their weight too far in the direction they believe the return will come. Once this characteristic is learned, it is generally a wise move to delay the attack a frac- tion of a second, if necessary hitting the ball a little later or lower on the bound, and then turn- ing the attack in the direction opposite to that expected. "Covering" the stroke is another device used by many players for the same purpose. This is simply hiding its direction by altering the swing and to prevent your opponent from anticipating your shot, and makes your attack always more dangerous. If a net player, for instance, is in- clined to carry his balance too far forward as he stands in the volleying position, he is always vul- nerable to an overhead attack with a low lob. He will not be able to shift his weight and get back quick enough to anticipate it. The same is true of a player who leans to the right or left noticeably while waiting for an attacking stroke. I remember using this overhead attack once with splendid success against Hugh Tallant, a player who was always too close to the net when volleying and who carried his weight too far forward to anticipate lobs. In one match for the Hudson River Championship, I remember scoring twelve aces by balls lobbed over his head that he could not reach. And a small number of strokes like this is often enough to turn defeat into victory. When players are evenly matched, the difference in their total score at the end of a match is frequently only a few points, and these may MATCH PLAY TACTICS 221 have been turned by some small advantage like this. Among more expert players, the weaknesses are not so often to be found, and it often takes long study to find even the slightest openings. Close study of the technique of Dwight Davis's game was enough to win the All-Comers' tourna- ment at Newport for me in 1899. I had been beaten by Davis at Longwood the same season, but had profited by my experience. When I met him in the finals for the Championship, I had a new theory to work on. I conceived the idea that Davis, a left-handed player, could not cross- court a fast service on his backhand side short enough to pass a close volleyer. That seems like a very small opening but it was enough to win a five-set match for me, a match that carried with it the right to challenge for the National Champion- ship. There was a difference of exactly three points in the totals of that memorable match (Paret 201, Davis 198), and I am certain that the particular manoeuver that I refer to won for me ten times as many strokes during the five sets. In the right court I served regularly to Davis's backhand (the outer edge, as Davis was left-handed) and delib- erately covered the side-line to prevent his pass- ing on that side. I was constantly exposed on the cross-court side, but the peculiar method he used in drawing across his racket for a backhand cross-court shot made it almost impossible for him to keep the ball in court when returning a fast ser- vice with enough speed to pass me. He made One Small Point That Won the All-Comers' Davis Could Not Pass Cross-Court With His Backhand 222 METHODS AND PLAYERS OF MODERN LAWN TENNIS Lack of Endurance Costs Many a Match Condition Wins the Victory many attempts which went wide and some that were slowed up enough for me to reach the ball and kill it at the net, but I was always waiting for the line pass. Endurance is another point to be considered in match play. At the slightest sign of weaken- ing on the part of an adversary, it is good tactics to use every effort to prolong the match in order to outlast your man. I remember one case in point. I had played Harold Hackett a dozen or more matches with varying success, and when we came together in the fifth year for the Maine State Championship at Sorrento, I could not think of a single weakness in his game. We had each won the cup twice and he had beaten me for it the last two years. There seemed to be only one hope and that was to hit the ball harder and faster than he, but I was never good at this kind of play. However, in the early games of the match, he displayed a lack of condition, and although he was always as steady as the proverbial church, I made up my mind to try to outlast him, since I was in prime physical condition. Every effort was bent to prolonging the match and many openings for a killing smash were turned to a deep volley that would make him run more. Be- fore the fourth set I was rewarded by seeing his strokes gradually weaken until I could safely take the net and the offensive that carried victory with it. I met an extremely large man, St. George Perrott, an Irishman from Dublin, in the chal- lenge round for the South of Ireland Champion- MATCH PLAY TACTICS 223 ship at Limerick in 1898, and won in a similar way. Perrott was even larger, I think, than Dwight Davis. We had played three matches be- fore the same day, each of us, and I didn't believe he could last as well as I could. After losing the first two sets, I lobbed persistently and he soon collapsed trying to smash these high balls, default- ing the match when it was 4 against him in the fourth set, for he was then hopelessly beaten. Inability to kill lobs is another weakness to watch for. It is always a safe play to feed lobs to a man who cannot kill them. When your op- ponent is fresh he may smash well, but when he tires, he is never so dangerous overhead. Dr. Pirn used to say to his friends : "I don't care what the other fellow does; it is what I do that settles the match." This may be a good plan of campaign for some few players, phenomenons who were born brilliant rather than men who have had to learn their tennis by hard work, but for the average player it is a poor policy to ignore his adversary. Larned, perhaps the most brilliant of all the American players produced, unless we ex- cept McLoughlin, used these tactics most of the time successfully, but with most other men they have been a failure. Larned always played his own style of game, no matter what his opponent did. He was a mas- ter of attack but very weak in defence. For him defence meant only finding some new form of attack. He kept the other man so constantly on the run and was so brilliant at passing any an- tagonist who dared to rush to the net against Lobbing to a Player Who Couldn't Kill Lobs Pirn Ignored the Adversary Larned's Weakness in Defence 224 METHODS AND PLAYERS OP MODERN LAWN TENNIS Luring an Opponent Away from the Centre Saving an Opening for the Critical Points him, that he was very seldom forced to defence. But in all my experience, I have never seen a first-class expert so much at sea as that same past-master Larned, when he was met with an unexpected attack that he could not fathom. As I have said, the opponent must be watched constantly to see if he is anticipating your attack or even your defensive strokes, for that matter. Little tells of the play that turned one famous match between McLoughlin and Touchard at Longwood in 1911, when Touchard was persistently driving McLoughlin' s service along the side lines. The Californian got so ac- customed to this play that he leaned far toward the side-line as he came thundering up behind his service, and Touchard played it closer and closer to the lines until he had drawn the other man well out of position. Then when he saw that McLoughlin was anticipating his attack, he played two or three shots very slow across court, scoring clean aces each time, and after that he had his opponent guessing every time as to which side to expect the ball. I well remember playing Little in the Middle States Championship some years ago, and finding that he was deliberately playing my backhand, always a weak point with me, and taking liberties with his position at the net by protecting the side- line and exposing himself to a cross-court pass. It was too good an opening for me to use regular- ly, so I saved up that shot and used the cross- court stroke only when within a point of a game, and in this way won three separate games, the last MATCH PLAY TACTICS 225 one being the final point that gave me the match. Finesse is a valuable acquisition to any tour- nament player. It is very heroic perhaps to rush after every possible return, and I have seen many seemingly impossible shots recovered and the points ultimately won. But in the long run, the average is very badly against the man who uses these tactics, and this do-or-die spirit that inspires some players to race after every dis- tant return in the hope of making an impossible "save" is a great match loser. Seven times out of ten when the dash is over you have missed the return; two more times you will return another weak stroke that will be killed, and perhaps only once in ten times will this effort be rewarded by ultimately winning the rest. Every time, though, you finish the rally all out of breath and in poor shape for the next play. Whether you have won or lost the previous point, you then start handicapped, make another weak return and lose the second stroke as a result of the foolish effort to retrieve an apparently im- possible smash. The best tacticians I have seen would often deliberately turn their backs on a lob that they played so short there was only one chance in a dozen that the opponent would miss it. This has a way of saving the nerves, saving the breath and keeping the temper in better shape for the next point. Among good players a weak lob is almost equivalent to losing the stroke anyway, and after all you are no worse off if you make a weak lob and it is killed than if you had lobbed out of court. Finesse is Valuable in Tournament Play Difficult "Saves" May Win One in Ten Points Turning Your Back on a Short Lob 226 METHODS AND PLAYERS OF MODERN LAWN TENNIS Gallery Play Should Be Tabooed Don't Hurry Your Play Unduly Lob High and Deep When Out of Breath Gallery shots and fancy strokes of all kinds should be tabooed in tournament play. It may tickle the vanity to have a crowd applaud a spec- tacular stroke, but too often the effort is costly and the Scoreboard records the disastrous result of such efforts. The most effective killer of over- head balls I ever saw was H. L. Doherty, and he never wasted any effort in putting them away. A ball cannot be deader than dead, you must re- member, and you can score only one point for the kill, no matter how hard you may smash it. Besides the effort of smashing hard is wasteful of the precious strength that so often wins long matches. In preserving the condition it is well to re- member that there is no call to hurry your play unduly. You are entitled to walk after the balls and back to the server's position ; it is not required to run, and you are also entitled to a reasonable time to get into position to receive the service. Do not let your antagonist rush you too quickly, es- pecially when you are losing. Walk deliberately, and breathe deeply and as slowly as possible when out of breath. An excellent resource when you are in bad shape, when you have "bellows to mend," is to lob high and deep. An opponent who is rushing you at the net can often be stopped in this way when all attempts at passing fail. Changing the style of game is as valuable in defence, when you are losing, as on the attack when you find it going against you. Always continue the same tactics in match MATCH PLAY TACTICS 227 play as long as they are successful. Do not try to change the game while you are winning; keep at it till the tide turns. On the other hand, never persist in the same style of play if it is losing. Reverse the other procedure and shift your meth- od of play at once when you feel it is not suc- cessful, and keep on changing it until you do find a winning style or until all your resources are exhausted. If you are up against a better man, possibly no amount of shifting the game will help you to win, but many a time I have seen an apparently poorer player win a match because he happened to strike one weak spot in his adversary's game. If the weaker man is quick to see his advantage and wise enough to press it, he may often beat the other man. Another point of finesse that experienced tournament players know is what might be called playing to the score, just as card players do. In "auction" your bid is frequently governed by the condition of the score, and this is also wise in tennis at times. At forty-love or forty-fifteen, you can afford to take greater chances in passing or killing than if the score is deuce, and this holds true whether winning or losing. While serving, with the score at forty-love or love-forty, it is often well to risk the chance of a fast second ser- vice if the first delivery has failed. In handicap play, the better player giving the odds can generally win by safe play, while the cue for the man who receives the handicap is to cut loose and try for the winning shots. Safe play will not pay the poorer man against a better. Keep Up Winning Play, Shift When Losing Playing to the Score Helpful How to Give and Take Handicaps 228 METHODS AND PLAYERS OP MODERN LAWN TENNIS XVI. DOUBLES PLAY Cardinal Points to Keep in Mind Teamwork the Keynote of Success Six CARDINAL POINTS TO REMEMBER: 1 Select a partner of even skill and sink all in- dividuality for teamzvork; pick one who volleys well. 2 The partner of the server must always stand close to the net, and the server must always run in on both first and second services. 3 Keep abreast of your partner always; if he is forced back, go back with him. 4 // you are forced to let a lob drop, both partners must get back to the base-line; if opponents drop a lob, both should rush in at once. 5 Never be caught forward of the base-line when the opponents are volleying, except to anticipate a stop-volley or a short ball. 6 Don't poach; let your partner play his own balls. Doubtful balls in the centre should be played by the man who can use his fore- hand in the stroke. THE KEYNOTE of success in doubles may be summed up in one word: "Team- work." Select two players whose indi- vidual skill might be expressed by 50, and if they play together well, understand each other's meth- ods and lose individuality for the success of their DOUBLES PLAY 229 team, their combined strength will represent the true total of 100. Put the same two players together in doubles, and let them try to play for individual glory, and be not familiar with each other's position in court, approximate reach and a dozen other details that go to make up a successful doubles combination, and their team strength will be no better than 75 and possibly only 70. Just as a chain is said to be no stronger than its weakest link, a tennis team is very little strong- er than its weakest partner, because the opponents can judiciously select the weak spot for constant attack until they have battered down his defence. Two team-mates represented by 60 and 40 can be considered little or no better than twice the strength of the weaker man, or 80, even though they play well together and gain all the team ad- vantage of old partners. These points should be considered in se- lecting a partner for doubles and kept in view con- stantly if tournament success is hoped for. Choose a partner who plays about the same game as you do, work together with him constantly to become perfectly acquainted with the different peculiari- ties of each other, and sacrifice all ambitions for individual glory if you would prosper as a team in doubles. One thing more : Select a partner who volleys well. Volleying and service (which is another form of volleying) are of the greatest importance in doubles, and those who are best at this stroke are most certain to succeed in doubles. A player Personal Glory Weakens Any Team Tennis Team Little Stronger Than Its Weakest Link Choose Your Partner Carefully 230 METHODS AND PLAYERS OF MODERN LAWN TUJNNIS Play the Net, First, Last and Always Server Must Always Run Up Two Partners Should Be Abreast who cannot volley at all, or at best very poorly, is certain to be a poor doubles player, and he should be avoided as a partner. The very essence of the game lies in getting up to the net at every possible opportunity, and once there, never deserting this point of vantage until the ace is won or lost. It is for this reason that the service counts so strongly for the side that has it. Among evenly-matched teams in the best tournament play, the serving side generally wins from seventy to ninety per cent of all the games played. The servers having this advantage, it is most important that it be held, and from this was born the cardinal rule of doubles always to run up to the net on both first and second services. The server's partner is always at the net when the service is delivered this is another inviolable rule of doubles so that the two partners are brought side by side, both in place at the net, when the first return reaches them. This position, with the two partners abreast of each other, is absolutely essential to good form. Both should be at the net as much of the time as possible, but if either is dislodged from his volley- ing position, by a lob or any other return, his partner should immediately follow him back as far as necessary to still keep abreast of him. It is a deadly error in good doubles to have one partner of a team up at the net and another back, and it is absolutely inexcusable under any circumstances. No matter how weak your service may be it must be followed to the net, else your DOUBLES PLAY 231 partner will be stranded up there alone and put out of the game. If both stay back on the service games, this simply hands over the attack to the op- ponents with every assurance of defeat. A lob is the stroke that most often drives one or both players away from the net, and if this be placed so well and played so low as to make a vol- leyer turn and run back to play the ball from the bound, his partner should instantly follow him back to take up a defensive position at his side at Never One Up and One Back Diagram Shows the "Open Diagonal" THE OPEN DIAGONAL IN DOUBLES. the back of the court. To stay up when the part- ner is driven back is almost suicidal, for the oppo- nents are almost certain to follow up their advan- tage to the net, and to stand up near them when they begin to volley is to court destruction. In addition to this, there is a deadly weakness in the old-fashioned one-up-and-one-back plan of playing doubles, in the "open diagonal." A glance at the accompanying diagram will demon- strate the reason for this weakness. In this illus- Its Weakness Apparent at Once 232 METHODS AND PLAYERS OF MODERN LAWN TENNIS Net Player Stranded Adversary Can Smash Right "Through" Him Attack and Defence in Doubles tration, the shaded portions of the court are in- tended to illustrate the section that the players can cover if the ball is volleyed by the opponent from a position diagonally opposite the stranded net play- er. Whether it be a smash or a simple horizontal volley, the net player covers a minimum section of the court and leaves seven-eighths of the exposed territory for his partner at the base-line, with lit- tle or no chance for success. Still another danger awaits the luckless play- er who disregards this rule to get back out of danger the instant the partner is driven away from his attacking position at the net. No smash or sharp overhead volley is more certain of suc- cess than one with the ball directed immediately at the feet of an adversary who is too close in. It is a common practice among expert players to take instant advantage of such an opening, and they seldom fail to smash right "through" an adversary caught in such a helpless position. Even more than in singles, tennis doubles re- solve themselves into a constant attack and de- fence, and the issue is so clear-cut and sharply- defined that the whole effort of the serving side is to maintain the advantage the service gives them and to press home their attack to a winning issue ; while the players on the other side bend all their efforts to turning the attack against their op- ponents and gaining the winning position at the net for a volleying attack. In the constant effort to offset the advantage of the service, which has been increasing for many years, all kinds of schemes have been tried. It is W >H p-4 H W ii Q ^K (3 ^ "3 V) > ,,_r ^ S| O'-+3 S-l . <-> < bJO ~ C & H 11 1 > - OJ o J 'O r >i ^ cd -^ o S -S-5. < 4J U ^HH. 3 c P o K. ^ ag 5 |.S- PH .2 en ^-i Q. V-i 4-* 6^' ^2- K S CO o^; jy -^ >, S ffi 3 2 ^" |Q 3 O f^l ^cti Q bfi S rt' Se: OJ . *rt "5 ^ P .2 >> J= tJ ^^ -a| en SI DOUBLES PLAY 233 unquestionable that the advantage exists and that it is a very heavy handicap against the other side. As the power of the service has grown steadily stronger with the increase in speed and the devel- opment of the twist deliveries, the percentage of games won by the serving side has grown higher until close doubles matches between expert teams have become a constant struggle on the part of the servers to hold their advantage, and of the other side to "break through" the service. Several changes in the rules have been advo- cated to offset or nullify this overwhelming ad- vantage of the service. It has been suggested that / the servers be allowed only one delivery in doubles ; another suggestion calls for a shortening of the service court, while still another would widen the alleys of the doubles court to make more room for the strikers-out to pass the servers. None of these has had any serious trial as yet, and there is still hope that faster ground-strokes or some new development in defensive play will offset the steadily increasing disadvantage of the strikers-out. The style of Williams in playing the service as it rises may prove to be one solution of the difficulty. Some years ago, Davis and Ward, then cham- pions of America, developed the lobbing game as a defence against fast service, and they even carried this so far as to produce a lobbing at- tack by very high lobs under which they ran in to volley. The smashing at that time was too strong for this, however, and Beals Wright developed an excellent answer to the play by let- Constant Struggle to "Break Through" the Service Changes in the Rules Suggested to Equalize Lobbing to Stop Fast Services 234 METHODS AND PLAYERS OF MODERN LAWN TENNIS The English Formation of the Strikers It Has Won Despite Criticism ting such high lobs, which fall too straight to be smashed easily, drop to the ground and then smashing them overhead on the second drop of the ball from the bound. This play succeeded so well that it was soon found unprofitable to run in under a high lob. In England, the Doherty brothers and other leading British pairs in doubles, placed the partner of the striker-out at the service-line, and sometimes still closer up toward the net, while the service was being returned. The suc- cess of this manoeuver depends entirely on the severity of the service and first return, and the ability of the server in volleying. This position has always been thought to be unsound in this country because the close position of American volleyers seems to make it an easy matter for the server to volley the ball right "through" the opposing player, as he is caught in too close to anticipate such a quick stroke. On the other hand, it has been quite suc- cessful abroad, and despite the theoretical un- soundness of the "formation," it has succeeded almost invariably in international matches. The Doherty brothers beat Davis and Ward using this formation; Doust and Jones beat McLough- lin and Hackett in 1913, and Brookes and Wild- ing beat McLoughlin and Bundy in 1914, the Australians using this position almost invari- ably. As an offset to the servers' advantage it cannot be said to equalize matters, although from the deeper English position for volleying, it DOUBLES PLAY 235 frequently carries the play into a general volley- ing duel, with all four players engaged. If the striker is very severe in his first return, or if he drops the ball short after crossing the net, as Beals Wright used to do so well, he may be able to hold his partner's position safe and ultimately follow up abreast of him to dislodge the oppo- nents from their net position or get into a gen- eral volleying rally with fairly even chances to win. While these efforts to equalize matters have been under way, there have been other plans to fortify the position of the servers. Again Davis and Ward must be credited with the invention of the new theory, and every historian of lawn tennis must recognize in Holcombe Ward one of the most fertile minds that ever worked out the problems of the court. To him belongs the credit of the American twist service which has almost revolutionized the game, the highest art in short cross-court cut volleys and the "American for- mation" for doubles. This position simply calls for the partner of the server to stand opposite the middle of the net instead of to one side when his partner is serving. The object of this formation is to em- barrass the striker-out, and it is very often suc- cessful where the style of play used by the op- ponents is hampered by this position. The most effective return of the service has always been a diagonal cross-court drive close to the net, and this return is harder for the server to handle as he runs in than a straight shot Often Carries All Four Into Volleying Duel American Formation Works for the Servers Partner Stands at Centre of Net 236 METHODS AND PLAYERS OF MODERN LAWN TENNIS Shuts Out Cross-Court Drive down the court. The American formation prac- tically shuts out this standard return of the ser- vice, as it would be intercepted and killed by the waiting partner, and forces the striker-out! to drive straight down the line, unless he would lob Diagrams Illustrate Both Formations ~ STRIKER-OUT ENGLISH FORMATION STWKER-OU*. AMERICAN FORMATION or risk a return into the net player's hands. At least it has the tendency to throw him off his Throws striner customary stroke, and by the mere novelty of Off Usual the position, if for no other reason, it seems to Return gam. The diagonal return of the service across the centre of the net has a distinct advantage for the DOUBLES PLAY 237 striker, because the net is lowest at that point. If this shot can be shut out, the server will force him to lob or play over the higher part of the net. Beals Wright has raised a nice point re- garding this play, and his opinion is of great value because he used the formation with Ward frequently in match play. Wright declares that the position should not be used when it forces the server to run in with his backhand toward the alley. The server runs up diagonally instead of straight and he is almost certain to meet the first return while still moving. With a left- handed server, the position should be used only in serving to the right court, according to Wright's idea, and for a right-handed server only in the left court. It is still possible to vary this position by using the regular orthodox for- mation in the opposite court, and the new style on the side where the server will have his forehand toward the alley. One point in which team play is most neces- sary in doubles is in the handling of doubtful balls. Nothing breaks up the work of a pair in doubles so much as for both to let a doubtful ball pass untouched because of a misunderstanding as to which one should have played it; and it is equally disastrous for both to try to hit the same ball. The inevitable conflict generally results in the two rackets clashing, the return failing alto- gether and two over-strained tempers being ruf- fled to the detriment of the next play. It is an excellent rule, which of course must have many exceptions, for the player with his Wright Says Play Should Be Used Only on One Side Handling Doubtful Balls 238 METHODS AND PLAYERS OP MODERN LAWN TENNIS Forehand Should Be Given Preference Poaching a Short-sighted Policy A Sample of It Illustrated forehand toward the centre to have the prefer- ence in handling doubtful balls down the centre. If it is doubtful which player should handle the re- turn, it is generally better for the man who can use his forehand in the play. On handling lobs down the middle, the same rule holds good, but when the direction leans toward the backhand man distinctly, it is better that the man who played the previous stroke should continue the play. After making one volley or smash that has not killed, a player's guage of the range and distance is generally better to correct errors for the next shot, and he is more likely to succeed in his next effort than if the idle player "butts into" the play. Poaching over on your partner's territory is a short-sighted policy, even though you may be better at the required stroke than the partner. Sooner or later this is certain to prove a losing game, for the adversaries will be able to take ad- vantage of the larger openings left on your own side of the court as a result of trying to reach too far over toward the partner's side. An illustration of this is shown in one of the plates in this volume in which Touchard is fairly crowding Washburn off into the alley in his effort to smash a ball that should have been played by the other man. If this smash was not an outright kill, the court was wide open to his op- ponents for the next play. With a poaching partner at the net against you, even though he be only leaning toward the centre to intercept some cross-court drive, there DOUBLES PLAY 239 is always a splendid attack offered that is too often neglected. At the net, when a man anticipates jumping across sidewise, he stands with his feet parallel with the net and carries his weight on legs spread far apart to make the spring. In this position, it is practically impossible for him to start backward quickly for a lob. The prevailing idea is to pass such a player along his own alley as he deserts it, but often the movement may be only a feint, and he is trying to draw such a shot from you with the intention of dodging back to kill it. Whether his attempt be a real attempt to poach or a blind, in either case he is prepared only to move sidewise, and the most dangerous of all attacks against him is overhead. If the stroke can be covered so he cannot anticipate it until too late to shift his feet, a low lob is almost always a point winner, and if his partner is also running forward, they will at least have to let the ball bound and play it defensively if it does not win the point outright. This would turn the attack over to your side, which is next best to winning the point outright, so the value of such a strategic stroke can hardly be overestimated. Unless he hangs far back from his correct position, so you can make the ball drop before it reaches him, it is a very unwise policy to drive at the opposing net player in doubles. The chances are all against the success of the play, and even though it does succeed once in a while from the sheer unexpectedness that caused the adversary How to Fool the Poaching Net Man A Low Lob Finds Him "Anchored" Driving at the Net Man Poor Tactics 240 METHODS AND PLAYERS OP MODERN LAWN TENNIS Both Partners Get Back Under Lob Rush In if Your Own Lob Is Not Smashed Better Not to Let a Lob Prop to miss the ball, in the long run it is certain to prove a losing game. When the ball is lobbed over the heads of the players at the net, both should back away equally for the return, the idle player anyway far enough to be certain his partner will not be forced to let it drop and play it defensively. When a lob is al- lowed to bound, both partners must be back be- hind it, for this turns the situation to a defensive one and either man will be hors de combat if he re- mains at the net when the opponents rush in to volley. The instant such a lob is allowed to fall, that must be considered the signal for the successful side that made it to rush forward to assume the aggressive position at the net before the next re- turn reaches them. The most successful teams often try to turn the attack against their antago- nists by this manoeuver and when the ball is put up high, they watch the movements of the other men closely for this key to the situation. If the opponents back away to smash, they must stay back to handle the ball from the bound, but at the first sign of their turning to play it defensively they instantly rush forward to seize the attack at the net. But the best practice is not to let a lobbed ball drop. No matter if you have to back all the way to the base-line to volley it, the advantage is better maintained by volleying it downward than by turning to play it from the bound. The instant the ball has been volleyed from a lob, however, it is necessary to rush back instantly to the net posi- DOUBLES PLAY 241 tion or the next return may come at your feet and the attack be turned in this way. This is not difficult when the lob is a com- paratively short one, leaving no great distance to run to reassume the net, but when the lob is far back in the court, it requires an instant recovery to get in motion at once. The idle player can start forward before the stroke is made as soon as he is certain that his partner will volley the dropping ball. Baddeley's forbidden zone between the ser- vice-line and the base-line is even more vital in doubles than in singles, and good players never come to rest there while the ball is in play. Quick Recovery on a Deep Lob Baddeley's Zone Forbidden in Doubles, Too 242 METHODS AND PLAYERS OP MODERN LAWN TENNIS OPINIONS OF THE EXPERTS: Is the English Formation Sound? Parke Says He Has Never Seen It Do you consider the English position for doubles, with partner of the striker-out at the service- line, to be sound against fast volley ers? R. N. WILLIAMS, 2ND : I don't play doubles, I only try. T. C. BUNDY: Very risky; O. K. if partner has good return to server's feet on the run-in. K. H. BEHR: If the partner were about seven feet from the net I think in many cases such a position is splendid. F. B. ALEXANDER : No, but depends entirely on the style of game one is playing against. R. D. LITTLE: It depends on the service and how fast the server comes in. H. H. HACKETT: No. B. C. WRIGHT: No, as I have seen the foremost English teams driven from this position. J. C. PARKE : I have never seen the English position as above described. There are only two positions for partner, either right up or right back. C. P. DIXON : I consider the parallel formation the better; there are less gaps. Either partner of striker- out should be well up or behind base-line in line with the striker-out. R. L. MURRAY : I do not. G. M. CHURCH: Not unless the server is slow in running in to the net. W. M. WASHBURN : Yes, except against an excep- tional service, provided the striker-out is reasonably good off the ground. ELIA FOTTRELL: No, especially against a difficult service. DOUBLES PLAY 243 CLARENCE HOBART: No. E. B. DEWHURST: Yes, if only the return is good enough. We are bad over here, hence must stay back. J. R. STRACHAN: No. C. R. GARDNER: No. A. S. DABNEY : No. G. P. GARDNER, JR. : No, but they seem to get away with it admirably. F. C. IN MAN : Not entirely, depends on service, but good chance to take at times to win their service. W. F. JOHNSON : No. N. W. NILES: With a sharp, quick return of the service, yes. It tends to force the man coming in to try for an ace right off, whereas otherwise he could block, get in good position for an ace on the second shot, with better chance of success. T. R. PELL: Yes. ROBERT LfiRoY: Yes, but it requires exceptional brilliancy on the part of the partner of the striker-out. A. M. SQUAIR: No. G. F. TOUCHARD: Very rarely. J. J. ARMSTRONG: No. LEONARD BEEKMAN : No. W. M. HALL: No, think it will lose, other things equal. RICHARD HARTE: No. DEAN MATHEY: Not against fast, aggressive vol- leyers. R. C. SEAVER: No. G. C. SHAFER: No. S. H. VOSHELL: No. E. H. WHITNEY: No. I. C. WRIGHT : No. W. C. GRANT: No. Dewhurst Thinks It Sound Large Majority Against It 244 METHODS AND PLAYERS OF MODERN LAWN TENNIS Has American Formation Advantages? Wright Explains Common Error Is there any advantage in the American position, with the partner of the server always in the centre of the net? If so, what is the advan- tage? R. N. WILLIAMS, 2ND: I don't play doubles, I only try. T. C. BUNDY: Can be varied to advantage against some players. K. H. BEHR: It breaks the average steady doubles shot, and also breaks the usual low drop shots, a variation is always superior. F. B. ALEXANDER: Believe in mixing positions up. Stops a cross-court drive ; depends on style of game one is playing. R. D. LITTLE: No, often a disadvantage. H. H. HACKETT: Yes, it will sometimes interfere with a favorite and difficult return. B. C. WRIGHT: About nine-tenths play the position incorrectly. It should not be played when the server has to cover the alley with his backhand as he is weaker and has less reach. Placing of service counts in this attack. J. C. PARKE: I have not seen this American posi- tion either, except as a change to cover a particularly good centre-return. C. P. DIXON : I am not prepared to say that there are no advantages in this system. As a rule, however, I incline to think the English positions stronger. R. L. MURRAY: I am not an expert on the doubles game or the singles either for that matter. G. M. CHURCH: Yes. It makes the striker play the ball straight down the line and it crosses the net where it is three feet six inches high. But this position also has a great disadvantage in that the server has to run further to reach the net and most returns will make him volley up. I do not consider it the correct position. DOUBLES PLAY 245 W. M. WASHBURN: When used occasionally, it may disconcert the opponents. E. B. DEWHURST: None that I can see. The lob over the head of the net man will break up this position every time. C. R. GARDNER: Against some teams possibly, and much depends on your partner's serve. A. S. DABNEY : Two men at the net better than one. G. P. GARDNER, JR. : It prevents a sharp cross-court shot. F. C. INMAN: Often found it to advantage; de- pends on opponents. W. F. JOHNSON: It would seem so. N. W. NILES : There is a temporary advantage in a change to the above position, I believe. It forces the opponents to make a return of the service which he is not accustomed to, also forces a very difficult cross-court return to prevent ruling off a large part of the court. However, it is a formation which makes lobs more ef- fective. T. R. PELL: No advantages. ROBERT LERov: Yes, properly used; it breaks up many striker-out's favorite strokes. A. M. SQUAIR: An advantage very frequently against players who depend largely upon cross-court shots. A mixture so that each plays on the same side of the court throughout is very often good, as some players volley and smash better from one side than from the other. G. F. TOUCHARD: I don't consider the position good. J. J. ARMSTRONG : No advantage, to my mind. LEONARD BEEKMAN: No. W. M. HALL: Yes, checks cross-court driving, usually easiest for receiver. RICHARD HARTE: Because there is less chance for the receiver to make passing shot. DEAN MATHEY : It precludes the accustomed cross- court "groove" shot. Lob Over Net Man Will Break It Up Many Experts Favor It Stops Cross-Court Shots Over Low Centre of Net 246 METHODS AND PLAYERS OP MODERN LAWN TENNIS Worries Opponents, Says Seover Should Second Service Be Cut Out? Behr, Little and Wright Think It Would Help R. C. SEAVER: It worries the opponents, by having someone get so close up and the prospect of the other man running right up. G. C SHAFER: No. S. H. VOSHELL : Yes, makes striker-out play cross- court shot most every time. E. H. WHITNEY : It narrows the area in which the striker-out can return the ball. It doesn't give him such a good opportunity to take the net either unless he is an exceptionally good half-volleyer. I. C. WRIGHT: The court is covered better. Would limiting the server to one ball, cutting off the second service, in doubles only, stop the present advantage of the serving side? R. N. WILLIAMS, 2ND : I don't play doubles, I only try. T. C. BUNDY: No. K. H. BEHR: Yes. F. B. ALEXANDER: Men with good ground strokes have no trouble in breaking through now; why change and demoralize the game? R. D. LITTLE: The service would still be an ad- vantage, but not an improper one as it now is. H. H. HACKETT: Only to a certain extent. I be- lieve a great many of the best doubles players would be as successful with one service as two. B. C. WRIGHT: To a great extent because the re- ceiver could get well set. J. C. PARKE : It might be worth testing. C. P. DIXON: I think it would minimize this ad- vantage if only to a small extent. R. L. MURRAY: It would be all right but don't they deserve the advantage if they can serve well enough ? G. M. CHURCH : Yes, to some extent at least, but not as much as many suppose. DOUBLES PLAY 247 W. M. WASHBURN : In part. ELIA FOTTRELL : It would to a certain extent. CLARENCE HOBART: Yes, am very much in favor of trying it. E. B. DEWHURST : Too radical. Better to make the service harder by shortening the court. J. R. STRACHAN : I don't think so. Most points are played off the first ball. C. R. GARDNER: Somewhat. A. S. DABNEY : No ; the servers would still hold the net as an attacking position, even if the server's serve was so weak as merely to put the ball in play. G. P. GARDNER, JR. : I should think it would. F. C. INMAN: Not to any great extent. Servers can still take net position. W. F. JOHNSON : To a marked degree. N. W. NILES: An appreciable part of it. T. R. PELL: Yes. ROBERT LsRoY : It might, but it would be a retro- gression in the game. A. M. SQUAIR: To some extent, but not entirely. The most important advantage (position at the net) would remain. G. F. TOUCHARD: Naturally it would lessen it greatly. J. J. ARMSTRONG : Both absurd ideas. LEONARD BEEKMAN : No. W. M. HALL: Yes, think it would throw advantage to receivers. RICHARD HARTE : Yes, to a degree. DEAN MATHEY : Of course, to a great extent. R. C. SEAVER : Yes, I think so. G. C. SHAFER : Somewhat, but not entirely. S. H. VOSHELL : No. E. H. WHITNEY : I don't think it would make any material difference. I. C. WRIGHT: No. W. C. GRANT: Yes. Many Others Against Change Hall Thinks Receivers Would Be Too Strong 248 METHODS AND PLAYERS OF MODERN LAWN TENNIS Would It Do to Widen the Alleys f Wright Favors This, Too, But Not Both Many Different Opinions on This Would it have the same effect to widen the alleys of the doubles court from four and a half to six feet? R. N. WILLIAMS, 2ND: I don't play doubles, I only try. K. H. BEHR: Yes, but I would not advise such a change. F. B. ALEXANDER : Leave well enough alone. R. D. LITTLE: No, this would take very little from the server's advantage but would probably decrease lobbing. H. H. HACKETT: It might help a great deal more. I never tried it. B. C. WRIGHT : To widen the alleys I believe in, as it would give the receiver an advantage, but one service and alleys widened as well would be too much. J. C. PARKE : No, I am against any alteration in the measurements of the court. C. P. DIXON: Offhand, I don't think this would make much difference, but should like to try a few sets with the alteration in force, before committing myself to a definite opinion. R. L. MURRAY : No, I do not think the latter would have as much effect. G. M. CHURCH : I think so. W. M. WASHBURN : Not so much. ELIA FOTTRELL: No. CLARENCE HOBART: Possibly, don't like the idea. E. B. DEWHURST: This would of course help the strikers. J. R. STRACHAN : It would put the server at a dis- advantage. C. R. GARDNER : I should think so. A. S. DABNEY : This would lessen the advantage to a certain degree. G. P. GARDNER, JR.: Probably, but it would tend O rt DOUBLES PLAY 249 to shorten the long rallies which are the chief joy of doubles. F. C. INMAN: No. W. F. JOHNSON : It would be an advantage but not so great as the single service. N. W. NILES: This unquestionably would make it more difficult for the side serving to win its game. Very hard to say how much. At Seabright a couple of years ago, this was tried and it didn't seem to make as much difference as expected. Probably because we were not accustomed to it and couldn't properly make use of the advantage. ROBERT LEROY: This would be better, it is now practically impossible to "alley" a good volleying pair consistently. A. M. SQUAIR: Yes, this would tend to reduce the server's advantage. G. F. TOUCH ARD: I should think so, approximately. J. J. ARMSTRONG: Absurd. LEONARD BEEKMAN: No; widening it to six feet would give the receiving side the advantage. W. M. HALL: Probably would. RICHARD HARTE : No. DEAN MATHEY: I think so. G. C. SHAFER : Somewhat, but the serving side gets the attack, which in doubles is a great advantage. S. H. VOSHELL : Don't think so ; never tried it. E. H. WHITNEY: Such a change would take away some of the advantage that the serving side now enjoys. I should not advise it, however. I. C. WRIGHT : Leave it as it is. W. C. GRANT: No. Scheme Tried al Seabright Some Think Strikers Would Have Advantage 250 METHODS AND PLAYERS OP MODERN LAWN TENNIS XVII. Mixed Doubles Different from Other Games Woman Must Play at the Net M MIXED DOUBLES IXED DOUBLES is a branch of the game which calls for some principles very different from those used in either singles or men's doubles. The same methods of play that are used in other doubles do not hold good and cannot be brought into use because of the inequality of the two partners in this kind of a game. The principle of the weaker link of a chain applies very strongly here, and it is very difficult to prevent the opposing players from selecting the woman on your side of the net for attack and by directing their strokes at her, to reduce the op- posing strength to the level of the woman's game. To prevent this only one way seems practica- ble, and that is to get the woman up to the net at the first opportunity and then to direct your strokes, if you be the man partner, so as to support her in that position where she can be of the most value to her team. I know that this is not, or at any rate was not until recently, considered good tactics in England, and I have seen the English players reverse this campaign with the man at the net, trying to "poach" across from side to side and make up by his quickness in volleying for his tactically poor MIXED DOUBLES 251 position to support his partner. With a net thirty- six feet wide to defend and the great risk that he will be caught in the centre with openings at each side where he can be passed, only one of which his partner can hope to cover, this plan seems almost suicidal. It would be difficult for such a game to win against an equal combination of the other style, with a clever masculine opponent who would almost certainly keep the ball out of the man's reach, and require the woman on the other side of the net to do all of the work. It is interesting to note that both Parke and Dixon, the two English leaders whose expert opinions follow, favor the American method of play. Yet when I advocated this position in an- other book ten years ago, English authorities rid- iculed the idea. The English position for volleying from back near the service-line helps their "formation" somewhat, as the man can cover more ground from side to side in this position, and also fore- stall any attempt to lob him away from the net. But the same old question of defensive underhand lifting volleys comes up again here, and to Amer- ican eyes they seem a poor substitute even in mixed doubles for aggressive ground-strokes or sharp killing volleys from close to the net. By all means, the woman is more valuable to her side at the net and the man at the back of his court, unless he can work his way in and support his partner in the volleying position, when both might hold the attack safely together. The diffi- culty is in getting the woman up to the net safely. English Prefer Man at the Net Parke and Dixon Have Come to American Ideas Man Can Sometimes Join Partnef at Net 252 METHODS AND PLAYERS OF MODERN LAWN TENNIS Difficult to Get There When She Serves Woman Should Cross Over Sometimes When her man partner serves, there is no ques- tion but that her place is at the net and she can take up her stand there before the ball is put into play. Similarly, when he is the striker-out, she can take the same position safely and he can sup- port her by his first return. But when the woman serves and when she is the striker, I believe that the man's place is at the middle of the base-line to cover any return that the other side can make. For the dangerous run that the woman must make toward the net without being caught half way up with the ball at her feet, a strategic stroke must be made that will give her the needed time, and this is not al- ways afforded by the return of the adversaries. If both of the opponents are back in their court, perhaps the safest way to secure the desired posi- tion is to drive deep into the woman's corner on the other side and have your partner run up be- hind this drive. If the other woman is on the same side of the court as your partner, this can be done at the first opening, but if they are diagonally opposite, it is always safer to have her cross over to the side opposite her woman opponent, and then make the run to the net on the first deep drive into the woman's corner. If the woman on the other side is playing at the net, this chance is not open, and the next alternative is to lob deep over the wom- an's head and your partner can then run in under this lob unless the man on the other side is an exceptionally good smasher, when it might be dangerous to lob at all. However that may be, MIXED DOUBLES 253 one of these two devices should be used and ma- noeuvered for until your partner can reach the net safely, after which a new situation presents it- self. With the woman at the net, I believe that the tactical position is sound, and if the other woman has also reached the net, then it is a matter of better tennis on even terms or better strategy that ought to win. With the woman against you at the base-line and your partner at the net, the odds are all in your favor, of course, so long as you can prevent the opposing woman from running in. Unless she be exceptionally clever at passing, a deep drive into her corner ought to let you fol- low it up safely, and with both yourself and your partner at the net together, victory is almost cer- tain with the ball kept on the woman's side of the court, and about even if the opposing man gets a chance at the play. With both women in the volleying position, the play between the two men generally is diag- onally across the court, and it should be the aim of the clever player to keep his drives well over in front of his partner, so that from her position she will be able to cover as much territory as possible. To play to the other corner leaves the "open diagonal" of the court wide open and limits the partner's usefulness to covering a very small sector of the court. When the opponent follows the same tactics and simply tries to outdrive you, a splendid varia- tion is to work him far out to the outside of his court to meet a diagonal drive and then to lob With Both Women at Net, Better Tennis Wins Men Drive Diagonally to Each Other A Variation With a Lob 254 METHODS AND PLAYERS OF MODERN LAWN TENNIS Often Drives Opponents Out of Position Have Partner Cross Under Lob Leaves Court Open for a Kill deep and low over his partner's head and follow the play up to the net. The effect of this play is to bring the man on the other side directly behind his partner leaving them doubled up and the other side of the court entirely unguarded. If you follow this play up to the net quickly, the court will be wide open for a kill and nothing but a lob or a brilliant passing stroke will save the other side from losing. The greatest danger of this play is that the man opponent will be able to cross quickly enough to smash, but if the lob is low and well placed to the side of the court he will find it very difficult to get there in time, es- pecially if he was far over to the other side before. I have found it a splendid variation to have my own partner cross the court under this lob. Let us follow this play and see how its works out. Both women are at the net and the men diagonally opposite each other back and driving deep. In your right corner, you lob deep and low straight down the right alley over the opposing woman's head and call to your partner to cross over under the lob. The man on the other side must cross over to handle the lob and will probably have to play it off the ground, so you can cross over at the base-line as soon as your partner has safely crossed at the net. Unless the woman on the other side also crosses she will be hopelessly out of the play and the entire right side (the left as you face them) of your opponents' court will be wide open for your next return. There are many other variations of play for mixed doubles, but success in this game depends MIXED DOUBLES 255 largely on getting your woman partner up to the net, and keeping her there safely so her position covers as much of the court as possible. Natur- ally, the woman who volleys well is much the stronger partner, and to select one who volleys badly is to court defeat. The service is a big advantage in mixed doubles, and the man should always serve first as he ought to win his own service game seventy per cent, of the time with evenly matched teams. The struggle usually develops around the winning of the games in which the women serve and both of the men are expected to win their own service games. Success Hangs On Getting Woman Up to Net 256 METHODS AND PLAYERS OF MODERN LAWN TENNIS Should Woman Play at the Netf English Combinations Find This an Advantage OPINIONS OF THE EXPERTS: Should the woman in mixed doubles play at the net or the base-line? R. N. WILLIAMS, 2ND : Net. T. C. BUNDY : At the net if she can volley at all. K. H. BEHR : At net. F. B. ALEXANDER : I should worry ! R. D. LITTLE : At the net if she is able. H. H. HACKETT: I don't qualify at this branch of the game. B. C. WRIGHT : At the net and rather close. J. C. PARKE: At the net if she can volley, and if she can't volley, then at the net and let her learn. C. P. DIXON : The combinations over here with the lady at the net have done wonderfully well, and show that if the lady is only a fair volleyer, the advantage is with them. R. L. MURRAY : At the net if she can. G. M. CHURCH : At the net. W. M. WASHBURN : At the net if she can volley ; otherwise not. ELIA FOTTRELL: At the net. CLARENCE HOBART: Net, if she is any good there. E. B. DEWHURST: Wherever she is best. J. R. STRACHAN : At the net. C. R. GARDNER : If she can volley, at the net. Much depends on what the opponents are sending over to her. A. S. DABNEY: Base-line unless an exceptionally good volleyer. G. P. GARDNER, JR. : Net is usually better. F. C. IN MAN : Base-line. W. F. JOHNSON : At the net. N. W. NILES : At the net if she can volley or keep MIXED DOUBLES 257 from being hit by her opponents' drives; this merely as against being placed there by her partner with the hope that their opponents will, for fear of hurting her, refrain from shooting fast drives her way. In either case, if tactics work out as planned, I believe a very unfair ad- vantage is taken as, of course, a strip of court is deliber- ately ruled off from play. If her partner's service is such that it can be returned with speed and is driven, as it should be, at or near her standing at the net, and she consistently missing, is in danger of being hit, I believe it is her partner's duty to put her back on the base-line rather than trust that the opposing side, seeing her dan- ger, will change the direction of their shots. T. R. PELL: Net. ROBERT LERov : I don't know. As a general thing, I should say at the base-line in the left-hand corner. A. M. SQUAIR : Yes, if she is at all used to net play. G. F. TOUCHARD : At the net, if she is able to volley at all. J. J. ARMSTRONG: At net, if able; few are able. LEONARD BEEKMAN: Net. W. M. HALL: At net, if any good there at all. RICHARD HARTE: It depends on the woman; if she can play net and volley to the opposite woman well, it gives one at once a very strong position. DEAN MATHEY: Depends upon the dame you are playing with. Ordinarily, I would say right on top of the net. R. C. SEAVER: At the net, if possible, always. G. C. SHAFER: At net. S. H. VOSHELL: Always at the net. E. H. WHITNEY: This, of course, depends entirely on the ability of the woman. Ordinarily I should by all means advocate the playing of the woman at the net. The very fact that she is at the net disconcerts the opposing players. He has at least to try to keep the ball away from her. This is sometimes easy enough to do but it is not so easy as playing the ball back anywhere, Niles Mixes Gallantry With Tennis Nearly All Favor Net Position "Depends on the Dame" Says Mathey 258 METHODS AND PLAYERS OP MODERN LAWN TENNIS Should Woman Get Easier Service? Nearly All Agree That He Should Not which can be done if the lady is not at the net. I. C. WRIGHT: Net, if she is equal to it. Few are, however. W. C. GRANT : She should play net. Should a man in high-class mixed doubles ease up on his service for the opposing woman f R. N. WILLIAMS, 2ND: No, No, No. T. C. BUNDY : No ; it's more or less an insult to the opponents. K. H. BEHR: Yes. F. B. ALEXANDER: Are you playing ping pong or tennis ? R. D. LITTLE: No. H. H. HACKETT: No. B. C. WRIGHT : Certainly not. J. C. PARKE: Rubbish. C. P. DIXON: Why should he? R. L. MURRAY: Certainly, if necessary to win. G. M. CHURCH: I don't think he should in very high-class mixed doubles. W. M. WASHBURN: No. ELIA FOTTRELL: No. CLARENCE HOBART: Of course not. E. B. DEWHURST : Why ? Is he out to win or to be polite? When he eases up on the opposite lady, he puts his own partner in bad. J. R. STRACHAN : Not in high-class play. C. R. GARDNER: No. His duty is to use all his powers to win for his partner's sake, if not for his own. A. S. DABNEY : No, if he did it would be a question of ethics, and that plays no part in a game where a man is trying to deliver his best strokes which still preserve perfect fairness and sportsmanship. G. P. GARDNER, JR. : No. F. C. INMAN : No. W. F. JOHNSON: No. MIXED DOUBLES 259 N. W. NlLES : No. Harte and T. R. PELL: No. Whitney ROBERT LEROY: No. Differ from ,, ~ -..T the Others A. M. SQUAIR: No. G. F. TOUCHARD: No. J. J. ARMSTRONG: He should not. LEONARD BEEKMAN : No. W. M. HALL: No. RICHARD HARTE : Yes, by all means. DEAN MATHEY: No. R. C. SEAVER: No. G. C. SHAFER : No. S. H. VOSHELL: No. E. H. WHITNEY : Yes, a little. I. C. WRIGHT: If at a house party. W. C. GRANT : Certainly not. It is part of the game and is perfectly fair. 260 METHODS AND PLAYERS OF MODERN LAWN TENNIS Healthy Respect for an Honorable Opponent Learning Something from the Other Man XVIII. ETHICS AND ETIQUETTE THERE IS NOT another sport in the whole category that develops and brings out a more healthy respect for an honorable op- ponent than lawn tennis. One is in such close personal relation with the adversary all the time during match play, that he is certain to learn a great deal of the character of the man he is op- posing during the course of a few sets. And when the match is over the manner in which he meets you, whether you be a winner or a loser, will shed some further light on the subject. If you have been playing against a stranger, it is a safe guess that you have learned something new from him and he something from you by the time the game is over. You may have beaten him badly, but in all the great variety of strokes that he has played during those three or four sets, there were surely some of them that were new to you, or played in a manner that was different from what you had seen before. If you have learned nothing new from his play, he must have been a very inferior player or you a very poor observer. After twenty years of tournament play, I found that I seldom played a match without learn- ing something new from my opponent's style of hitting the ball. The ability to learn and gain ETHICS AND ETIQUETTE 261 from observation of others' play is of inestimable value to any ambitious tennis player, and all should cultivate it. At the end of even the closest match, no mat- ter if it has been lost by the merest fluke, there should be no feeling of rancour on the part of either the winner or the loser, if the match has been played honorably. No one can win all of the time, and it does the best players a world of good to be beaten occasionally. It teaches them fresh ideas, gives them new incentives and ambitions. Furthermore, there is no interest in any game if you are always the winner; when the result is a foregone conclusion, it is almost unnecessary and generally uninteresting to play the match. But there are occasional times when an ad- versary cannot be considered an honorable oppo- nent and then it requires the greatest self-control to lose gracefully. Fortunately, such players are exceedingly rare in lawn tennis, because of the spirit of honor that pervades its players and the quick ostracism that has followed the few back- sliders who have fallen from grace. Not very many years ago, I remember hear- ing a certain man who was very far from popular, explain how he came to beat another player who was always thought to be considerably better than he. Amazed at the result, some of us were asking how he came to beat this man, and his reply was : "Oh, I managed to throw him off his game in several ways. His service was the hardest thing to handle, but every once in a while when he got them in too fast for me, I would just hold up my Win or Lose, There Should Be No Rancour The Few Backsliders Ostracised One Man's Method of Winning 262 METHODS AND PLAYERS OF MODERN LAWN TENNIS Minor Ways of Dishonesty An Instance of Bad Methods Not Fair to Hurry Opponents hand and say 'Not ready !' and make him serve it over again/' Now, this may be an exaggerated case, but there are a number of such minor ways of dis- honesty in which the technical rules of the game can be beaten. Not being ready for the service is one, for no umpire can insist that you were ready ; claiming a "let" for some imaginary inter- ference is another, but the umpire has better con- trol over this infraction ; calling out loudly to dis- concert an opponent as he is about to smash is another adopted by some players who lack the respect of their contemporaries. I well remember another instance of this kind which occurred when I was playing an im- portant tournament match against the same play- er whose transgression was cited before. I got within one stroke of victory and he tossed a short lob, which seemed certain to be killed. In sheer desperation, my opponent shouted out as the ball was falling close to the net, "He'll miss it, he'll miss it!" as loud as he could, with the desired effect, for I did miss the smash as a result, al- though the trick did not ultimately save the match for him. It is considered not only fair and generous but required by the ethics of the game that the opponent be given ample time to prepare, even to shift position if he wishes, between the delivery of the first and second services, and if your op- ponent tries to hurry you unreasonably in this regard, you are fully entitled to hold up your hand ETHICS AND ETIQUETTE 263 to show you were not ready for the second service and make him deliver it again. In the same way, you are entitled to walk back to position with reasonable deliberateness at the end of a rally before taking the next service, and your opponent should not be allowed to force you to hurry when he finds perhaps that you are out of breath. This is one of the sly tricks that are sometimes attempted by a few players of doubtful ethics, but they are easily checked by a demand for reasonable preparation before each service is delivered. The honorable player will not take advantage, on the other hand, of either of these unquestionable rights. To do that would be just as bad as the other extreme. One should be courteous also in knocking idle balls directly back to his opponent, not in his general direction so that he will have to walk a little extra distance each time to get balls to serve. I have seen players sometimes sullenly knock the balls back to the other side of the court without the slightest regard for the other man, when a little ordinary courtesy would have dictated a better direction. But such instances are rare, and the eti- quette of lawn tennis is pretty well understood by all of its players and lived up to religiously as a matter of personal honor and honesty. Neverthe- less, there are a host of fine points that often come up to trouble the conscience of a man during match play and a frank discussion of the doubt- ful points is certain to make the conditions sur- rounding tournaments more equal. You Are Entitled to Play Deliberately Knocking Back Idle Balls Some Doubtful Points in Ethics 264 METHODS AND PLAYERS OP MODERN LAWN TENNIS Lob in the Sun if the Other Man Does This State of Mind Bothers Many Most Tournament Players Frankly Do So For instance, I asked one of the best players in the country not long ago if he considered it fair to intentionally lob in the face of the sun, so that his adversary might have the disadvantage of facing it, and make his smashing more diffi- cult. His reply was: "I do, if the other fellow does." Here is a state of mind that bothers many players; they are not certain whether their con- science approves of certain questionable things during match play, but if the antagonist uses these means they would follow suit. This leaves the matter in a debatable state, so that either might refrain from the same ruse and accuse the other afterward of taking an unfair advantage. On this particular point, nearly all tourna- ment players consider it perfectly legitimate to take advantage of the position of the sun. Even the rules themselves have been framed to equalize this advantage, for you will find that the rule governing the changing of sides during a set re- quires that never more than two games in suc- cession shall be played from the same side of the net, and any advantage that may accrue from having the sun or wind at the back will be divided as equally as possible. The rules go even further than this, and prevent two successive games after deuce in any set from being played from the same side, by requiring the players to change sides after the odd instead of the even games. This is the reason that this rule was framed as it is, so that neither player should have any distinct ad- vantage due to the wind or sun or other court ETHICS AND ETIQUETTE 265 conditions, for the necessary two games in suc- cession after the score had reached five-all, six- all, or any other deuce point in the set. A set cannot be won, therefore, because of such conditions, although a game can. Frankly, most of the best tournament play- ers do take advantage of the sun and the wind whenever possible. When their back is toward the sun, they lob more often than when facing it, so as to gain by their adversary's inability to smash with the sun in his eyes. They drive with the wind and lob against it, if they consider that good tactics; the ethics of these tactics are gen- erally considered to be good. Certainly, every player selects the weakest point in his opponent's armour of strokes for at- tack, and no one questions his right to do so. If he smashes poorly, the wise tournament player feeds lobs to him ; if his backhand stroke is weak or erratic, he is given the ball on this side, and if he is poor at volleying or playing off the ground, a distinct effort is made to force him into that part of the court where he will have to play the strokes he is least expert in. Another fine point in ethics comes up in tak- ing advantage of the physical condition of an ad- versary. Your opponent may be out of condition when a match starts and you may soon learn of this advantage you hold over him; or he may start fit and become more exhausted by his play than you who have husbanded your strength bet- ter. Under these conditions, how far is it per- missible to deliberately "play for his wind" that Entitled to Advantage of Sun or Wind Other Weak Points Always Attacked Playing to Tire Out the Adversary 266 METHODS AND PLAYERS OF MODERN LAWN TENNIS The Cafe of Doherty vs. Ward Exhaustion Beat the American Wise Generalship to Husband Your Strength is, to play to win by endurance rather than su- periority of strokes? As in the question of lobbing against the sun, a great majority of the tournament experts feel that this is perfectly legitimate, and it would clear the atmosphere, I feel, to have this free dis- cussion of the matter so that none of the others should be held back from taking the same ad- vantage when it offers. When Holcombe Ward met H. L. Doherty in the Davis Cup International matches at Wimbledon in 1905, he captured the first two sets by fast rushing to the net and volley- ing the returns of the English champion. Do- herty, however, believed that he could not keep up this steady rushing and must soon "shoot his bolt/' so he played well within himself, waiting for the American to "crack." His plan succeeded, as history shows to the regret of the American hopes for International supremacy that year, for after the first two sets, Ward was exhausted and could not physically keep up the gruelling net- rushing, with the result that Doherty won the next three sets in comparatively easy fashion, on better physical condition, although clearly out- played in the first two. It is considered perfectly legitimate to make use of such an advantage, and wise generalship to husband your strength for the endurance test at the first sign of physical distress on the part of the adversary. In the final round at Newport some years ago, I found it impossible to lob with safety against Dwight Davis during the early part of the match. As the struggle drew out tQ a fifth ETHICS AND ETIQUETTE 267 set, however, physical condition began to count. My opponent was a very heavy man who felt the strain more than I did, so I played safe, with the result that toward the end of the match I could lob with perfect safety, as Davis was unable to smash successfully after he tired. That weak- ness saved the match for me; physical condition turned the tables in my favor, just as it reversed the result the next day in the challenge round against Whitman. Some question has been raised as to just how far lawn tennis players should resort to deception that is, deception regarding intentions in play, in direction of strokes, in motions of the arms, body or racket, and in counter deceptions to offset such deceit. Little carries this to the extreme in his theories, and his book dwells constantly on the fine points raised by these tactics. Personally, I feel that this is a perfectly legitimate part of the strategy of the game, and perhaps the highest point of skill among the most expert players. If all deception were omitted, the mere making of strokes would become much more mechanical, and much of the variety would be taken from the game. Possibly, Little may dwell too much on the element of deception in strategy, but I am a firm believer in its value and legitimacy. How far will good ethics permit this decep- tion in play to be carried ? Certainly, beyond the use of shifting the eyes, beyond "covering" the direction of a stroke by false motions, beyond dodging to one side or another to deceive an ad- versary as to your position, to your shifting posi- Big Men Tire in Long Matches Deception in Play Perfectly Legitimate How Far Should Deception Be Carried? 268 METHODS AND PLAYERS OP MODERN LAWN TENNIS Serving to the Woman in Mixed Doubles Attacking the Woman Opponent tion when his eyes are on the ball and unable to follow your movements, and to other similar means of keeping the enemy in doubt of your in- tentions, or better yet, wrongly informed. Should it include such a device as stamping on the ground to imitate a quick move when an opponent is look- ing up to smash a lob ? Beals Wright used to use this maneuver successfully, and I do not remem- ber ever hearing it criticized. Two fine points in etiquette naturally come up for approval or disapproval that are surely within the doubtful limits. Should a man player serve or smash or drive as hard as possible toward a woman opponent? It is not unusual in mixed doubles for the man to moderate his service a trifle in serving to his woman antagonist, but this is not always done, particularly when the women in the match are of the highest class. Still it is done often even among players of this class. It seems to be a matter of courtesy rather than ethics, but it is always a doubtful matter in tourna- ment play, and sometimes causes bad feeling when the man on one side of the net uses this advantage and the other does not. Expert women players sometimes resent the slight of inferiority and I have known them to take the other view. The same question comes up in mixed dou- bles when the man has an opportunity to score by keeping the woman on the other side of the net constantly under fire, and by avoiding the attack of her man partner, manages to win the match. Some players feel it a matter of good ethics in mixed doubles to divide the attack with fair ETHICS AND ETIQUETTE 269 equality, directing a full share of it toward the man opponent, but as a rule tournament experts play to win in mixed doubles as in the other branches of the game. The rules are very specific and all decisions have been consistent in refusing to postpone a match because one of the contesting players was injured during it, and there is a strong feeling that advantage should not be taken of the dis- cretionary power in the referee's hands by which a player can gain a short respite in case of a fall or injury to himself, his racket or his clothes. The rules also are very precise as to the resting period between sets, but there has been a good deal of carelessness in enforcing this provision, except in the championship matches. It is apparent that if one player is more ex- hausted by the severity of the play than the other, a longer resting period than the rules allow will equalize this disadvantage, and since it is legiti- mate to play for this advantage, it is certainly wrong to try to offset it by unlawful means such as extending the period for rest between the sets. The ethics of this side of the game are rather clear in that once the match has been started, it should be played through to its conclusion without fur- ther interruption than a strict interpretation of the rules permits. Breaking a racket, injury from a fall or collision or any similar accident should not be allowed to offset any advantage that the opponent has secured in the score or in better physical condition. Before the match begins, however, a differ- The Question of Postponing Matches Delay Should Not Be Granted for Rest 270 METHODS AND PLAYERS OF MODERN LAWN TENNIS Refusing to Take a Hollow Victory A Test Case of Postponement When Should a Let Be Claimed? ent situation arises, and most players are reluctant to force an adversary who is sick or incapacitated to begin a scheduled match in order to secure a hollow victory. Just as the U. S. N. L. T. A. re- fused to challenge for the Davis Cup this year because the British players, both Australian and English, were tied up on account of the war; in the same spirit that made the American polo team last year volunteer a postponement to the British Challengers for the International Polo Cup when one of their best players was hurt in practice only a day or two before play was to begin ; in just this same spirit of good sportsmanship, lawn tennis players do not want to force an adversary to start a match under conditions of great temporary in- equality. But there must be some limit to such indulgences and some rules to draw the line, so once a match is started, it is the invariable rule that it must be played out to the end or defaulted if one player is incapacitated. A test case of this came up some years ago in the challenge round for the women's national championship, when Miss Marie Cahill, the cham- pion, suddenly had a cramp in her leg in the middle of the challenge round for her title. She refused to continue play, and the committee very rightfully insisted on defaulting her title to the challenger, despite the protests of Miss Cahill. When should a let be claimed ? This is a nice point that hangs very much on the conscience of the player. The rules state very clearly under what circumstances a let shall be allowed, but most umpires are inclined to take the word of a ETHICS AND ETIQUETTE 271 player claiming to have a point played over again. If you were clearly interfered with by a pass- ing spectator or other outside influences that are recognized by the rules, you are entitled to make the claim, but it is the worst of all ethics to try for a point and losing it, then to make a claim that the point should be played over again. If con- vinced that you are entitled to replay the point, stop at once, making the claim before you lay yourself open to the accusation of trying to get two chances to win the same point. Such cases do not come up often in tourna- ment play because outside influences are kept from interfering with the players, but the ethics of the game are just as important in practice play as in big matches where there are umpires to decide such doubtful questions. One of the most difficult points for all play- ers to decide in the ethical side of the game is how to take a wrong decision of an umpire on ques- tions of fact. We find occasionally the type of player who is quick to take advantage of every decision in his favor, right or wrong, and to in- stantly dispute the umpire, even to appeal to out- siders or his opponent, when he thinks an error has been maae. Such men soon find themselves unpopular among the other players, and ostra- cism is sometimes the only way to cure them of their disagreeable traits. The broad-minded player usually takes the view that the umpire is honest and doing the best he can ; he knows that he is fallible like any other human being, and he hopes that the errors he may Never Try for Point and Then Claim a Let Ethics as Important in Practice as Match Play How Should One Take an Umpire's Wrong Decision? 272 METHODS AND PLAYERS OF MODERN LAWN TENNIS Most Embarrassing When in Your Favor A Sample of Fine Sportsmanship make during a match will even themselves up in the long run. To be put in the position of seeing a doubt- ful or clearly wrong decision in your own favor is perhaps the most unpleasant, and this calls for generosity or diplomacy. Your diplomatic oppo- nent in these circumstances invariably has not seen the ball strike and is perfectly willing to abide by whatever the umpire thinks, since he knows it is in his favor, but your honorable an- tagonist gives up the point. I have seen many remarkable instances of generous opponents who refused to take advantage of such an error but who were broad enough not to embarrass the um- pire by openly reversing his decision. One ex-champion got the benefit of a wrong decision at the critical part of a big Newport match some years ago, but before he allowed the point to be recorded in his favor, he called to his opponent : "Was that good?" "I couldn't be sure; it looked out to me," from the antagonist. "Are you sure that ball was good, Mr. Um- pire?" "It looked good to me," from the umpire. A moment's hesitation and then the ex-cham- pion went back to his base-line and served a double fault. And his opponent knew instantly that he had thrown the next point away intentionally, for he spoke of it after the match. That is the spirit of true sportsmanship that shows the highest ethics in the game, I take it. ETHICS AND ETIQUETTE 273 Such instances, and there are plenty of them on Highest record, demonstrate the broad character that de- % h f the Game velops from the spirit of fair play that lawn tennis breeds. 274 METHODS AND PLAYERS OF MODERN LAWN TENNIS Should You Lob in Face of the Sun? Nearly Atl 9 * Should OPINIONS OF THE EXPERTS: Do you consider it good ethics to lob in the face of the sun? R - N. WILLIAMS, 2ND: No. T. C. BUNDY : Lob when that would be the natural return if there were no sun. K. H. BEHR : Yes, if the other man does. F. B. ALEXANDER : Yes. R. D. LITTLE: Certainly. H. H. HACKETT: Yes. B. C. WRIGHT: Yes. J. C. PARKE: Certainly. C. P. DIXON : In a match, yes. R. L. MURRAY: No, unless there is no other play possible. G. M. CHURCH: Yes. W. M. WASHBURN: Yes. ELIA FOTTRELL: No, only when forced to. CLARENCE HOBART: Of course. E. B. DEWHURST : Are you trying to win the match It ig n j cer tQ hit the Qther man off the court> without some exercise of intelligence the "brains" person could never beat the "brawn" gentleman. J. R. STRACHAN: No. C. R. GARDNER: No, but in some cases necessary. A. S. DABNEY : Yes. G. P. GARDNER, JR. : Yes. F. C. INMAN : Yes, but seldom happens; most tour- nament courts are faced correctly. N. W. NILES: Yes. T. R. PELL: Yes. ROBERT LEROY: Yes. A. M. SQUAIR: Yes. G. F. TOUCHARD: I do. ETHICS AND ETIQUETTE 275 LEONARD BEEKMAN : Yes. Harte Says W. M. HALL: Yes. Play as if RICHARD HARTE: No; play as you would were There Were there no sun. N Sun DEAN MATHEY: Yes. R. C. SEAVER: Yes. G. C. SHAFER: Yes. S. H. VOSHELL: Yes. E. H. WHITNEY: Certainly. I. C. WRIGHT: Yes. W. C. GRANT : It is a fair advantage ; your opponent has the same advantage. Do you consider it good ethics to lob persistently to an opponent when he is off in smashing? R. N. WILLIAMS, 2ND: No. Should You T. C. BUNDY : Yes, indeed, if a match. Lob to a Bad K. H. BEHR: Yes. Smasher? F. B. ALEXANDER : Yes. R. D. LITTLE: Certainly. H. H. HACKETT: Yes. B. C. WRIGHT: Yes. J. C. PARKE: Certainly. C. P. DIXON : Certainly. R. L. MURRAY : O. K. G. M. CHURCH : Yes. W. M. WASHBURN: Yes. ELIA FOTTRELL: Yes. Agaln> the CLARENCE HOBART : Of course. Experts Agree, E. B. DEWHURST: Same as to the question about Williams lobbing in the face of the sun. Dissenting J. R. STRACHAN: Yes. C. R. GARDNER : Yes, the same as putting chop on a ball if he hates chops. A. S. DABNEY : Yes. G. P. GARDNER, JR.: Yes. F. C. INMAN : Yes. 276 METHODS AND PLAYERS OP MODERN LAWN TENNIS Champion's N. W. NILES: Yes. In playing to win, as tourna- is the Only ment Negative T R p ELL . y es Answer _, T -^ -* r ROBERT LERov: Yes. A. M. SQUAIR: Yes. G. F. TOUCHARD: I do. J. J. ARMSTRONG: Yes. LEONARD BEEKMAN : Yes. W. M. HALL: Yes. RICHARD HARTE: Yes. DEAN MATHEY: Yes. R. C. SEAVER: Yes, if you care to win. G. C. SHAFER: Yes. , S. H. VOSHELL: Yes. E. H. WHITNEY: Certainly. I. C. WRIGHT: Yes. W. C. GRANT: Yes. Do you consider it good ethics to intentionally play to exhaust an opponent when he seems to be tiring or out of physical condition f Should You R. N. WILLIAMS, 2ND : Yes, because you have per- Tryto Exhaust haps tired him by your ^ efc> T. C. BUNDY: The best tactics; let him stay out of tournaments if out of condition ; would be unsportsman- like to play into his hand. K. H. BEHR: Yes. F. B. ALEXANDER : Yes. R. D. LITTLE: Certainly. H. H. HACKETT: Yes. B. C. WRIGHT : Yes, if it is a big tournament match. Parke and J. C. PARKE : No, not if it means an alteration from Dixon Disagree your usual game. re C. P. NIXON : Yes, one is entitled to make the most of one's superior physical condition. R. L. MURRAY : O. K. also in tournament. Although ETHICS AND ETIQUETTE 277 give him a chance to rest all he wants if he hurts himself. G. M. CHURCH: Yes. W. M. WASHBURN: Yes. ELIA FOTTRELL: Yes. CLARENCE HOBART: Of course. E. B. DEWHURST: Same as to the question about lobbing in the face of the sun. J. R. STRACHAN: Yes. C. R. GARDNER: Part of the game is condition, a big part of it. A. S. DABNEY: Yes. G. P. GARDNER, JR. : Yes. F. C. INMAN : Yes. W. F. JOHNSON : Any legitimate style of play which assists in winning is good ethics. N. W. NILES: Yes. T. R. PELL: Yes, all in the game; his condition is his fault and he deserves to lose if he can't stand the strain. So to keep him running to tire him out is per- fectly fair. ROBERT LERov: Yes. A. M. SQUAIR: Yes. G. F. TOUCHARD: I certainly do. J. J. ARMSTRONG: Yes. LEONARD BEEKMAN : Yes, I believe confidence is half of what is known as "tennis ability". W. M. HALL: Yes. RICHARD HARTE : Yes. DEAN MATHEY: Yes. R. C. SEAVER: That's part of the game if it's a tournament match. G. C. SHAFER : Yes, beat him anyway you can, with- out breaking the rules, or being ungentlemanly in bear- ing and talk. S. H. VOSHELL: Yes. E. H. WHITNEY : Most assuredly. I. C. WRIGHT: Yes. W. C. GRANT: Yes, tennis is a question of endur- ance as well as execution of the strokes. All But Parke Agree That it is Fair Opponent Deserves to Lose if He Can't Stand the Strain 278 METHODS AND PLAYERS OF MODERN LAWN TENNIS XIX. Importance of Selecting a Good Racket Cut Strokes Require an Open Mesh O RACKETS, BALLS, SHOES, ETC. F ALL THE implements of the game, the racket of course is the one that is most important to the player. Individual taste must govern each man in the selection of his rackets, but there are some points in common that all agree on. Tight stringing is essential to suc- cess in all match play, but there is such a thing as being too tight. Experienced players often find their rackets too tight when they first come from the shop and it takes several days' play to ease up on the tension enough to make the cut strokes take well on them. Cut strokes depend for their success largely on a longer contact between the stings and the ball than do other strokes, and the tighter the strings are the shorter will be the contact, as the ball flies away too fast on its course from a very tightly-strung racket. Too small a mesh in the stringing also will make it difficult to get much twist or cut on the ball. As the ball rolls across the strings, every other string (those where the cross strings are under the long strings) rubs against the rough sur- face of the ball and makes it revolve. If the mesh of the racket is very small these will be so close together that they will not grip the surface but RACKETS, BALLS, SHOES, ETC. 279 slide over like a smooth board and the ball will get less spin. For dirt court play, a coarser gut is prefer- able to that used for grass court play. On turf, the fine strings will not cut so quickly as where the sharp sand is picked up by the ball and rubbed on the strings, and also the ball becomes slightly heavier from the moisture in the grass and re- quires the greater resiliency of the thinner strings. But in any case, a good racket is essential for even beginners at the game. Nothing will handicap the learner more surely than poor tools for his work, and a good racket is sure to give him a good start. The weight of the racket depends somewhat on the size of the player and his physical strength. The average weight in use by tournament players varies from fourteen to fourteen and one-half ounces. Dirt courts require a slightly heavier racket than grass but half an ounce is easily enough for this difference. This seems like split- ting hairs somewhat, but half an ounce in a tennis racket is a very material difference. Women gen- erally use lighter rackets, theirs most often vary- ing from thirteen to fourteen ounces. The weight should be evenly balanced, so that the racket is carried easily in the hand and can be brought up quickly into striking position without too much jerk on the wrist. Just what this balance should be is hard to describe, but experienced players balance a racket critically be-. Coarser Gut for Dirt Court Play Best Weight for a Racket Weight Should Be Evenly Balanced 280 METHODS AND PLAYERS OF MODERN LAWN TENNIS Size of the Handle Important Large Handles Weaken the Grasp Beware of Fancy Grips fore buying it, and form their own opinions from the way it feels. The size of the handle that should be used is of considerable importance, but as in the ques- tion of weight it depends largely on the taste of the player, and to some extent on the size of his hand. It is a safe rule to lay down, however, that when the thumb and first finger are wrapped around the handle at its lower end where you grasp it that they should overlap each other by at least an inch. Large handles generally have a tendency to weaken the grip of the average player and I would strongly recommend a small handle. Among the best tournament players the most popular size is a handle 5j4 inches in circumference, but some prefer larger. Personally, I believe this size is the best, but I would prefer to go under rather than over it in selecting a racket, as the smaller handle gives a firmer grip and better control. It is easy to measure the circumference with the edge of a handkerchief or a piece of cord and a ruler. It is well to beware of fancy grips on rackets. There are a great variety of these in the stores, but the safest handle to select is that of cedar with an octagonal grip, not sharp on the edges, but with rough or "combed" wood for the hand. Some players have a tendency to perspire freely in the hand while playing and find it difficult for this reason to prevent the racket from slipping occa- sionally while in play. Electric tape or surgeon's adhesive plaster is sometimes wrapped around the handle to prevent this slipping, but I have never RACKETS, BALLS, SHOES, ETC. 281 found it a success, generally enlarging the handle unnecessarily, and in hot weather becoming too sticky. Rubber handles, cork handles and fancy shaped handles seldom prove to be of advantage, and it is better to get used to the standard shape and learn to grip that properly than to experiment with odd shapes or surfaces. The rules are very clear regarding the size and weight of the balls, which are very closely prescribed. Poor balls that are off in size or weight will be found a great handicap, and it is very bad practice to play with even good balls after they become damp so as to be too heavy. Dirt courts cut the covers and stitches of the balls rapidly, particularly when the surface is gritty, and the balls become light, soft and flabby under these conditions, so that old balls hurt one's play. The net should always be at the right height while in use. A sagging or high net is an abom- ination, and a few hours of practice over a low net will do an incalculable amount of damage, which will become apparent soon after in a tend- ency to hit the top band frequently when playing over a net of the correct height. Great care should be taken that courts are marked out properly, for a few inches difference in the length or breadth of a court will throw the player's calculation off quickly and train the eye to the wrong distances. The lines should be two inches wide in the marking; extra wide lines and very narrow ones being equally annoying. A standard width of line is very desirable so that the player can become accustomed to a certain Balls Should Be Right in Size and Weight Nets Should Be Always Correct Height Never Play on Courts That Are Marked Wrong 282 METHODS AND PLAYERS OF MODERN LAWN TENNIS Difference of Opinion as to Shoes "Sneakers" Save Much Weight Other Wearing Apparel white line before him always and always find it the same. There is considerable difference of opinion regarding the selection of rubber-soled shoes for tennis. The larger number of the tournament players use light canvas low shoes, commonly called "sneakers," and find them, if fitting snugly, a great help to light-footedness and agility in get- ting about the court. Some players, however, insist that these thin shoes burn the feet and blister them, and that a heavy-soled tennis shoe is preferable. Vaile in his "Modern Lawn Tennis", carried his aversion to heavy shoes so far that he cal- culated that the average English player carried twelve ounces more weight on each foot than the man who wears a "sneaker." Allowing five steps per second, he continues, the player with the heavy shoe lifts 13,500 pounds more in an hour, which would be quite a drain on strength, the more so when a long match often lasts from two to three hours. Shoes should be tight without pinching. A loose shoe is far worse than a tight one, since its free play soon works blisters on the feet. Shoes always work larger in use, and they should fit rather tight when new so they will not slip on the feet later. All tennis clothes should fit comfortably and not distract the player's attention while he is play- ing. A tight or loose belt that is continually need- ing adjusting is a constant source of annoyance and a shirt that works out from under the belt is RACKETS, BALLS, SHOES, ETC. 283 also distracting. Tennis shirts are now made with short sleeves that are fine for match play, for a rolled up sleeve is often in the way, and the flop- ping kind that R. F. Doherty used to play with are enough to take any one's eyes off the ball when the wind blows. Flopping Shirt-Sleeves Bothersome 284 METHODS AND PLAYERS OF MODERN LAWN TENNIS OPINIONS OF THE EXPERTS: What weight racket do you use? What circum- ference of handle at the end? What Size and Weight for Racket? From 14 to i4 l /2 Oz. the General Rule R. N. WILLIAMS, 2ND: 14%, 5%+ ZO tape. T. C. BUNDY: 14 oz., 5%. K. H. BEHR: 14% oz. Don't know circumference. F. B. ALEXANDER: 14%, 5^ handle. R. D. LITTLE : 14% oz., 5% increased by tape wrap- ping. H. H. HACKETT: Hackett and Alexander. 5%. B. C. WRIGHT: 14 to 14%, 5%. J. C. PARKE : 14% oz., 5% inches. C. P. DIXON : 14% oz., 5%, if anything prefer even shorter. R. L. MURRAY: 14% to 15 oz., largest size. G. M. CHURCH: Weight, 14%. Handle, 5%. W. M. WASHBURN: 14% oz., 5^ in. ELIA FOTTRELL: Around 14% oz., 5% in. handle. CLARENCE HOBART : 14 and 14%, 5 in. E. B. DEWHURST: 14 oz., 5% inches. J. R. STRACHAN: 14 oz., 5^ inches, not counting the tape. C. R. GARDNER: 14% oz., 5^ in. handle. A. S. DABNEY : 14 oz., circumference 5% inches. G. P. GARDNER, JR. : 14 oz., 5% in., I think. F. C. INMAN : 14% oz., 5^ inches. W. F. JOHNSON: 14 oz., 5% inches. N. W. NILES : 14% oz., 5% to 5% in. T. R. PELL: 14% oz., 5% in. handle. ROBERT LERov : 13)4 to 14 oz., 5% inches. A. M. SQUAIR : 14 oz. best for me. 14% I can use also but as my game is more "net" than "back" the \ RACKETS, BALLS, SHOES, ETC. lighter racket is better. A back court player should use heavier racket than a net player. G. F. TOUCHARD: 14 or 14% oz., 5% in. J. J. ARMSTRONG: 14 oz., medium grip. LEONARD BEEKMAN: 14 oz., 5^ in. W. M.HALL:14oz., 5#. RICHARD HARTE: 14% oz., 5% inch handle. DEAN MATHEY: 14 oz., 5% in- R. C. SEAVER: 14. Do not know just what I do use for a circumference. I like the old small handle racket better than the large handle. G. C. SHAFER : 14% oz., big handle. S. H. VOSHELL: 14% oz., 5^ with tape. E. H. WHITNEY: 14% oz. racket, 5% inch handle. I. C. WRIGHT: 14% oz., 5% in. handle. W. C. GRANT: Weight 14% oz. even balance, 5% inches circumference. 285 Handles Generally 5 1 A" Around Do you believe in a large or small handle for the average player? R. N. WILLIAMS, 2ND: Small, K. H. BEHR: Small. F. B. ALEXANDER : As large as is comfortable. R. D. LITTLE: Fairly large. H. H. HACKETT: Small. B. C. WRIGHT: Large gives better balance. J. C. PARKE: Small. C. P. DIXON : Moderate ; smaller rather than larger. R. L. MURRAY : Large, better average. G. M. CHURCH : Medium. W. M. WASHBURN: It depends. ELIA FOTTRELL: Large. CLARENCE HOBART : Medium. E. B. DEWHURST: Medium. J. R. STRACHAN : Large. C. R. GARDNER: Large. A. S. DABNEY : No difference ; question of individual taste. Should Average Player Use Large or Small Handle? 286 METHODS AND PLAYERS OP MODERN LAWN TENNIS Gardner Thinks it Depends on What He Likes Large for Net Play, Small for Back-Court Which Are Best: "Sneakers" or Thick Solesf G. P. GARDNER, JR.: Depends on what he likes. F. C. INMAN : Large. W. F. JOHNSON: Large. N. W. NILES: Medium large. T. R. PELL: Large. ROBERT LERov: Large. A. M. SQUAIR: Rather small, say 5-inch handle. G. F. TOUCHARD: Small. J. J. ARMSTRONG: According to size of hand. LEONARD BEEKMAN: Small. W. M. HALL: Medium. RICHARD HARTE: Medium. DEAN MATHEY: Medium. R. C. SEAVER: Large for a good net player, small for a back-court player. S. H. VOSHELL: Large. E. H. WHITNEY : Large. I. C. WRIGHT: Medium. W. C. GRANT : It depends on the size of the player's hand. Do you think thin "sneakers" or heavy-soled shoes are better for hard play? R. N. WILLIAMS, 2ND: Sneakers. T. C. BUNDY: Spikes for turf; sneakers for hard courts. K. H. BEHR: Latter. F. B. ALEXANDER : Depends on the player. R. D. LITTLE: Heavy. H. H. HACKETT: Thin sneakers. B. C. WRIGHT: Heavy-soled shoe. J. C. PARKE: Heavy-soled. C. P. DIXON : I find heavy-soled the best. The feet are thereby better protected. R. L. MURRAY: Heavy-soled shoes. G. M. CHURCH: Sneakers are worth at least half- fifteen when playing on a hard court. ELIA FOTTRELL: Heavy-soled shoes. RACKETS, BALLS, SHOES, ETC. 28f CLARENCE HOBART: Heavy-soled shoes and thick Opinions socks. Evenly E. B. DEWHURST : Thin are lighter but harder on D ded on the feet. * J. R. STRACHAN: Heavy-soled sneakers. C. R. GARDNER: Sneakers, as they are lighter and more flexible. A. S. DABNEY: Heavy shoes. G. P. GARDNER, JR. : I prefer heavy-soled. F. C. INMAN : Heavy sole, and a shoe to support in- step more than a sneaker does. W. F. JOHNSON : Fairly heavy. N. W. NILES: I prefer high "sneakers". Heavy- soled shoes feel clumsy. T. R. PELL: Sneakers. ROBERT LERov: I use sneakers and heavy socks usually. A. M. SQUAIR: Heavy-soled shoes better. Also heavy socks. G. F. TOUCHARD: Heavy-soled shoes always. J. J. ARMSTRONG: Sneakers. LEONARD BEEKMAN : Heavy-soled. W. M. HALL : Lighter the better, if they hold the court. RICHARD HARTE: Sneakers for match play; heavy "Sneakers" for soles for ordinary use. The latter are the more com- Match Play fortable but are the heavier and consequently make the player slower. DEAN MATHEY: Sneakers, if the arch does not suffer. R. C. SEAVER: Heavy-soled shoes give one much more stability on court and more confidence ; light shoes throw me off my balance and spoil many well-directed shots. G. C. SHAFER: Heavy-soled shoes. S. H. VOSHELL : The lighter the shoe the better. E. H. WHITNEY: Thin sneakers. I. C. WRIGHT: Heavy-soled shoes and heavy socks. W. C. GRANT : For hard courts, thick soles ; me- dium thickness for grass courts 288 METHODS AND PLAYERS OF MODERN LAWN TENNIS XX. Good Practice Must Be Based on Sound Theory Vaile' s Ideas Not All Original W LAWN TENNIS THEORIES HILE IT IS no doubt true that too much theory and too little practice make a poor combination, good practice must be based on sound theory or at least, it ought to be, despite the exceptions to this rule that Brookes and a few other players have furnished. As the game progresses, new theories are sure to be propounded, and some, like the Ameri- can twist service, may have a revolutionizing effect. Sound theorists are as valuable to the game as good players, and I am not in accordance with those who would dismiss without considera- tion the views of a critic because he is not a good player himself. Mr. Vaile is as much entitled to a hearing as the most expert player. However, Vaile's theories are not all original with him, nor are they all safe to accept on their face. His sweeping condemnation of the English method of gripping the racket is not justified by the results of matches on record. We cannot for- get the admitted superiority of the Doherty broth- ers so soon as that. Nor can one approve the idea that Brookes is a sound model to copy for young players who are learning the game. By nearly every other au- thority on record, the great Australian is con- LAWN TENNIS THEORIES 289 sidered a player whose success has defied the ac- cepted laws of good form. The Vaile theory that there is only one way to play the backhand stroke, as it is shown by Vaile himself and Theodore Pell, may also be questioned with propriety. Brookes, whom he takes as a model, does not play this stroke, nor did Wilding, or Larned or any of the other really great players on record. Most observers believe Larned's backhand stroke better than Pell's, and Wilding's more effective also. The most remarkable feature of Vaile's recent book, however, is the apparent effort to assume credit for the centre theory. He republishes Max Decugis's preface to his French edition in which Decugis refers to "Vaile's famous centre-theory" with no denial of the authorship. This sounds strange to Americans, who remember well the theory as developed by R. D. Wrenn as far back as 1895, and who were fully familiar with it as expounded in a previous book published in 1904 by the present author. Vaile's first exposition of this theory came in 1905 in the London "Field," and F. W. Payn in his "Secrets of Lawn Tennis" (page 70), de- clares : "Anyone who cares to look at the article in question will find that Mr. Paret's book was the fountain-head from which it proceeded in a singu- larly undiluted form." Certainly, before Vaile knew anything of lawn tennis, the theory was well worked out in America, and certainly before he published anything about it, it had been fully ex- pounded in print. More Than One Way to Play the Backhand Where Did the Centre Theory Originate? British Ideas on the Subject 290 METHODS AND PLAYERS OF MODERN LAWN TENNIS Payn's Views Narrowly English Five Points Disputed Decugis Controverts Payn's Claim Payn's abuse of Vaile in the three books he published was not all justified, to be sure, and he cannot be considered a critic of unbiased mind. His opinions were too narrowly English to rec- ognize the virtue in any other theories but his own. In five distinct points he took violent issue with the present author, and in each of the five theories criticised, the great majority of the pres- ent-day experts (as a glance over the opinions expressed in this volume by the representative players of America, and two of the greatest Eng- lish players, will prove beyond question) have decided against him. The five points in dispute were ( 1 ) the value or worthlessness (as Payn claimed) of the centre theory; (2) whether or not the American twist service would pay the average player; (3) wheth- er the drop-stroke with top-spin can be hit harder, and still kept in court, than the straight stroke without twist; (4) whether the woman in mixed doubles should play at the net or at the base-line ; and ( 5 ) whether the English formation in doubles with the partner of the striker-out at the service- line, is sound. The soundness of the centre theory is admit- ted now by a very great majority of the world's best players, even by the English exponents of modern play. Decugis, the French ex-champion, declares that this alone permitted him to win the covered court championship of England from Gore in the finals, and Gore is one of the two or three Englishmen who were cited by Payn as the LAWN TENNIS THEORIES 291 men whose play would absolutely annihilate the centre theory if used against them. The practical value of the American twist service to the average player was raised again re- cently in the series of questions placed before the leading players of the country for use in this vol- ume, and of the thirty-six opinions secured, nine- teen declared with me that it does not pay the average player; thirteen think that it does, and four answers were more or less doubtful in char- acter. Parke, the best of the English players, re- plied unqualifiedly "No." I think it has been proven beyond dispute since Payn's book was published that the drop- stroke does permit greater speed within the same length because of the characteristic curve on the ball. The general impression is that the straight stroke permits more speed but lacks the control of the ball played with top-spin, but it is this very control that permits the player to hit the ball, par- ticularly from a low-bounding return, with great- er speed and still keep it in the court, than one with no spin to bring it down to earth. On the question of where the woman should stand in playing mixed doubles, there is to-day hardly any diversity of opinion, and Payn would find himself hopelessly at odds now with the best experts. Out of thirty-seven opinions secured on this point from the leading players, thirty support the position taken by the present writer (i. e. f that the woman should play at the net), and only three side with Payn, four answers being non- committal. Value of American Twist Services Drop-Stroke Does Permit Greater Speed Payn Swamped on the Mixed Doubles Question 292 METHODS AND PLAYERS OP MODERN LAWN TENNIS Even English Ideas Now Do Not Support Him Soundness of Doubles Formation Still in Dispute Even English opinions do not support his posi- tion. Parke's characteristic reply is: "At the net if she can volley, and if she can't volley, then at the net and let her learn." Dixon replies : "The combinations over here with the lady at the net have done wonderfully well, and show that if the lady is only a fair volleyer, the advantage is with them." I personally played mixed doubles in English tournaments as far back as 1898 with this style, and the English girl partners with whom I played looked at me in astonishment when I asked them to go up and volley, and my opponents were equal- ly amazed at the manoeuver. But times have changed and Dixon tells us now that the Ameri- can style is winning abroad. The last point of controversy, as to the soundness of the English formation for doubles, is open to more dispute than any of the others, but only a small minority of Americans support the contention that it is sound. Twenty-six of the ex- perts consulted condemn the position of the partner of the striker-out at the service-line, while only six believe it to be sound, five answers being doubtful. However, this cannot be said to prove con- clusively the claim I have advanced, for recent International tests have somewhat undermined the theory. Doust and Jones, playing for Australasia, beat McLoughlin and Hackett in the International matches of 1913, the winners using this forma- tion; while Brookes and Wilding again adopted the same formation in the matches of 1914 and LAWN TENNIS THEORIES 293 beat McLoughlin and Bundy, the best team we had to offer. Vaile advances the same contention, that the English position is unsound, and cites a number of historical instances among the best players where he believes it has proven so. The chief sup- port of the soundness of the play has come from the success of the Doherty brothers against all- comers with this position, but Vaile declares that they were forced to give it up by American and Australian teams. Beals Wright, who played on four International teams, says : "I have seen the foremost English teams driven from this posi- tion." However that may be, more recent successes over here of later Australian teams that have suc- ceeded with it do not strengthen this contention. Personally, I still hold to my first position that the formation should prove the undoing of any team opposed to a pair of fast volleyers from the close net position, if other skill is equal. Curiously enough, Parke declares in this vol- ume that he has never seen this "formation," but photographs reproduced herein should refresh his memory in this respect. I have advanced in this volume what I be- lieve to be a new theory regarding the use of the eyes the necessity and practice of looking away from the ball before it is hit. I shall not be sur- prised if it is disputed, because at first it seems to revolutionize all the previously established in- structions on the game. But I have taken much Vaile Believes the English Position Unsound Recent Results Do Not Strengthen This Contention New Theory on Looking Away from the Ball 294 METHODS AND PLAYERS OF MODERN LAWN TENNIS McLoughlin's Book Supports This Principle Does Success Vindicate Bad Methods? The Ideal Styles to Follow pains to fortify the argument before it was put in print. Vaile repeatedly insists that the player must not only keep his eyes on the ball, but even advises him to watch that part of the ball he intends to hit. McLoughlin, in his recent book, also gives the same advice, yet both weaken their own con- tention by other statements. Vaile (p. 125) says : "As a matter of fact, nobody watches the ball onto his racket, nor indeed as near to it as he should/' McLoughlin (p. 124) cites an instance of practical play that helps greatly to support my claim. Telling of his match against Brookes in Australia in 1909, and the great difficulty he had in trying to discover which way Brookes was placing his service, he found that he got informa- tion from his eyes before the ball or racket showed him its direction. Williams, in his introduction to McLoughlin's book, advances a theory that is rather difficult to accept. He says of the Calif ornian : "It seems to me that success is a complete vindication of the methods he has chosen." But McLoughlin him- self later on in the book admits that his backhand stroke is all wrong, and that his grip could be improved upon. To consider all of his methods good to follow because they have won, seems as dangerous as recommending beginners to copy JBrookes's style. It would seem to me much better if we asked young players to copy Larned in his passing strokes, McLoughlin in his service, Alexander in his forehand drive, Pell in the backhand drive and LAWN TENNIS THEORIES 295 Clothier in his volley. To accept all of Mc- Loughlin's play as good because he has been suc- cessful seems likely to lead ambitious novices into pitfalls by trying to follow the same methods. It is a very easy matter to condemn the faults of players shown in action photographs, and such condemnation is not always just. Instan- taneous photographs of fast action cannot always be relied upon. One picture of McLoughlin just starting a forehand stroke, and two of Williams starting backhand strokes have been severely criticised by Vaile because in each case the wrong foot is forward. But in each instance it seems apparent that the player was "stepping into" the stroke, and if the camera had been snapped a fraction of a second later the other foot would have advanced and would then have appeared forward before the stroke was completed. The habit of "stepping into" the stroke is not always approved, to be sure, but the Doherty brothers recommend it and many fine players have succeeded with it. Action Photographs Often Deceptive THIS BOOK IS DUE ON THE LAST DATE STAMPED BELOW AN INITIAL FINE OF 25 CENTS WILL BE ASSESSED FOR FAILURE TO RETURN THIS BOOK ON THE DATE DUE. THE PENALTY WILL INCREASE TO SO CENTS ON THE FOURTH DAY AND TO $1.OO ON THE SEVENTH DAY OVERDUE. i,.B 6 1 DE 2U98Z MAY 28 1947 T) LD 0^t LD 21-100m-12,'43 (8796s) 7301 LIBRARY USE RETURN TO DESK FROM WHICH BORROWED LOAN DEPT LD 62A-50m-2,'64 (E3494slO)9412A General Library University of California Berkeley U.C. BERKELEY LIBRARIES CQOM15MM1L