Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-08-03
FORM IN LAWN TENNIS.
How to Produce the Greatest Effect
With Least Friction.

From Scribner's Magazine
Form is the style in which the player moves,
carries himself and makes the strokes. Good
form. 1 should explain, is not grace; it is max
ing the stoke in such way as to produce the
greatest effect with least friction. In making
a stroke both feet seldom remain on the
ground. and any violent effort will destroy the
balance of the body and thus make the stroke
more uncertain and the recovery slower and
more difficult. This preservation of the bal
ance to me seems the most important advant-
age of good form. You can often make SIN
gle stroke well enough in bad form but you
place yourself at such a disadvantage in the
recovery that you must injure your chances
for the next stroke.
1t seems clear, then, that good form is worth
having; that it can do no harm and may do
much good; but how is it to be acquired? BY
watching the best players, if possible, and
studying out the position of the feet and body
in making the different strokes. Also by the
direct teaching of some player who has good
style himself, or at least knows thoroughly what
it consists in.
But" it has often been said to me, 1--WE live
where there are no good players; We see no
good play; we have to trust to books for in-
struction. and books cannot show how player
looks when he makej a stroke" All this il
true, and could think of no answer to it until
the idea occurred to me that number of in
Simultaneous photographs of the best players
might be taken, so that the exact position of
the feet and hands might be decided. A strong
reason for photographing the stoke is to be
sure. that you know how it is made. / remem-
Der well that 1 used always to preach that in
the overland service the racket should go very
little back Of the head. Two photographs
taken at different times show the head of the
racket almost touching the small of my back.
POINTS ON THE OVERLAND SERVICE.
Let US take first the overland service. The
object Of the server is to get the ball into play
with as great advantage to himself as possible.
Among good players the service does not score
very often, but if it is severe the server will
probably b ave a chance to score in a stroke or
two. Speed is the main point Of the service
because fast service is very difficult to return
to exactly the right spot, and the striker-out is
usually afraid to try to place the return very
close to the side line.
The next point is to place the service. Should
the striker-out be able to judge to just what
spot the service is coming he can make a very
severe return, and the faster the service the
more severe will be the return if well made
1t may be asked, lis speed, then, an advan-
tage? Yes, because If you serve with any
Judgment and vary the place of your service
the faster the service the less time your adver-
sary will have to place himself for it, and
unless he should do SO the speed will be Of
great advantage.
The twist remains to be considered A serv-
ice can be given with no twist with great
deal. II no twist is desired the ball should be
struck fairly with the face of the racket. On
the other hand. to put on twist the racket
must pass around the ball on one side or the
other, instead of striking it fairly in the mid
die.
HOW TO MAKE THE STROKE IN LAWN TENNIS
After getting the ball into play by the serv-
ice the next thing to do is to return it over the
net off the ground As has been said before,
there are practically only two different ways Of
making the return-one with the racket verti-
cal, the other with it horizontal; the latter is
modification Of the tennis stroke or cut, the
former is a stroke which lawn tennis has pro-
dueed and might well be called the lawn ten
mis- stroke. Let US take it first: The ball is al
lowed to drop very low and the player steps
forward to meet it with the left foot in the
forehanded stroke. The ball is taken near the
ground, with the racket, before stated,
nearly vertical. There should be little or
no swing of the racket backward, but it
should be held at little distance from
| the ball and then quietly brought for
ward to make the stroke. As the racket meets
| the ball It should be lifted that the ball
seems to go of the lower end of the racket.
This motion gives an overtwist forward to the
ball, and in this twist lies the essential part of
the stroke. The ball is, so to speak. lifted by
the racket, SO that it has every chance to get
4 o'ei INC heti anu. on the other hand, as soon
as the force OF the stroke is over the twist
tends to bring the ball sharply downward. II
Is easy to see that one can hit harder by using
this stroke without hitting out of court. More
over, such q stroke is very difficult to yolley
well, because the ball shoots downward after
passing the net and must therefore be vol
| ieyed upward to be returned
POINT IN rESNIs-NKyER STAND STILL
Inc main points, then, are: When waiting
TO stand with the feet little apart and with
the weight divided between them, the knees
bent, the body and head thrown forward, and
| to never stand quite still
When moving-to start early, TO take moder-
ate steps and not long strides.
When striking-to strike quickly, with the
weight thrown forward on TO the ball. Never
flourish tho racket beforehand. The stroke, of
| course. requires a certain swing OF the racket
backward before il comes forward on TO the
ball.
A Jack the Intruder bothers Chicagoans.
He gains admittance to yards after dark, and
knocking at the door, tells whoever answers 70
Hush, be quick and let me in" and then
jumps the fence and disappears He 10 sup
l posed 10 be r mouomnuiac.