The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-12-20

They have no side walls or back walls and
| their floors will not suit the hard regula-
ton ball. Hence substitutes mus be
used on them a very good game and
| courts with n tennis ball. put the game
with the real thing SURPRISES that with
the tennis hall as outdoor baseball does
the indoor game of that name.
st. Louis players seldom adhere to Jules.
A noticeable divergence from the rules is
that server is allowed to approach as
close to the bucking wall as he ssires.
The rules say that he shall serve from the
snort line. or more than half the length
OF the court away from The 5uckinS ,,aIi,
S fhe such LATITUDE pf good PLAYER using
the game out the first serve. The cut p,ay-
ei would not have chance.
servers should always bound the ball be-
a aoie =, nituns II. serving on the fungo
Inc small courts and the open courts.
such as the one ut the Business Men
gymnasium d,. mas do not afford proper chances
are confined 10 them are not thoroughly
developed with both hands ON the reeiila-
tion court most of the out playing is done
with the left hand as the server takes
pain. to send the balls out in such a man
ner mat they must be taken with the left
or not at all. To serve a ball so that it
can be taken with the right hand is con-
si.ered a very poor play. and unworthy
when he serves a bali which can be taken
cleanly and without trouble by the right
iand. he gives it up as gone as hand out.
HOW GOOD SERVERS WORK.
The good server invariably takes the
right-hand serving box when serving TO
right-handed nan. The perfect serve
hits the side wall about ten feet from
the floor. slides off the side wall ana hits
1t In such a manner tina. the bali bounds
glohs' ana very close to the back wall.
me out player must pick the ball off
lae back wall with his LETT hand and with
his back turned 10 the bucking wall to
which he must send It, This feat is accom-
piished not by hitting the ball with the
and. rs it were. incidentally picking, or
catching, the ball on the hand in the
course OF the swing. When properly hit
me ball VIII remain In contact with the
inches.
The swing of the body brings the hand
around. and with it the ball which is
slung out of the hand when the player
throw The ball. but II remains in his hand
for an appreciabe distance, just rs a
ball lies on the face of IL golf club. no
matter how hard tits hit, if the swing is
accompanied by Il proper flow through of
the club head. The handbaii swing very
closely approaches the golf swing in that
II is not hitting motion. but swing in
which the ball, the course of which the
ball is scooped or swept from its position
and send In a certain definite direction.
Use PLENTY or FORCE
Not Only must the player send the ball
to the bucking wall under these difficult
ties. but lie must send ii there high and
with plenty of force. If the regulation
hand5ali just lobs against the wall, it is
all off with the man who lObbed II il he
is up against capable player His OPP
runent Will take advantage OF the lob to
hit the ball 50 hard and so low that there
Is no chance for the other man to get it.
The ball can be driven much faster and
harder than the rubber ball and rebounds
with terrific velocity.
When ii is hit hard and reasonably low
II comes back So fast that to get it a
player has To anticipate his opponents
play and be right there TO meet it He
Will not have much time tn cover ground,
and he must be set TO get the bound You
cannot take it on the fly. or tap il, or
cross-hand il. as they do the rubber ar
ticie. While an overland. or side-hand
stroke is permissible now and then, tine
underhand stroke is used in SO cases out
of 10o, and il is once in ten games that
you will see ball taken ON the fy or
before il bounds.
Hence the play - to keep the ball high
up on the bucking wall that il may bound