Los Angeles herald., 1906-07-29
TENNIS GENERALS SEEK
Z OPPONENTS WEAK POINST

either of these methods habitually, 1t is
wonderful advantage to know how
they can best be handled.
The undercut ball is very difficult
to play from the bound, because it
Shoots" from the ground at an unnat-
ural angle and is spinning when the
time comes to hit it, and 1t bounds very
low at best. On the other hand, the
lift stroke makes the ball bound high
and deep, and it is not at all difficult
to play off the ground, If not hit I'M
mediately after it jumps up. Let 1t
shoot as far back as it will and play
1t late after the bound, but never volley
/ this kind of a ball if you can avoid it,.
The undercut ball is the easiest kind
of return to volley, and the ''heady'
player Immediately runs UP to the net
when he finds his opponent using this
kind of a stroke. He is at a disadvan-
tage at the base line and has every
thing in his favor when in position to
yolley, for the undercut ball stays high
in the air after crossing the net and
leaves the racket with down shoot
that gives a crisp volley.
Makes Ball Duck
The lift strokes make the ball duck"
soon after crossing the net, slows up
volleyed return and is much more
easily played off the ground from the
base line.
1t is a curious fact that nearly every
book written on lawn tennis cautions
the player to keep his eyes, on the ball
at the moment Of striking 1t, yet there
are very few expert players who do so.
Among the American leaders, Whit
man is the only high-class player 1 can
think of who does this habitually. A
rifle shot looks at his target, bowler
looks at the pins and a billiard player
generally looks at the object ball. not
| the cue ball.
L have found it next to impossible to
carry in my mind, while moving rap
idly to play flying ball, the exact
height of the net, the direction Of the
lines of my opponents court, and shis
position, so that it has become second
nature with me and with. most other
| players to look up in the direction that
ball is to go, before it actually leaves
| the racquet
1t is principally because the reverse
of this is necessary in golf that lawn
tennis players have so much trouble in
mastering the old Scotch game; from
| tennis habit, they take their eyes off
the ball too soon for golf success.
Folly Not to Watch Ball
| Yet it is sheer folly to tell a beginner
he need not watch the ball to hit 1T
properly for this is not true, and it is
only dIter tne nleIl1S PROCESS mas We
| come pretty well mastered that 1t be-
comes safe to look up before striking.
1t is very much better to watch the
ball too long than too little just as 1T
| is advisable to learn thoroughly to hit
the ball well before a young player
worries much over placing it close to
| the side lines.
A delicate calculation is necessary to
anticipate the return of a lawn tennis
ball. While rapidly moving across the
court the player must calculate the
spot where the flying ball will strike
the ground. then the angle, height and
distance of it's rebound and, finally, Sc
lect AN imaginary point at which he
hopes to meet 1t with his racket.
All this calculation must be COM
| pleted before the ball leaves the
ground, for the swing of the racket be-
gins then little change can be made
in its direction after 1t has started.
This explains why beginners find 1t so
! difficult to hit the ball with the middle
of their rackets. as they should, and
why experts can look up from the ball
before hitting 1t.
Nine Out Of Ten Watch Ball
/ Ask ten tournament players and nine
OF them will tell you that they watch
the ball when they hit It, yet the con-
trary has been demonstrated by del
| tcate little piece or nneSse that mas
been found profitable by some players.
In order to anticipate the direction OF
the next return IL is generally proftable
to watch the eyes of the opponent rath-
er than the ball.
Frequently the actual flight can be
anticipated in this way better than by
waiting for the ball to leave the racket
i And this little device has led TO an
4 other introduced by HoYey, a former
/ obamDion He used To look I'm one di-
rection and place in another with the
almost inyariable result that his an
tagonlst would be fooled into starting
the wrong way for the ball.
Whitman's placing is especially diff
cult TO anticipate, chiefly because he
does not look up before hitting the ball
But the beginner may we'll let such
i fine points as this wait until he has
mastered some OF the more elementary
| Droblema