The Maui news. [volume] (Wailuku, Maui, H.I.) 1900-current, 1922-01-17
Lob an Error-Producer and Not
Point-Winner

fensive shots when one of the
- most important of the rules of all
tennis play is never to be on the defen-
sive, but always to attack. Still, there
are times when the other man has
such a powerful attack that ours
crumbles. or else he is so wild in his
attack that cur best plan is to let him
beat himself. Then we must play de-
fensiyely and trust to his errors TO
peat him.
Where you count on the other
mans errors, beating him you must,
as far as possible, eliminate all errors
from your own game, thus giving him
more chances to miss and causing
him to play for every point.
This defensive policy must depend
upon ~steadiness, not speed or bril-
liancy.
The greatest examples of purely de-
fensive play around this part of the
country are Stanley Pearson, Norman
Swayne and Stanley Rogers. Equally
as good defensively yet with a much
more dangerous attack, and this is
the reason they are so much better
are Wallace Johnson, Joe Armstrong
and William j. Clothier These lat
ter three men can play defensively
with a judgment not possible to the
first three because they have the abb
lily 10 start a forceful attack at any
moment and can choose their time to
do it, while Pearson Swayne and Ro-
gers have not the attack to use.
Thus the defensive play of Johnson,
Armstrong and Clothier is far more
dangerous, and it is this type of de
Tense we wish to study and, if posi-
BILE copy.
Defensive Play
Defensive play should never be
adopted as the foundation of your ten
mis- game. 1t will never wiz you a big
title and very seldom beat a good
man; in fact, never unless he is off
his game. 1t is absolutely essentianl
however, to fill in a brilliant attack
and make your game n of complete
ly rounded excellence.
The very lack of this defensive
style of play beat Williams in 1914
against Brookes and Wilding, again
this season against William Johnson
in the national. 1t was the cause of
MacLoughlin's defeats by Behr and
Johnson, and it is a matter of ques-
ton whether it was moi the cause of
Wallace Johnson's defeat by Arm
strong in the Pennsylvania State title
a year latter, for Johnson's defence
crumbled and he literally beat him
self.
There are various forms of defen-
sive shots: first, the lob; second, the
chop stroke; third, occasionally the
drive The defense game is always
back court. Under no circumstances
try to play a defensive net game.
The lob is really a high-tossed ball
hit with very little pace, and should
be placed to bounce anywhere from
the baseline to eight feet inside.
1t should be about sixteen and twenty
feet in the air at the top of its rise.
When you lob, lob high. A short lob
is an utterly useless shot.
Use of Lob
The lob may either be chopped or
hit flat. When lobbing from a fast
return use the chop, since it tends to
remove the speed from the shot and
puts it up in the air easily and deep.
Use a decided under-cut on this shot,
not the draw chop" which is effec-
tive from the base-line for a low side
line shot. Use the flat lob shot when
the return is soft and deep. 1t needs
the full racquet face TO get the ball in
to the back of the opponents court
without having it carry out. The
chop lob tends to drop short, so lob
higher when using this form than you
do when using the flat shot.
The question of when to lob can
easily be summed up as follows:
First-when you are out of position
and need time to get back, while your
opponent has time at the net. You
have more time during the flight Of
the ball on a lob than any other shor
in tennis and, therefore, when you
are hurried and need time to get bach
to position lob and lob high.
Second-Lob when your opponent
has had a hard u after a short sho
to the net and is drawn out OF posi-
ton. Use the flat, low lob, since TIT
chop lob would give him time 10 re
cover.
Third-Lob any shot that comei
too fast to drive when your opponen