Evening star., 1938-01-02
Tennis Gains
Popularity
In Horne>
Table Game Wins
Growing Horde
OF Players.

and there are thousands and thou
sands Of them in private homes. AL
most every boy or girl gets . chance
to play occasionally, and many are
becoming real experts. In fact, some
of the best players in the country are
not yet out of their teens, and in every
important tournament, the winners
are likely youngsters.
If you're already player, we're
going to give you some tips that may
improve your game. If you aren't,
It's time you were getting acquainted
with this peerless indoor sport. 1t
gives you lot Of good exercise, it can
be played indoors in comparatively
small space, and the equipment needed
Is not too expensive. But best Of all,
It's whale Of lot Of fun!
Later on, we'll give you some sug-
gestions on fixing up q place OF your
own to play the game. But right now
we'll assume that there is already a
table which you can use occasionally
and confine our discussion to the
game itself.
First Of all, if you're beginner, is
the matter of holding your racket
properly. Today all good players use
the tennis grip, instead of the old
fashioned "penholder" grip. In the
former you hold the racket much as
you would tennis racket Most good
players grasp it close up to the blade.
with three fingers around the handle.
and the thumb and index finger on
the blade itself
This method braces the racket we'll
in your hand, and enables you to make
both forehand and backhand shots
with no change of grip The exact
position of the fingers varies With diff
ferent players experiment until you
find the hold which is most natural
and most comfortable for you.
And OF course you should use a
racket with pebbled rubber surface.
rather than the old-style sandpaper
face. The modern game can't be
played right with the older type OF
paddle
Now you have your racket gripped
properly, and are ready for your first
lesson in actual play. The game is
much like regular tennis. One of the
players serves by holding the ball in
his left hand if he is right-handed)
and striking it so that it touches the
table on his side of the net crosses the
net. and hits the table on his op-
ponent's side.
There Is only one service; not two
as in regular tennis. II the ball
strikes the top of the net but is
otherwise good service, you get an
other chance Once served, the ball
is kept in play back and forth across
the net until one of the players knocks
1t of the table or into the net, or fails
to return it entirely This scores a
point for his opponent.
After one player has served five
times. his opponent then serves for
five points. A game is won by the
player who first gets 81 points. If
the score reaches 20 to 20, the game
goes to the player who thereafter first
attains score two points greater
than his opponents, and service al
ternates between the players after
each point.
There are several different strokes
in modern table tennis, but at first
your chief concern should be learn
ing merely to keep the ball in play.
The best way to do this is to use the
push shot, In which you hold the
racket with its face vertical and shove
1t toward the ball as it bounces toward
you. Remember that the ball must
always be hit after it bounces; volley.
ing the ball when it is in the air Is
not allowed
In playing this push type of
game, try to meet the ball on the ris-
ing bounce, and learn to place your
returns in various parts of your op-
ponent's court. Don't worry about
the white line down the middle of
the table, as it is used for doubles
only Even on service. you can place
the ball on any part of the table. and
you can often win a point by angling
1t sharply. However, your racket must
never be beyond the side of the table
when you serve the ball, and it must
be behind the back edge of the table
at the moment of impact.
Keep playing in this way, merely
blocking or pushing the ball, until
you have mastered real accuracy and
control. Learn to use your forehand
for balls that come to your right side,
hitting those that come straight at
you or to your left with your back
hand. Keep your shots low, as close
10 the top of the net as possible, and
mix them up so your opponent never
knows where they are coming next.
And learn to move around after the
ball-don't try to get every shot while
standing flat-footed Gradually, as
YOU practice, you will learn that you
can put spin on the ball by inclining
the face Of your racket forward or
backward when striking the ball.
Once you've made this discovery, you
are ready to learn the two most I'M
portant strokes In the game-the top
spin drive and the defensive chop.
Well tell you how to drive next
week. Meanwhile, practice that push
shot every chance you get!