With these shots well in hand, the beginner has all she needs to start
in playing. But there are still the lob and the volley to take up. If
she is starting to learn with some friend, it is well to spend a little
while each day practising lobbing, the one to the other.
Because girls formerly spent most of their time lobbing the ball, now
they have gone to the other extreme and consider it beneath their
dignity to lob at all, that “lobbing is not playing the game.” However,
a good lob at the right time is often a “lifesaver.” It gives the
player time to get back into position if she has been drawn far out of
court returning the ball, and also it gives her a chance to get her
breath if she is being hard pressed. In doubles, and against a net
player in singles, it is indispensable, as will be shown later.
A lob is merely a ball knocked up into the air, with a slight forward
movement. It should be high enough to be out of reach of the net
player and deep enough to force her to run away back for it. If it is
too short--that is, too close to the net--the opponent will “kill” it,
smash it back so hard that it is almost impossible to handle, or else
put it close to the side lines near the net, where it is hard to reach.
Lobbing is an art which comes only with practise. The player should
again and again hit the ball firmly upwards, watching the result of the
shots, seeing whether they are deep enough, etc.,--gaining through this
constant practise the necessary touch.
While one player is practising lobbing, the other will be learning how
to return the ball. To smash it, stand sideways to the net, left foot
forward, and swing at the ball as it drops, just as in serving. It is
best to be directly under the ball for a smash. Do not try to hit it
too hard at first, and be careful to _keep your eye on the ball_. This
practise is splendid training, both for learning to keep the eye on the
ball and for timing it so that it is struck at just the right second.
[Illustration: Very good illustration of Miss Bjurstedt at finish of
“topped” forehand drive.
American Press Association Photo.
]
[Illustration:
Miss Ballin illustrates incorrect finish of forehand drive. The
racket has been carried across the body instead of forward, and
the weight has been thrown back on to the right foot instead of
forward with the stroke. Contrast this with the picture of Miss
Bjurstedt finishing a forehand drive.
© International Film Service, Inc., N. Y.
]
[Illustration: Miss Molla Bjurstedt finishing a fast backhand drive.
© American Press Association.
]
[Illustration: An exaggerated “topped” backhand drive shown by Miss
Ballin.
E. Levick, N. Y., Photo.
]
There remain the various volley shots to consider. Volleying is a
branch of tennis which girls are apt to neglect, but which is really
very important and not at all beyond the powers of a girl to conquer.
In doubles, net play is indispensable, if half hour rallies are to
be avoided, and in singles it is a great aid as a point winner. A
girl cannot rush the net continuously, for she has not the necessary
endurance or speed. But many times she has a chance to finish a point
at the net or else is drawn in by her opponent with a short ball. Here,
with no time to get back, it is necessary that she be able to handle
her volley shots properly. It requires a quick eye, level head and
ready muscular response to make a good net player. Practise at the net,
therefore, helps one’s other strokes, through the deftness and agility
acquired.
But the ground strokes must be in good working order before a player
can develop a net game, for she must be able to place the ball deep,
with sufficient speed, and in the right place, in order to give herself
a fair chance to run in. Two beginners can, however, get splendid
all around training if the one practises volley shots while the other
is driving from the back court. In volleying, more than in any other
stroke, the player must concentrate; keep her eye on the ball, try to
anticipate her opponent’s shot--foresee where it is going to cross the
net, and think and act quickly but deliberately.
In volleying there is very little preliminary swing, the racket being
raised and drawn back only a little, then forward and slightly down
across the face of the ball. Never hit up in volleying. If the ball
has fallen below the level of the net--a predicament to be avoided
where possible by stepping up and hitting the ball before it drops--the
racket is drawn more sharply under and across the ball. Direction is
given by drawing the racket through in the desired line. The wrist
should be firm, and the shot made with precision. A loosely held racket
and loose wrist result in the stop-volley-shot, one a beginner should
leave alone, for it requires a great deal of practise and a very keen
touch.
Cut may be used in any stroke in tennis. It consists merely in hitting
across the surface of the ball one way or another, during the follow
through, according to the cut desired. The chop stroke is one in which
there is practically no preliminary swing, a sharp cut being given the
ball at the moment of striking it; the shot is very similar to the
ordinary volley shot. It is advisable, however, for the beginner to
leave the cut game alone and develop a good drive and service.
Once the fundamentals of the game become instinctive she can experiment
with different shots, and study the science of the actual play. But
until she can consistently place the ball where she wants it, with the
desired speed, there is no use learning what tactics to use.