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1. Get acquainted with your tennis racquet and ball. Feel the difference in the racquet swing and the liveliness of the tennis ball, as contrasted to your baseball, badminton, or golf swing. You must locate the proper grip on the racquet handle in order to hit the ball squarely in the middle of the gut. You must learn to bat both right-handed (forehand) and left-handed (backhand) in tennis. A slight shift in grip will be necessary in the backhand.

2. Check your form in swinging against that of a good tennis player to be sure you are using the right mechanics. Try to imitate the good player.

3. Practice stroking the ball against a backboard or on the court, learning to apply topspin. A drive can be hit with great force to land within the court boundaries if the ball carries topspin. You can prove this by placing lots of topspin on the ball and watching its flight. The ball will curve up over the net and start to drop immediately. Thus an arced flight is characteristic of a topspin drive. Of course a fast ball aimed too high above the net will not have enough arc to bring it down within the 39 feet area on the other side of the net. The Margin of Safety above the net is found to be approximately ten feet. The so-called "flat drives" of the champions carry very little topspin and use a narrow margin of safety over the net. These drives shoot like bullets across the net. The beginner should not attempt these advanced strokes because the ball will land in the net more times than not.

4. Get "the feel" of a good stroke. This is a muscle picture which must be memorized so you know the difference between a good-form stroke and a poorly coordinated one. Copying the actions of tennis experts, even to the extent of practicing before a mirror, will help you learn to memorize the "right feel." Timing of body action, racquet swing, and wrist action must be coordinated. Several outstanding coaches have pupils practice phantom swings until the "feel" of the stroke is learned. Thus the problem of hitting the ball is postponed until good habits of swinging are established.

5. Try out the good swing in hitting the ball. Take up your side-to-net stance and drop the ball in the most advantageous spot to hit. You can try this with or without a bounce. The same procedure is used in learning to serve. The serve requires learning a good ball toss up over your head. This must be practiced endlessly. However, the situation is different for the drives. It is pointless to practice strokes from a stationary stance very much because the game of tennis is not played that way.

6. Footwork and quick adjustment to an oncoming ball are basic practice methods in learning the drives. It is discouraging practice, for the beginner tends to forget all about the beautiful swings he has learned without the ball, or in a stationary stance. Judging the right distance from the ball and the right time to start the swing are two of the most difficult points in learning a good drive. Thousands of attempts to adjust to the oncoming ball mean thousands of different adjustments, because the ball never comes off the backboard or over the net in exactly the same way.

It is sensible to start slowly, giving yourself time to move into position and swing without undue haste. Thus it is a good idea to get a friend to toss you balls from the net until you learn how to move into position for a good stroke. Don't set up a practice situation which is too difficult because that will make you forget the good-form swing. However, if you are anxious to discover whether you can return a sizzler, try it out against the backboard or on the court, but don't sacrifice good form. Accept your awkwardness and poor performance as a part of the learning process.

Even if you get only one "good feeling" drive during a half-hour rally, that is worthwhile. As you gain mastery of your feet and timing, your batting average will increase.

7. A beginner may expect to produce one successful serve to about ten unsuccessful serves. Obviously there is no point in playing a regular game of tennis with such a lack of skill. The best practice procedure is to use fifteen or twenty balls (old ones will do) and get a buddy to help you. He can collect the balls as you serve them a basket is helpful. Perhaps your friend is learning the serve also, so he will serve all the balls back to you. An hour of this practice will give you both a good work-out, for it is similar to practicing a throw from second base to home plate in baseball.

8. The next step is "grooving the swing." When you gain confidence from continued success in repeating the same movement, you can know that you have found the groove. Thus you have learned the feeling and the timing of the stroke and are able to do it automatically. Even though many of your drives and serves may land outside the boundary lines or catch the top of the net, if the stroke mechanics are right, your accuracy will steadily improve.

A Good Climate for Tennis Growth.

You can learn good tennis only if you place yourself in the right climate. You must avoid bad company. In tennis, this means that you must keep away from friends and opponents who aim their balls at the sky, or use tricky cuts. It is impossible to learn good tennis strokes if you have to cope with balls that bound over your head, or don't bounce at all. Learning good foundation strokes is done through hitting knee-to-waist-high balls. Rallying the ball hundreds of times back and forth over the net is very important practice.

If you have no tennis companion who can keep the ball down within reasonable clearance of the net, to land deep in the back court, then stick to backboard practice. Against the backboard you can control the height of the ball and hit the ball as hard as you please. Many excellent players learned their foundation strokes before ever going onto a tennis court. They avoided "bad company." Likewise, in learning the serve you must seek a good climate, viz., and the proper ball toss.

Unless you can use a full swing, with much wrist and body action, it is futile to swing at all. You can serve the ball a million times and learn nothing about a good serve if the ball is not in the right position at the right time when you hit it. Remember your ball toss determines the success of your serve. Only by tossing it high enough in the right direction, at the right time, will your swing and ball-contact be synchronized.

9. The final step in learning tennis is to concentrate on placement and court strategy. When your strokes have become automatic, then you can think about beating your opponent. Practice of certain shots to be used in certain situations is essential for example a cross court drive to the backhand corner when your opponent is out of position or a serve to the outside corner when your opponent stands in toward the center.

You must add the volley, lob, overhead smash, chop and slice strokes to your stroke collection so that the right stroke automatically comes into play at the right time. As an introduction to the forehand drive, the courtesy stroke should be learned. This stroke is a forehand volley with a half swing, used to start the ball for a rally or to get it back to the opponent before service. It allows the player on the opposite court either to catch it in his hand on the first bounce, or to get it into play for the rally.

The ball flight of the "courtesy stroke" is an upward arc over the net. The ball is not hit forcefully, and will land nearer the service line than the baseline. A tennis player has use for this stroke from the first day he wields a tennis racquet to the last day of his tennis career. Champions, warming up before a match, start the ball to their opponents with the courtesy stroke. Coaches use this stroke in setting up the balls for their pupils.

Since ball boys are a rarity in most tennis matches, the courtesy stroke assists the players in getting the balls back politely to the server before each point. It is decidedly impolite to start the ball, or retrieve it by tossing it up in front of the face, and hitting it in a downward direction over the net. Too frequently the ball will not clear the net, and if it does, the bounce is usually difficult for the opposite player to handle.

The technical of the courtesy stroke will aid the beginner in learning the true forehand drive, for they have the following points in common:

1. Grip.

2. Body position.

3. Horizontal racquet swing..

4. Body moving toward the net as the stroke is made..

The points of difference, which do not affect the learning of the true forehand drive, are:

1. The length of racquet swing is cut down. The racquet is swung back only to a position opposite the right thigh.

2. The ball is hit on the volley (before it has bounced).

3.The ball is started with a toss by the player, instead of coming from the opposite side of the net.

4. The ball is hit when it is farther forward toward the net, and slightly lower than it is in the usual forehand drive..

5. The ball flight is slightly more in an upward direction..

6. The ball is hit with less force.

Technical of the Courtesy Stroke.

1. Stand with the left side toward the net and the racquet held out horizontally opposite the right thigh..

2. Hold the ball in the left hand, pointing in the direction of the right net post.

3. Toss the ball out toward the right net post, about two feet from the body, at thigh-height (half way between the knee and waist).

4. Immediately step toward the net on the left foot, letting the racquet swing forward to contact the ball before it has dropped to knee-height.

5. Let the racquet finish at shoulder height, out in the direction of the ball flight.

The simplicity of this stroke allows for good results in accuracy of ball placement as long as the ball toss is correct, and the racquet swings in a horizontal plane. Most beginners can master the stroke during the first tennis practice. Pupils having difficulty will be found to be tossing the ball badly; taking too wide a back-swing; or not lining up the center of the racquet with the ball. Often these pupils will prefer to let the ball bounce before hitting it.

This is not advisable, since the bounce should be reserved for the true forehand drive, wherein a full backswing is taken, and more force is applied to the ball than should be used on a courtesy stroke. Practice on the courtesy stroke is worthwhile, for once it is mastered, it will never be forgotten. Learners should use this stroke continually for starting a rally, and in sending the balls back to the server before each point. Mastery consists of the ability to place the ball accurately to the forehand or backhand of the opposite player for rallies; or to place it so that the server can catch it in his hand on the first bounce without moving.

Forehand Drive Analysis.

A. The eastern grip. The hand is on the back of the racquet handle. The knuckles slant across the handle and the fingers are slightly separated. Notice the X position of the first knuckle toward the top edge of the back plate of the handle.

B. The western grip. The hand is underneath the handle, with the X position of the first knuckle low on the back plate of the handle. Beginners use this grip incorrectly for serving and elbow action strokes. Good tennis players do not use this grip for any stroke.

Grip (Eastern).

Hold the racquet as though shaking hands with it, grasping the handle near the butt.

1. The first knuckle of the index finger is near the top of the back plate of the handle. Thus the palm is on the back of the handle, with knuckles in a slanting position.

2. The fingers and thu mb are wrapped around the handle, with the fingers slightly separated (Fig. 15A).

Note. The western grip consists of holding the handle with the palm on the lower plate, facing upward, and the first knuckle near bottom of back plate. It necessitates a very strong wrist and is effective only on shoulder high balls. It is considered obsolete and is not used by good tennis players.

Wrist Action.

The wrist action present in the stroke is a hyperex-tension on the backswing coming to a locked wrist position of extension as the ball is hit. The wrist action insures that the racquet is meeting the ball squarely, and adds speed to the ball.

Body Position and Action.

A. The body is at right angles to the net, with the left foot and shoulder toward the net, and the right foot and shoulder away from the net. The sideways position is parallel with the flight of the ball, feet about eighteen inches apart.

B. The knees are slightly relaxed or flexed, with the body weight carried on the balls of the feet.

C. Body action consists of weight transference to right foot with backswing of racquet and trunk rotation away from the net. The weight is transferred forward and the trunk is rotated toward the net as the racquet swings forward to meet the ball. Right shoulder follows the flight of the ball forward.

D. The left arm swings in opposition to the racquet arm to aid in the body balance.

Backswing of Racquet.

A. Racquet is swung back in line with the sideways position of the body, elbow well away from body.

B. Height of the racquet in the backswing depends upon the height of the ball. Racquet is taken back to a point in line with which the ball is to be hit.

C. There are two types of backswing, the circular and the straight. The circular lift back of the racquet is more rhythmical and keeps the elbow away from the body. It is harder for beginners to line the racquet up behind the ball, however. The straight backswing, advocated by Mary K. Browne, is preferable for beginners, because it is simpler. In either type of backswing the racquet head is held slightly above the wrist, d. There should be a pause at the end of the backswing before starting the forward swing to aim the racquet at the ball and insure good timing.

A hurried stroke is seldom a good stroke, and the racquet should go back long before the arrival of the ball. Note. It is difficult for the beginner to slow up the circular backswing after the racquet is back. The windmill swings that result from not detaching the forward swing from the backswing are very ineffectual, and often result in missing the ball altogether. However, if the beginner learns to start the racquet back in time for a pause before starting the forward swing, the circular backswing may be developed without difficulty.

Forward Swing.

A. A continuous sweep of the arm and racquet involving four or five feet of forward racquet movement.

B. The swing causes the path of the racquet to be a straight line pointing slightly upward, when viewed from the side.

C. The racquet head must never drop below the level of the wrist, and should be slightly above it.

D. TThe arm and racquet swing out away from the body to meet the ball.

E. At the impact the face of the racquet is flat and the grip very firm.

F. The body weight shifts from the right to the left foot, keeping racquet in contact with the ball and traveling in a straight line forward.

G. The student should use body rotation forward with the stroke as well as a transfer of weight. The right shoulder points in the direction of the ball flight on the follow through.

H. The follow through consists of the racquet following the ball forward as far as it can to insure proper direction of the ball. The racquet may assume a slightly closed position at the end of the follow through, the whole arm rotating slightly inwardly, and elbow relaxed

I. The height of the follow through should be above the shoulder.

Position of the Ball at the Impact.

A. The ball is opposite the forward (left) foot at racquet's reach from the body.

B. Waist to knee high balls are easiest to stroke and beginners should take the ball on its downward drop, so that more time is available to get ready to stroke. Intermediate players may take the ball at the top of its bounce, and advanced players hit the ball as it comes off the ground, on the way up.

C. Beginners should stand about five feet back of the spot where the ball lands and to the side of it to insure stroking it when it is waist high, well away from the body.

Backhand Drive Analysis

Grip.

Grip (there is a change in grip for the forehand and backhand drives).

1. The racquet handle is shifted slightly so that the first knuckle is on the top side plate of the handle; palm is on top of handle, facing downward.

2. The thumb may be placed directly up the back plate of the handle, acting as a brace, thus strengthening the grip. However, this position of the thumb is optional, many players preferring the thumb in a diagonal position so wrist action is facilitated.

3.The opposite face of the racquet is used to hit a backhand from that used in the forehand.

Wrist Action.

Adduction of the wrist, or movement of the wrist toward the body, during the backswing, and abduction, or a definite throw of the wrist away from the body, accompanying the forward swing. Since the hand is more or less on top of the handle in the backhand grip, lateral movement of the wrist takes the place of the flexion and extension used in the forehand drive, when the hand was more on the back of the handle, b. The wrist holds the racquet well up, so that the racquet head is higher than the wrist, throughout the entire stroke.

The hand is in a strong position on the top side of the racquet handle. The thumb may be placed up the back plate of the handle. The opposite face of the racquet is used from that in the forehand drive. Players who fail to change the grip find the wrist in a weak position for action, since the hand is on the front of the handle rather than the top. If the player attempts to hit the ball with the same side of the racquet as in the forehand, the wrist faces the ball and is in an awkward position for the stroke. This happens frequently when the incorrect forehand grip has been used.

Body Position and Action.

A.The waiting position is facing the net, with the racquet held above net height, throat resting lightly on the fingers of the left hand (ready for quick action).

B.Let the knees flex as the stroke is taken.).

C.Body position for the forehand and backhand volleys is similar to that in the drives. In the volley a step is definitely taken forward with the stroke (left foot in forehand, right foot in backhand) in order to resist the force of the oncoming ball, and send it back sharply.

Backswing.

A.Elbow is bent throughout the stroke.

B.The backswing is upward and backward, the racquet taken back above the intended contact point of the ball.

C. The backswing is upward and backward, the racquet taken back above the intended contact point of the ball.

D. The backswing is short, only a foot or two, as contrasted with the long drive backswing.

Forward Swing.

A. Elbow extends and moves downward to bring racquet forward and downward.

B. Racquet face is held more or less flat throughout this "axelike" stroke.

C. The forward swing in the chop volley is about two feet in length and has very little followed through. In the slice volley, the racquet head swings through to finish near the ground.

Position of the Ball at Impact.

The ball is taken wherever it comes, but the most advantageous place is head or shoulder height.

1. For high balls, more of a downward swing is used, and sometimes the racquet will be slightly closed.

2. For net high balls (between shoulder and waist) the swing is more horizontal, a more forward and slight downward swing, and the ball is taken to the side of the body rather than in front of it.

3. For balls lower than the net the racquet face is open, so that the ball is deflected upward to clear the net.

Stroke Analysis for the Flat Volley.

1. Any grip may be used that will permit the racquet to meet the ball squarely.

2. The backswing is not as high above the intended contact point as in the chop or slice volley. It takes the racquet more directly behind the contact point so that the ball can be "punched" or "hammered" to its destination.

Analysis of the Chop and Slice Ground Strokes.

1. Any grip may be used that will permit the racquet to meet the ball squarely. The flight of the ball is slower and in more of an upward direction than the drive. Thus unless the chop is used to hit the ball downward over the net, it is an easy victim to the net player's volleys.

A. The racquet head is held high above the wrist throughout the stroke, and the wrist is locked.

2. The slice resembles the chop except that the follow through is longer, with the racquet head sweeping downward to finish near the ground. There is definite wrist action consisting of abduction, or wrist throw away from the body.

3. The slice drive resembles the flat drive but has the following variations.

A. The grip is like the service grip, halfway between the eastern forehand and backhand grips, sometimes called the "continental grip." Thus the racquet face is slightly open during the swing.

B. The swing is more or less parallel to the ground, often finishing lower than the height of the backswing.

C. The racquet pulls across the back of and underneath the ball, imparting side spin to the ball.

D. The racquet face is slightly opened on the follow through as contrasted to the closed position of the racquet in the top spin drive, or the flat position in the spineless drive.

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