The Art of Lawn Tennis | Page 8

at all
times, I felt that nothing would worry me, until three years ago at the
American Championships, when I was playing T. R. Pell. A press-
camera man eluded the watchful eye of the officials, and unobtrusively
seated himself close to our sideline to acquire some action pictures. Pell
angled sharply by to my backhand, and I ran at my hardest for the shot,
eyes fixed solely on the ball. I hauled off to hit it a mighty drive, which
would have probably gone over the backstop, when suddenly I heard a
camera click just under me, and the next moment camera, pressman,
and tennis player were rolling in a heap all over the court. The
pressman got his action picture and a sore foot where I walked on him,
and all I got was a sore arm and a ruffled temper. That's why I don't
like cameras right under my nose when I play matches, but for all that I
still advocate keeping your eye on the ball.
GRIP, FOOTWORK, AND STROKES
Footwork is weight control. It is correct body position for strokes, and
out of it all strokes should grow. In explaining the various forms of
stroke and footwork I am writing as a right-hand player. Left- handers
should simply reverse the feet.
Racquet grip is a very essential part of stroke, because a faulty grip will
ruin the finest serving. There is the so-called Western or Californian
grip as typified by Maurice E. M'Loughlin, Willis, E. Davis, and, to a
slightly modified degree, W. M. Johnston, the American champion. It
is a natural grip for a top forehand drive. It is inherently weak for the

backhand, as the only natural shot is a chop stroke.
The English grip, with the low wrist on all ground strokes, has proved
very successful in the past. Yet the broken line of the arm and hand
does not commend itself to me, as any broken line is weak under stress.
The Eastern American grip, which I advocate, is the English grip
without the low wrist and broken line. To acquire the forehand grip,
hold the racquet with the edge of the frame towards the ground and the
face perpendicular, the handle towards the body, and "shake hands"
with it, just as if you were greeting a friend. The handle settled
comfortably and naturally into the hand, the line of the arm, hand, and
racquet are one. The swing brings the racquet head on a line with the
arm, and the whole racquet is merely an extension of it.
The backhand grip is a quarter circle turn of hand on the handle,
bringing the hand on top of the handle and the knuckles directly up.
The shot travels ACROSS the wrist.
This is the best basis for a grip. I do not advocate learning this grip
exactly, but model your natural grip as closely as possible on these
lines without sacrificing your own comfort or individuality.
Having once settled the racquet in the hand, the next question is the
position of the body and the order of developing strokes.
In explaining footwork I am, in future, going to refer in all forehand
shots to the right foot as R or "back" foot, and to the left as L or "front."
For the backhand the L foot is "back" and R is "front."
All tennis strokes, should be made with the body' at right angles to the
net, with the shoulders lined up parallel to the line of flight of the ball.
The weight should always travel forward. It should pass from the back
foot to the front foot at the moment of striking the ball. Never allow the
weight to be going away from the stroke. It is weight that determines
the "pace" of a stroke; swing that, decides the "speed."
Let me explain the definitions of "speed" and "pace." "Speed" is the
actual rate with which a ball travels through the air. "Pace" is the
momentum with which it comes off the ground. Pace is weight. It is the
"sting" the ball carries when it comes off the ground, giving the
inexperienced or unsuspecting player a shock of force which the stroke
in no way showed.
Notable examples of "pace" are such men as W. A. Larned, A. W. Gore,
J. C. Parke, and among the younger players, R. N. Williams, Major A.

R. F. Kingscote, W. M. Johnston, and, on his forehand stroke, Charles
S. Garland.
M. E. M'Loughlin, Willis E. Davis, Harold Throckmorton and several
others are famous "speed" exponents.
A great many players have both "speed" and "pace." Some shots may
carry both.
The order of learning strokes should be:
1. The Drive. Fore- and backhand. This is the foundation of all tennis,
for you cannot build up a