The Art of Lawn Tennis | Page 9

net attack unless you have the ground stroke
to open the way. Nor can you meet a net attack successfully unless you
can drive, as that is the only successful passing shot.
2. The Service.
3. The Volley and Overhead Smash.
4. The Chop or Half Volley and other incidental and ornamental
strokes.

CHAPTER II
. THE DRIVE
The forehand drive is the opening of every offensive in tennis, and, as
such, should be most carefully studied. There are certain rules of
footwork that apply to all shots. To reach a ball that is a short distance
away, advance the foot that is away from the shot and thus swing into
position to hit. If a ball is too close to the body, retreat the foot closest
to the shot and drop the weight back on it, thus, again, being in position
for the stroke. When hurried, and it is not possible to change the foot
position, throw the weight on the foot closest to the ball.
The receiver should always await the service facing the net, but once
the serve is started on the way to court, the receiver should at once
attain the position to receive it with the body at right angles to the net.
The forehand drive is made up of one continuous swing of the racquet
that, for the purpose of analysis, may be divided into three parts:
1. The portion of the swing behind the body, which determines the
speed of the stroke.
2. That portion immediately in front of the body which determines the
direction and, in conjunction with weight shift from one foot to the
other, the pace of the shot.

3. The portion beyond the body, comparable to the golfer's "follow
through," determines spin, top or slice, imparted to the ball.
All drives should be topped. The slice shot is a totally different stroke.
To drive straight down the side-line, construct in theory a
parallelogram with two sides made up of the side-line and your
shoulders, and the two ends, the lines of your feet, which should, if
extended, form the right angles with the side-lines. Meet the ball at a
point about 4 to 4 1/2 feet from the body immediately in front of the
belt buckle, and shift the weight from the back to the front foot at the
MOMENT OF STRIKING THE BALL. The swing of the racquet
should be flat and straight through. The racquet head should be on a
line with the hand, or, if anything, slightly in advance; the whole arm
and the racquet should turn slightly over the ball as it leaves the racquet
face and the stroke continue to the limit of the swing, thus imparting
top spin to the ball.
The hitting plane for all ground strokes should be between the knees
and shoulders. The most favourable plane is on a line with the waist.
In driving across the court from the right (or No. 1) court, advance the
L or front foot slightly towards the side-line and shift the weight a
fraction of a second sooner. As the weight shifts, pivot slightly on the L
foot and drive flat, diagonally, across the court. Do not "pull" your
cross-court drive, unless with the express purpose of passing the net
man and using that method to disguise your shot.
NEVER STEP AWAY FROM THE BALL IN DRIVING CROSS
COURT. ALWAYS THROW YOUR WEIGHT IN THE SHOT.
The forehand drive from the No. 2 (or left) court is identically the same
for the straight shot down your opponent's forehand. For the cross drive
to his backhand, you must conceive of a diagonal line from your
backhand corner to his, and thus make your stroke with the footwork as
if this imaginary line were the side-line. In other words, line up your
body along your shot and make your regular drive. Do not try to
"spoon" the ball over with a delayed wrist motion, as it tends to slide
the ball off your racquet.
All drives should be made with a stiff, locked wrist. There is no wrist
movement in a true drive. Top spin is imparted by the arm, not the
wrist.
The backhand drive follows closely the principles of the forehand,

except that the weight shifts a moment sooner, and the R or front foot
should always be advanced a trifle closer to the side-line than the L so
as to bring the body clear of the swing. The ball should be met in front
of the right leg, instead of the belt buckle, as the great tendency in
backhand shots is to slice them out of the side-line, and this will pull
the ball cross court, obviating this error. The racquet head must be
slightly in advance of the hand to aid in