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Introduction - This self-instruction handbook is designed to help players improve their strokes and strategy in tennis. It is a companion book to TENNIS FOR TEACHERS and emphasizes the same instructional points. The author believes that pupils will understand their tennis goals and will practise more efficiently if they study this manual in addition to receiving instruction from their tennis coach.

01. Use This Book - The purpose of tennis is to send the ball over the net to land within the boundaries of the opposite court in such a way that the opponent will have difficulty returning it. Ninety percent of tennis points are won on errors, i.e., balls hit into the net or out of court. A beginner must have faith that "good form" will pay dividends, once he gains control of his shots.

02. Brief History - Tennis has its roots in the ancient game of handball, played in Greece long before the Christian era. During the Middle Ages it developed into a game of batting the ball between two opponents rather than against a wall. The name comes from the French "tenez," "take" or "ready." At first there were no boundary lines, but gradually a court was developed somewhat the shape of an hourglass, with a line drawn across the narrow middle portion.

03. Equipment + Courts - 1. A well balanced, expertly made racquet is a sound investment for good tennis. Twelve to eighteen dollars invested in a racquet of nationally known quality will be well spent. The best racquets are of first quality ash, and if properly cared for, the frame will last for many years.

2. The handle of the racquet should be small. A circumference of four and a half inches is recommended for beginners.

04. Stroke Vocabulary - Face-the striking surface.

Open face-racquet facing upward, away from ground.

Closed face-racquet facing downward, toward ground.

Flat face-racquet facing net, at right angles to the ground.

Back of racquet-opposite side from striking surface.

Tip of racquet-top end of racquet head.

Throat of racquet-wood part of frame just below racquet head.

Handle of racquet-wooden shaft of racquet, gripped by hand.

Plates of handle-the flat sides of the racquet handle.

05. Good Form - Good form in tennis, as in swimming, golf, or other sports activities, is a variable quality which defies definition. It appears in various shapes according to the personality and physique of the individual player. The terms that apply to good form tennis stroke production are ease, rhythm, balance, efficiency, power. ACCURACY and SPEED are essential in the good stroke. Players achieve these qualities in their strokes by devious methods.

06. Ball Spin - Good form in placing spin on the ball means utilizing the spin which is best for obtaining the desired results. The chop stroke, which is characterized by back spin, is not efficient as a foundation stroke. Often the player who continually uses a chop is said to have "poor form." Yet the chop and slice strokes, used occasionally when a low or side bounce is desired are most effective strokes, used by the best players.

07. Learning In Tennis - Tennis is easy to learn if you have a baseball background. The forehand and backhand drives are similar to batting; the serve involves the same muscular action as an over-arm throw. Of course the tennis drives do not aim to be homeruns, but neither do all baseball hits. Ability to control the base-hit, grounder, and bunt should carryover into controlled tennis drives.

08. Forehand Drive - 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.

09. Backhand Drive - The stroke used to return balls which bounce to the left (non-racquet's) side of the body. Like the forehand drive, it consists of a horizontal swing which imparts some top spin to the ball, and sends the ball forward swiftly to land near the baseline.

Note.—This stroke should be just as easy as the forehand drive. The only reason players think it more difficult is that they do not practise and use it as much as the forehand stroke. Except for a change of grip and body position, it is much the same.

10. The Serve - The stroke used to put the ball in play before each point of the game.

To put the ball in play in such a way that the opponent will have difficulty returning the service. To achieve this the serve should have:

It should not only land deep in the service court but be placed to the disadvantage of the opponent.

The serve should be fast enough to prevent the opponent from placing the return to the disadvantage of the server.

A ball with spin is much harder to return accurately than one without any spin. Even a fast serve which bounces straight, without any spin on the ball, may be easy to return.

11. Footwork - "Footwork is the adjustment of the feet to place the body in position for activity." Good footwork in tennis may be thought of as the action of the feet in placing the body in position to stroke the ball most efficiently.

In tennis the ball never comes in the same direction, at the same height, nor bounces in the same spot twice in succession. The player is never able to "take up his stance" as in golf, knowing that the ball will lie still until he hits it.

12. The Volley - The stroke used by a player at the net in which the ball is hit before it bounces. The volley is an aggressive hit which wins the point quickly because the opponent lacks time to return it accurately out of reach of the net player.

1. Concerning momentum

a. Aggressive volley.

1. A crisp stroke with definite swing, which sends the ball into the backcourt or alley near the feet of the opponent (Fig. 28).

13. The Lob - The stroke which sends the ball above the head of the net player. A high lofted ball which goes higher than the reach of the net player to land near the baseline.

The lob is an underestimated stroke used ineffectively by the majority of players. Matches could often be won by effective lobbing at the right time and are often lost through lobbing too infrequently and inaccurately.

14. Overhead Smash - An overhead stroke used by a player at the net. The ball is taken high over the head and smashed down with all possible force to win the point with an ungettable shot. It is used against a lob or very high bouncing ball.

This stroke is similar to the serve, except that the ball is not tossed by the smasher, and much footwork is needed to adjust body position to ball position.

15. Chop + Slice - The chop--a short axelike stroke, consisting of hitting down on the back of the ball. Back spin and short and low bounce are characteristic of the stroke. The racquet head is held high above the wrist throughout the stroke, and the wrist is locked.

The slice--a stroke similar to the chop except that the racquet swings down and to the outside of the ball with definite wrist action (abduction).

16. Tennis Tactics - 1. Tennis started as a backcourt game, the players staying near the baseline, never coming to the net. The game was slow because the players waited until the ball bounced very low before hitting it. A lifting stroke with lots of top spin was a favorite, introduced by an Englishman named Lawford, for whom the stroke was named.

17. Question Clinic - Question: "Why is an expensive racquet, with frequent re-stringing necessary?"

Answer: Only in an expertly constructed racquet will you find good balance and long wearing qualities. A good racquet may be used for many years because it is strong enough to stand being re-strung. Re-stringing is well worth the price because you will get much better strokes from a tightly strung, well balanced racquet.

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