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Tennis
A popular sport and a great way to stay fit and in
shape. Here we have some articles and reviews to
help you to train for and to play tennis.
01.)
Chop, Half Volley, And Court Position
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CHOP, HALF VOLLEY, AND COURT POSITION.
Chop stroke.
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In Tennis, a chop stroke is a shot where the angle
towards the player and behind the racquet, made by the
line of flight of the ball, and the racquet travelling
down across it, is greater than 45 degrees and may be
90 degrees. The racquet face passes slightly outside
the ball and down the side, chopping it, as a man
chops wood. The spin and curve is from right to left.
It is made with a stiff wrist.
The slice shot merely reduced the angle mentioned from
45 degrees down to a very small one. The racquet face
passes either inside or outside the ball, according to
direction desired, while the stroke is mainly a wrist
twist or slap. This slap imparts a decided skidding
break to the ball, while a chop "drags" the ball off
the ground without break.
The rules of footwork for both these shots should be
the same as the drive, but because both are made with
a short swing and more wrist play, without the need of
weight, the rules of footwork may be more safely
discarded and body position not so carefully
considered.
Both these shots are essentially defensive, and are
labour-saving devices when your opponent is on the
baseline. A chop or slice is very hard to drive, and
will break up any driving game.
It is not a shot to use against a volley, as it is too
slow to pass and too high to cause any worry. It
should be used to drop short, soft shots at the feet
of the net man as he comes in. Do not strive to pass a
net man with a chop or slice, except through a big
opening.
The drop-shot is a very soft, sharply-angled chop
stroke, played wholly with the wrist. It should drop
within 3 to 5 feet of the net to be of any use. The
racquet face passes around the outside of the ball and
under it with a distinct "wrist turn." Do not swing
the racquet from the shoulder in making a drop shot.
The drop shot has no relation to a stop-volley. The
drop shot is all wrist. The stop-volley has no wrist
at all.
Use all your wrist shots, chop, slice, and drop,
merely as an auxiliary to your orthodox game. They are
intended to upset your opponent's game through the
varied spin on the ball.
The half volley.
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This shot requires more perfect timing, eyesight, and
racquet work than any other, since its margin of
safety is smallest and its manifold chances of mishaps
numberless.
It is a pick-up. The ball meets the ground and racquet
face at nearly the same moment, the ball bouncing off
the ground, on the strings. This shot is a
stiff-wrist, short swing, like a volley with no follow
through. The racquet face travels along the ground
with a slight tilt over the ball and towards the net,
thus holding the ball low; the shot, like all others
in tennis, should travel across the racquet face,
along the short strings. The racquet face should
always be slightly outside the ball.
The half volley is essentially a defensive stroke,
since it should only be made as a last resort, when
caught out of position by your opponent's shot. It is
a desperate attempt to extricate yourself from a
dangerous position without retreating. never
deliberately half volley.
Court position.
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A tennis court is 39 feet long from baseline to net.
There are only two places in a tennis court that a
tennis player should be to await the ball.
1. About 3 feet behind the baseline near the middle of
the court, or
2. About 6 to 8 feet back from the net and almost
opposite the ball.
The first is the place for all baseline players. The
second is the net position.
If you are drawn out of these positions by a shot
which you must return, do not remain at the point
where you struck the ball, but attain one of the two
positions mentioned as rapidly as possible.
The distance from the baseline to about 10, feet from
the net may be considered as "no-man's-land" or "the
blank." Never linger there, since a deep shot will
catch you at your feet. After making your shot from
the blank, as you must often do, retreat behind the
baseline to await the return, so you may again come
forward to meet the ball. If you are drawn in short
and cannot retreat safely, continue all the way to the
net position.
Never stand and watch your shot, for to do so simply
means you are out of position for your next stroke.
Strive to attain a position so that you always arrive
at the spot the ball is going to before it actually
arrives. Do your hard running while the ball is in the
air, so you will not be hurried in your stroke after
it bounces.
It is in learning to do this that natural anticipation
plays a big role. Some players instinctively know
where the next return is going and take position
accordingly, while others will never sense it. It is
to the latter class that I urge court position, and
recommend always coming in from behind the baseline to
meet the ball, since it is much easier to run forward
than back.
Should you be caught at the net, with a short shot to
your opponent, do not stand still and let him pass you
at will, as he can easily do. Pick out the side where
you think he will hit, and jump to, it suddenly as he
swings. If you guess right, you win the point. If you
are wrong, you are no worse off, since he would have
beaten you anyway with his shot.
Your position should always strive to be such that you
can cover the greatest possible area of court without
sacrificing safety, since the straight shot is the
surest, most dangerous, and must be covered. It is
merely a question of how much more court than that
immediately in front of the ball may be guarded.
A well-grounded knowledge of court position saves many
points, to say nothing of much breath expended in long
runs after hopeless shots.
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