The Fundamentals of Tennis (1952)

[Music] [Music] [Music] for [Music] you know The Spectator at a tennis match seldom receives the credit he deserves because watching a tennis game is a task of considerable effort follow the flat of the ball is usually pretty strenuous on the neck muscles if you know what I mean at any rate it's almost impossible to observe and examine the fundamentals of the game while watching a match such as the one Fred Perry and I have just completed out here at the Forest Hill stadium so without further Ado let's step into our office office and we'll show you a few camera close-ups of the many basic points which if properly coordinated will result in winning form the first important step is to develop the three basic Strokes the forehand drive the backhand drive and the service as in every sport timing is a prime requisite of good tennis accordingly once time has been mastered strength is not essential to good form here we see a young lady demonstrating that coordination is more important than force a ball approaching on the player's right calls for a forehand return this ball bounces to the player's left and is returned with a backhand stroke simple simple unless of course you happen to be left-handed in which case you merely reverse the procedure hey what goes on here well anyway you see what we mean problem one is to select the proper grip the Eastern grip is most widely used because it permits a natural easy stroke here's a simple way to demonstrate the position of the hand in relation to the racket in the Eastern grip the racket face is perpendicular to the cord surface the Palm is flat on the racket face and is drawn straight back along the handle to the butt the Eastern grip is also known as the shake hands grip it is just like shaking hands with the racket the fingers are held slightly apart assuring a relaxed but firm grip the rift is behind the racket for extra power the most important advantage of the Eastern grip over the western or Continental grips is the complete range it affords in other words low waste high and high shots can be returned with equal ease comparing the Western grip with the Eastern grip we find that the hand is moved one qu of a turn to the bottom of the handle so the the racket inclines at an angle of 45° towards the cart surface this grip is used most effectively in play off hard surface courts it is ideal for high shots but it is awkward and inadequate for the low ones the player using the Western grip is at his best with high B ing balls to assume the Continental grip from the Eastern grip the racket is now turned one4 of a turn in the opposite direction the racket face inclines Upward at a 45° angle this grip is excellent for low shots but when it comes to returning High ones we find it is more difficult the player must rely mainly upon a strong wrist it is for these reasons that most players have come to regard the Eastern grip as the grip affording the widest range and as such it is recommended anticipation and preparation for each return depends primarily on always keeping your eyes on the ball the movement of your body is governed by what your eyes observe only by gauging and anticipating where the ball will land can you be in position to meet it concentration and carefully following the pass of the ball is a prime requisite for good tennis so whatever you do don't take your eyes off the ball as you wait to receive the ball face the net and lean forward slightly to return a forehand pivot on your right foot step forward with your left foot the left shoulder points in the direction the ball is to be returned to meet the ball move into position quickly by the Sid skipping movement but when it becomes apparent that you must cover a greater distance start sprinting however side skipping enables you to change directions faster the balll is hit with a center of the racket face and the arm extended as far as is comfortable from the body next the back swing at the end of the back swing the racket head is dropped prescribing an arc thus the racket swings up and forward into the bowl proper weight shifting and balance is essential for smooth fluent Strokes to start the forehand drive swing the racket back shifting your weight to the right foot on the forward swing the weight shifts to the left foot the force of the entire body is behind the swing the follow through is of great importance because the upward movement it imparts helps lift the ball over the net your position at the end of the shot shows whether the follow through is proper if you face the net and the racket head is wide and above your left shoulder the follow through is correct for better control it is advisable to impart what is known as Top Spin this is accomplished by a slight forward tilt of the top edge of the racket the ball is hit at a point slightly ahead of the left hip well it's true that practice makes perfect especially in tennis I think it's about time we went on to the next problem at hand backhand Drive some players are somewhat Meek about this stroke and prefer to build their games around their forehand however the backhand is valuable weapon which can be and must be developed for backhand shots when using the Eastern grip it is necessary to turn the right hand a quarter of a turn toward your body placing the knuckles on top of the racket handle some players prefer to gain extra flexibility with the thumb around the handle although this position steadies the hand and gives gives more Force to the drive next to the grip footwork is the key note to the successful backhand pivot on your left foot and step forward with your right foot in the backhand drive your weight shifts first to the left foot then as you swing forward put your weight behind the stroke shift it to the right foot the backhand Drive can be compared with a swing of a left-handed baseball batter when right shoulder and back face the net the proper back swing position is reached the rist behind the racket the ures a firm swing as in the forehand drive bend the right knee to transfer your weight to your left foot as you swing into the ball shoulder and head are held back until the impact as you turn your body for the back swing keep your eyes is glued to the ball by looking over the right shoulder meet the ball slightly ahead of your right hip with the arm fully extended the racket head continues up and across the body in the backhand follow through finishing wide and above the right shoulder the body is automatically turned into position facing as you make the back swing the head drops prescribing an arc thus you swing up and forward into the bowl the racket is tilted forward slightly to impart the necessary Top Spin for contact it is advisable to master the timing to enable you to return the ball on the rise that is as it ascends from its first bounce this is preferable to swinging at a descending ball valuable time is lost if the ball is hit after it is passed the top of its Bounce by Taking It On The Rise the speed of the return is increased because the impact is greater a strategic advantage of returning balls on the rise is that your opponent has less time to prepare prepare for his next shot now let's go on to the third basic stroke the service combined either with a strong forehand or backhand it is often a deciding factor in championship play the secret to a successful service is proper timing the service grip is the same as the backhand grip however the thumb is always around the handle the server stands close to the center Mark with a left foot a few Ines behind the Baseline and the right foot back about 12 in at an angle of 75° the balls are held firmly the back swing and the toss of the ball are simultaneous the rhythm of this pendular movement coordinating back swing and toss should be practiced until it becomes a habit by keeping the left arm straight the ball will be tossed vertically and properly do not toss it by a flip of the wrist at the beginning of the serve your weight is back on the right foot and it remains there as you swing back on the forward swing transfer your weight to the left foot and again the force of the entire body is behind the swing this Force properly transmitted through the racket is the power needed for correct service for more and fluent power keep the arm completely extended in the back swing the elbow is bent to form a loop behind the head and the arm uncoils to hit the ball after the impact the racket continues Straight Ahead finishing up across the body on the left side the face of the racket is inclined forward slightly at the impact the toss and swing should be so time that the center of the racket face meets the ball with the arm fully extended if the ball is tossed too low the smoothness of the stroke is broken when it is tossed too high it will strike the top edge of the racket or break the stroke the service alternat between the two service CS having examined the three basic Strokes we are ready to advance into the final stage of the game the kill or if we want to be technical the smash and the volley let us begin with the overhead smash because it is so much like the service that most of these service fundamentals can be applied an overhead smash should be an outright winner it's only major departure from the service is the slight Crouch and bending of the knees if the lob is very high let it bounce first this gives more time to prepare an easier ball to hit Bing greatly increases the potency of your attacking game in order to achieve a certain degree of safety it is necessary to employ a bit of strategy that is your opponent must be driven into a defensive position before you advance to the net the Eastern grip is used for the forehand volley facing the net turn your body sideways and transfer your weight from right to left foot make the back swing as the ball approaches because of the speed of the approaching ball there is no need for a long back swing it is shorter than that used for the drive it is especially important to remember to keep your eyes on the ball because there is less time to make the stroke the ball is met at a point that is parallel with the front hip the racket head must always remain above the wrist on low shots it may be necessary to bend down in order to maintain the proper wrist position notice that in some cases there isn't time to turn the body sideways forcing the volier to face the net the service grip is employed for the backhand volley which is essentially the same as the forehand volley contrary to its name the half volley has nothing in common with the volley as a ground stroke that is taken immediately after the ball strikes the court as such it involves the fundament handles of the basic Drive however back swing and follow through are somewhat shorter than in the drive the racket face meets the ball almost flat at a point directly behind the bouncing spot if the racket fa is open the shot will be deflected upwards therefore to deflect the ball properly the racket face must be slightly closed and now before we adjourn Charlie wood who is one of the outstanding Professionals in the country and I would like to demonstrate a few of the fundamentals we have discussed by playing a few serious points for [Music]