We will now take up the key stroke of tennis, on which all sound tennis games are, or should be, built. The drive, on both wings, is the most important single stroke in tennis. It is played probably twice as of ten as all the other strokes combined. It is the key to all back-court games, and since a player must make at least one ground stroke before he can volley, you can see that ground strokes will always be more important than the net game.
The drive is the only shot in tennis which is equally important in attack and defence. It can be used to win points outright by blasting speed or subtle placement, and it can also be used to keep the ball going back when you are being attacked by your opponent. It is capable of wider range of speed and angle than any other shot.
Therefore, the wise student will learn to hit a drive first of all shots, and will strive to make it as sound and solid as practice will produce. A great many players will work hours to learn a backhand drive under able coaching but will be satisfied with almost any sort of natural poke on the forehand. There are few good forehands in tennis today.
Actually, the forehand is more important than the backhand because it is, or should be, used more often. The basic method of hitting either drive is the same in attack and defence. It is only in the power of the swing of the racquet head and the direction of the stroke that the difference is to be found. Do not try to develop one type of drive in defence and another in attack-one way to hit cross-court and another to hit straight-because by so doing you will fail to have the ability to go from one to the other with no indication of what you intend to play.
The secret of a sound drive lies in the early preparation of the shot and the placing of the feet in correct position to keep your body sideways to the net, your rear end out of the way of the ball, and the weight moving forward with the stroke.
On all drives, no matter how high or law the point of contact with the ball may be, the head of the racquet must be dropped below the line of your shot. At the moment of hitting the ball, the racquet face should meet the lower outside surface of the ball with a slightly upward and definitely forward motion, and continue to the very end of the full arm swing.
Do not turn the racquet face over the ball with your wrist, or “lift up” across the ball, to impart topspin. The fact that you have hit slightly up on the ball with the flat racquet face, and followed through, will give you all the tendency to topspin that you need. Do not attempt to gain direction by “hooking” or twisting your drive. Let the flat face of your racquet go directly at the place you want the ball to go.
To drive cross-court from your right to left, lean a shade forward, letting the weight definitely go out on the left foot before the ball is struck, and meet the ball on a line with the left hip, or in terms of time, hit it early.
To hit straight, or even from your number 2 court off to your right, keep your weight evenly divided between your feet and let the ball come back to a line with your belt buckle before you meet it, or, in terms of time, hit it Iate.
All drives should be hit waist-high! If the bound of the ball is too high to take it waist-high where you are standing, pick up your carcass and get in position where you can. Either move in and meet it waist-high as it comes up, which is dangerous even for experts and is used only in attack by them, or take the better and safer course and move back, letting the ball cross the top of the bound, and, as it falls to the waist, hit it.
Should the bound of the ball be so law that it never rises to your waist, then you must bend your knees and take your waist down to the ball, but still hit it waist-high. Do not stand up like a cigar store Indian to these law shots and then use the shovel shot. It is no good.