Strokes are the weapons with which you fight your tennis battles. The better your weapons, the greater the chance of victory. Still, you must always remember that weapons alone never won a war. It is the way in which they are used that determines their usefulness. it is extremely important, almost necessary, to have good strokes, but strokes are not the end-only the means to the end. Therefore, do all in your power to learn good strokes, but never be satisfied to be just a shot maker. Shots alone never won a tennis match or crowned a champion. Above all, never allow yourself to become too stroke-conscious.
Correct form is beautiful and a fine thing to attain, but in every important match there is some crucial period where form must go by the board and the result-getting the ball back any way, with two hands and the wood of the racquet if necessary-becomes the deciding factor. So, once more I say work for good strokes in all departments, but always regard them as merely your means to put the ball into the right place at the right time. A badly produced shot to the right place is always better than the most beautiful shot in the world to the wrong place. The first wins, the second loses, so keep your perspective on what strokes mean in tennis.
There are several generalities about strokes that carry through the entire list and should always be borne in mind:
1. For the same effort-the less spin, the mare speed, and conversely, the mare spin, the less speed. From this it can be seen that the fiat shot is almost always the attacking shot, while the spin is more of ten defensive.
2. On all drives-the racquet head in its backswing should be dropped below the line of the stroke and the ball is struck on the lower outside surface, with the racquet head hitting up on the ball, which gives a tendency toward topspin.
3. On all chops, slices, and volleys, the racquet head should be above the line of the shot in its backswing and hit down slightly on the ball, which gives a tendency toward backspin.
4. On all shots-drives, chops, slices, volleys, smashes, services-the racquet head should bit directly through the ball and at the place in your opponent’s court where you wish to place the ball. The secret lies in that geometric axiom, “A straight line is the shortest distance between two points.”
Under no circumstances use flourishes or exaggerated movements in stroke production. The essence of good form is absence of “form.” Watching all the great stars, you are seldom conscious of what they do before they hit the ball. it is the actual hitting of the ball itself that is important, and that is what sticks in your min d with these players. Everything they do is so simple and natural that it is unobtrusive.
Once more you find an example of the simplicity of true greatness. In every form of human endeavor the real masters of the job make whatever they do look so easy. They have eliminated all the waste motion and useless effort,and all that remains is the sheer necessity of their art. That is what really good form does in tennis. Strive to make all your strokes sound, sane, solid, and simply produced. Freak shots, even such remarkable strokes as Pancho Segura’s two-handed forehand, or the remarkable two-handed shots of John Bromwich, or the ambidextrous cleverness of Beverly Baker, are never as sound as the orthodox style and will ultimately break up under enough pressure. Stay away from tricks and freak strokes. They won’t pay dividends.
In learning strokes the order of work is clear cut and definite:
1. Learn the correct racquet grips.
2. Learn the correct footwork and body position.
3. Learn to hit the ball.
4. Learn to hit the ball correctly.
5. Learn to hit the ball correctly to a certain place.
6. Learn to hit the ball correctly to a certain place hard, or slow, or at even pace.