| The Half Volley. | | | | Use all your wrist shots, chop, slice, and drop, merely |
| Always a difficult shot, this requires more perfect | | | | as an auxiliary to your orthodox game. They are |
| timing, eyesight, and racquet work than any other, since | | | | intended to upset your opponent's game through the |
| its margin of error is smallest and its many chances of | | | | varied spin on the ball. |
| mistakes numberless. Having said that when learning | | | | Your Court Position. |
| tennis techniques this shot is a must have. | | | | A tennis court is 39 feet long from baseline to net. |
| Basically it's a pick-up shot. The ball meets the ground | | | | There are only two places in a tennis court that a |
| and racquet face at nearly the same moment, the ball | | | | tennis player should be to await the ball. |
| bouncing off the ground, onto the strings. This shot is a | | | | 1. About 3 feet behind the baseline near the middle of |
| stiff-wrist, short swing, like a volley with no follow | | | | the court, or |
| through. The racquet face travels along the ground | | | | 2. About 6 to 8 feet back from the net and almost |
| with a slight tilt over the ball and towards the net, thus | | | | opposite the ball. |
| holding the ball low; the shot, like all others in tennis, | | | | The first is the place for all baseline players. The |
| should travel across the racquet face, along the short | | | | second is the net position. |
| strings. The racquet face should always be slightly | | | | If you are drawn out of these positions by a shot |
| outside the ball. The half volley is essentially a | | | | which you must return, do not remain at the point |
| defensive stroke, since it should only be made as a | | | | where you struck the ball, but attain one of the two |
| last resort, when caught out of position by your | | | | positions mentioned as rapidly as possible. |
| opponent's shot. It is a last ditch desperate attempt to | | | | The distance from the baseline to about 10, feet from |
| extricate yourself from a dangerous position without | | | | the net may be considered as "no-man's-land" or "the |
| retreating. You should never deliberately half volley. | | | | blank." Never linger there, since a deep shot will catch |
| The Chop Stroke. | | | | you at your feet. After making your shot from the |
| A chop stroke is a shot where the angle towards the | | | | blank, as you must often do, retreat behind the |
| player and behind the racquet, made by the line of | | | | baseline to await the return, so you may again come |
| flight of the ball, and the racquet travelling down across | | | | forward to meet the ball. If you are drawn in short and |
| it, is greater than 45 degrees and may be 90 degrees. | | | | cannot retreat safely, continue all the way to the net |
| The racquet face passes slightly outside the ball and | | | | position. |
| down the side, chopping it, as a man chops wood. The | | | | Never stand and watch your shot, for to do so simply |
| spin and curve is from right to left. It is made with a | | | | means you are out of position for your next stroke. |
| stiff wrist. | | | | Strive to attain a position so that you always arrive at |
| The slice shot merely reduced the angle mentioned | | | | the spot the ball is going to before it actually arrives. |
| from 45 degrees down to a very small one. The | | | | Do your hard running while the ball is in the air, so you |
| racquet face passes either inside or outside the ball, | | | | will not be hurried in your stroke after it bounces. |
| according to direction desired, while the stroke is mainly | | | | It is in learning to do this that natural anticipation plays a |
| a wrist twist or slap. This slap imparts a decided | | | | big role. Some players instinctively know where the |
| skidding break to the ball, while a chop "drags" the ball | | | | next return is going and take position accordingly, while |
| off the ground without break. | | | | others will never sense it. It is to the latter class that I |
| The rules of footwork for both these shots should be | | | | urge court position, and recommend always coming in |
| the same as the drive, but because both are made | | | | from behind the baseline to meet the ball, since it is |
| with a short swing and more wrist play, without the | | | | much easier to run forward than back. |
| need of weight, the rules of footwork may be more | | | | Should you be caught at the net, with a short shot to |
| safely discarded and body position not so carefully | | | | your opponent, do not stand still and let him pass you |
| considered. | | | | at will, as he can easily do. Pick out the side where you |
| Both these shots are essentially defensive, and are | | | | think he will hit, and jump to, it suddenly as he swings. If |
| labour-saving devices when your opponent is on the | | | | you guess right, you win the point. If you are wrong, |
| baseline. A chop or slice is very hard to drive, and will | | | | you are no worse off, since he would have beaten |
| break up any driving game. It is not a shot to use | | | | you anyway with his shot. |
| against a volley, as it is too slow to pass and too high | | | | Your position should always strive to be such that you |
| to cause any worry. It should be used to drop short, | | | | can cover the greatest possible area of court without |
| soft shots at the feet of the net man as he comes in. | | | | sacrificing safety, since the straight shot is the surest, |
| Do not strive to pass a net man with a chop or slice, | | | | most dangerous, and must be covered. It is merely a |
| except through a big opening. | | | | question of how much more court than that |
| The drop shot is a very soft, sharply angled chop | | | | immediately in front of the ball may be guarded. |
| stroke, played wholly with the wrist. It should drop | | | | Without a well-grounded knowledge of court position |
| within 3 to 5 feet of the net to be of any use. The | | | | you'll undoubtedly lose numerous points, not to mention |
| racquet face passes around the outside of the ball | | | | the breath expended in long runs after hopeless shots. |
| and under it with a distinct "wrist turn." Do not swing | | | | When you start to learn tennis techniques you must |
| the racquet from the shoulder in making a drop shot. | | | | consider your court position at all times. Clearly the |
| The drop shot has no relation to a stop-volley. The | | | | type of shot which will be your next depends upon |
| drop shot is all wrist. The stop-volley has no wrist at all. | | | | your court position. |