BALL SERVICE

NZ Truth, Issue 1143, 27 October 1927, Page 12

BALL SERVICE

Speedy Deliveries Stiffen Play (From "N.Z. Truth's" Wellington Rep.) If any youngster of promise asked a tennis champion what he should do to stiffen up his game, ■ the champion's first question would be: "How's your service ball?" THE service is the Big Bertha of tennis artillery- In the past, tennis stars possessing little save exceptional services, and the strong smashing and volleying ability which goes with solid overhead hitting, have .battered their way into the world's best. Such a player was Maurice McLaughlin, the "Red Rusher" from California, who slaughtered both Brookes and Anthony Wilding at their prime and m the one Davis Cup challenge round. Such a player was Gerald Patterson when he served his way through Wimbledon. Such players are Ray Casey and Hennessy to-day. The service ball will not take a man all the way to stardom, but it can give him three-quarters of the lap. Without the terrific speed and spin which marked McLaughlin's deliveries, he would never have gone anywhere near international class. Without his high-bounding, baffling break, Gerald Patterson would have done no more than dream of the Wimbledon title. Once McLaughlin's service failed him he went out of the game. Once Patterson found men to whom his service presented no terrors, and who could search his court for weaknesses and find : them, he. was ranked as definitely i inferior. The terrific service ball bred the terrific drive. It gave us the pace of the modern game. Tilden's cannon-

ball, Borotra's deceptive, speedy swerve have pulled them through matches which would otherwise have ended disastrously. The super-service will beat all but the man with super ground-strokes. It will demoralize an opponent as nothing else save a chronic attack of short lobbing against a man whose ) smashing eye is m. For the netrusher a strong service is essential. One-half our weakness m presentday doubles play comes from the fact that too few' of our outstanding men 8 possess a service-ball which makes it fl safe for them to take the net on de--8 livery. They have to manoeuvre for the net - position, which should be theirs by c right. And, at once, they sacrifice 5 that attack which is the whole secret " of success m the doubles game. c Never haa thiß been more obvious than when the last New South Wales 6 team visited our shores, and men who c would have gone out m straight sets •> to the New Zealanders opposing them " ran some of our country's best to y three hard Bets before accepting: a test-match defeat. There are any number of hints for the acquisition of a solid service bad) and most of them reduce the player to thinking of so many s things that he forgets that the c main thing is to hit the ball. There are only two things worth - remembering. Service delivery is not - a mystery, it is something within the r reach of every man with any intelli- - gonce. If those two things are kept c m mind the result will be a fifty per cent, improvement m the service ball c m one season. y Point one is to throw the ball up o m front of you. No one ever hit a - ball hard and well when he threw it up behind his head, as half the men c with service disease do to-day. c Point- two is to reduce the whole thing to a regular rhythm.. Thatj y covers everything. If all your muscles c are working m harmony there will be - no jolt, no strain by any part of the c body; the whole concentrated effort t. will go behind the delivery of the - stroke. h On your best days you will find that » throw-up and stroke merge into one Indistinguishable whole. You are not 8 conscious of two actions, the swing n begins as the ball goes up. Remember this and forget all you we told about taut wrists, following through, body rotation, and even tin? position of the ball. If everything is working m harmony, you, will not be throwing the ball anywhere but m the most convenient place for you to hit it. a And when you hit it, it will be to some purpose. c Unless you are a genius you will never make yourself dangerous to d anyone while your service ball remains c weak. In doubles, particularly, it will c be pasted all over the place, and your it partner will feel that it is a waste of time for. him to perch at the net for a c return which he can punish, n What is more, if you are dropping o your service every time it will have c a disastrous effect on your morale, c And, though you cannot hope to be a c Patterson if you are under five feet c six m height, you can tighten up this , leose link m your. game. ...