Don't think, that because your back-hand stroke is poor, Wut it'
will be impossible for you ever "to become a great pi "matter of fact you a of the players, both champions, who have been much in the public ey during the last few years were up against it just the same, One was It is a grave fault to get too near the ball—you want room; it is a fault to stand square, or even half square—the correct position is sideways, and it is most of all fault to take your eye off ball until it, has actually left the racket, Now that's all there is in the back-hand stroke, with the exception of a few little details which you can add afterwards. One, however, You ought to take care of from the Start, The head of the racket must not be below the level of the wrist, If it is you get a kind of scoop up, and You will find it almost impossible to guide the ball.
If you crook your elbow and sort of pull the racket across your body, iM put spin on to the ball particularly if you are Uriving "down the' left-hand side ling, will almost certainly carry Gerald Patterson, the young Aus- on of the court. Spin on a ball tralian player, and he had to start all right if you are doing it altering his back-hand—even after intentionally with something in he had won the championship! Miss Ryan, too, used to have a some-view, but in any other case it is what weak back-hand stroke, Ri very' much all wrong. ther than goon losing points Effect of the Feet through it she set herself, with great Patience, to. al However much you have practised on the court you will find thet a.
the famous English moving ball will very likely make national, spent two winters practise you forget all that you have had ing against a wall in his bach in mind. Nothing but practice will arden in order to improve—his overcome this, If things go wrong, back-hand. It took me six months try to think why. "You will never to learn how to play it and quite' wet confidence in the back-hand iwo years to produce a stroke which stroke, for instance, if you are not, satisfied me at all. It's work, you very comfortable on your feet, Bee, and patience, and: plenty matter of fact the feet have very peculiar effect on everything In'vthis™ stroke, If "you havent What ave the causes which mak them placed just as I said you Bo many people fail to produce a will find that they not only get Aecont back-hand drive?" T think in the way, but that your arm com they are three. They get their awkwardly across your body, and Bodies in the wrong position, their that your right shoulder gets out feet in the wrong position, and the of place. grip wrong, Well, T have expl the grip in a previous article, and You should finish the stroke with you ought to have mastered it to your body inclining forward, on a ome extent by now. Let me reline which extends right from the mind you again, however, that when big toe of the left foot to the end you are not actually making of your racket. There is no reason Atroke, the splice, the neck—that in the world why the back-hand_ fs, of your racket should be resting stroke should not be as graceful oh your left hand, This is very the forehand. In fact I know one handy when you want to chang or two players who execute it from the forehand to the back-far more grace than they "do the hand grip—that little shire a quar-fore-hand—shot. is, for of the way round the handle Inatanee, Miss Kitty MeKai I told you about—and don't forget ex-champion. -I' have seen photo-to change, either graphs of Her, not posed, mind, but Now about your feet. In playing} in action ina hard match, of which fore-hand shot the Left foot {s many a dancer would have been well advanced, pointing towards the prowl. 'That wonderful free swing' net. In the back-hand the opposite of hers guides the ball to within is the case, The right foot must be few inches of where she wants it} vedvanced, "you must stand quite to go. There is not "elbow pull" eldeways, not half and half, so that} about that shot when it is properly your right shoulder is pointing in played and, once you get hold of it, direction in which you intend one of the greatest terrors of the the ball to go when it is hit.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.