Tennis ball

“ Yet unless this rule is implicitly obeyed you cannot expect much success at lawn tennis. Taking your eye off the ball is the secret of every mis-hit and mis-timed stroke. You must not be content merely to look at the ball, but follow it right on to your racket; watch it up to the actual moment of striking. The court and the position of your opponent must be mentally engraved at the same time. How frequently attentive observation will reveal a player lifting his or her eye from the ball a fraction too soon! ”

“ The tennis ball is to hang so that both globe and ball are about the same height from the floor. We put the globe directly underneath the point on the ceiling from which the silken thread hangs. If I draw the tennis ball aside and simply release it, then of course everybody knows what happens—it is hardly necessary to try the experiment—the tennis ball falls at once towards the globe and strikes it. We may, if we please, regard that tendency of the tennis ball towards the globe as a sort of attraction which the globe exercises upon the ball. ”

“ The tennis ball, too, seemed endowed with reasoning powers, it seemed to change its course after leaving the racquet of the server when an opponent got in the way. This they could not understand, neither could [127] the other spectators, for they had never seen anything like it in all their experience.
“Game!” announced the Englishman. “Keep right on playing. We will go through the set. See to it that you don’t loaf. Play tennis; don’t stand there and watch me serve. Show the young ladies that you at least know how to play the game.” ”

“ I repeated, and raised my tennis bat for a smashing service. The ball whistled close to the net, and the white dust flew from her court, but her racquet caught it fair and square, and I heard the ring of the strings as the ball shot along my left alley and dropped exactly on the service line. How I got it I don't know, but the next moment a puff of dust rose in her vantage court, there was a rustle of skirts, a twinkle of small tennis shoes, and the ball rocketed, higher, higher, into the misty sunshine.
"Oh," gasped Ysonde, and bit her lip. ”

“ The Squash Tennis ball is so lively and the angles so wide that trying to back up usually results in the ball chasing you and at best, a defensive, awkward shot will be all you can hit. Turning, however, and moving constantly after or toward the ball will "open up the court" as well as place you in a solid, firm position to stroke the ball freely and comfortably. (See figures 21 and 22 showing a player backing up versus a player who is properly turning.) ”

“ There is no doubt whatever that double swerves may be obtained by the axis of rotation of the ball altering during the flight of the ball. I can remember quite clearly at a meeting of the All-England Lawn-tennis Club at Wimbledon, a player informing me quite seriously that a lawn-tennis ball would swerve two ways in the air. At that time I was under the impression that I knew all there was to be known about the flight of the ball. ”

“ The players are separated from each other by a low net, stretching across the ground, over which they strike a tennis ball with rackets resembling tennis bats. The net should be 42 inches high at the sides of the court and 36 inches high in the middle. Each ball is two and a half inches in diameter and weighs two ounces. ”

“ It is a fault to touch net while ball is in play, or to touch the ball with any part of person except the racket, or to touch ball with racket twice.
The receiver may hit the ball in the air (except serve) or after the first bounce, but may never hit after the second bounce.
A player in tennis must never be caught napping. Tennis calls for wide awake, quick playing. It is best to stand either near the net or back farther toward the service line. For most girls I would recommend the base line game. Never stand where your opponent can drop a ball directly at your feet; always be ready for her. ”

“ As we suggested just now, a ball should occasionally be held in the otherwise idle fingers, a Lawn Tennis ball being at first preferable until the fingers have stretched and grown powerful. Various grips and movements should thus become familiar. A{201} box-full of old balls might be used in order to practise bowling or fielding: the Lawn Tennis ball exhibits the effects of a break or curl in the air far more clearly than a Cricket ball. The practice may be by the player himself against a wall, or with another player, a stump being put between the two, and a third player acting as wicket-keep. ”

“ In the Middle Ages, tennis—the oldest ball-game known—was a favorite sport of kings and of those about them. It was called le jeu de paume, being played with the hand until the invention of the racket; the players standing in the ditch outside the wall, against which the ball was thrown. Beyond the ditch was built the court for onlookers, the common folk standing on its floor, their betters seated in the gallery. When the game lost its vogue, these courts were easily and cheaply turned into the rude theatres of that day, with abundant space for actors and spectators ”

“ Red Rubber Lawn-Tennis Ball (Cloth Surface Rubber) . uniform in weight and size, carefully adjusted in bound, specially made for durability, and adapted for Asphalt or Hard Courts 7/6 per doz.
This Ball is manufactured so as to give the Regulation weight, size, and bounce, and the cloth-like surface makes it for all purposes of the game the same as the best makes of cloth-covered balls, with the great advantage that IT DOES NOT VARY IN WEIGHT IN ANY WEATHER and is readily cleansed; the red colour is better to see, being a greater contrast to the usual surroundings than ordinary Balls. ”

“ Whenever a ball enters a court, any member of the party on that side may play upon it. The players in each court will naturally scatter to be ready to receive the ball. Players will use in this game many points of tennis, such as sending the ball into the opponents' territory with a long glancing stroke, which may make it bound unexpectedly toward the rear of the opponents' court ”

“ It is customary to mark a double court and to indicate the lines for singles afterward.
The game of tennis may be played either by two or four persons, or sometimes an expert player will stand two beginners. The ball used is rubber filled with air and covered with white felt and is 21⁄2 inches in diameter. It is necessary to play with two balls, and to save time in chasing those that go wild it is customary to play with three or four. ”

“ Just as the tennis-player sends down the first ball into the net with a fine abandon, and is more careful with the second, so the three-match man strikes his first match without arresting his progress along the street, only slows down a little with the second, and not until the third is in his fingers does he look about for a doorway. ”

“ In the lawn-tennis ball and racket one gets a wonderfully firm grip, and it is astonishing with what accuracy one can place a lawn-tennis ball by means of cut, but the vast majority of iron clubs which are used are insufficiently and unscientifically marked. ”

“ Through tag, fire-engine, pom-pom-pull-away, hide-and-seek, baseball, and boxing, I came to tennis, which I knew instinctively was to be my athletic grand passion. Perhaps I was first attracted by the game's constant humor which was forever making the ball imitate or caricature humanity, or beguiling the players to act like solemn automata. For children are usually quicker than grown-ups to see these droll resemblances. ”

“ The suborners of men are the makers of matches, which are commonly friends. After the two chases are made, he that was in the upper end of the tennis-court goeth out, and the other cometh in. They believe the first that saith the ball was over or under the line. The waters are the heats that the players take till they sweat again. The cords of the rackets are made of the guts of sheep or goats. The globe terrestrial is the tennis-ball. After playing, when the game is done, they refresh themselves before a clear fire, and change their shirts ”

“ This practice is not to be recommended, as it injures the racket. It is better to toss a coin. The game of tennis consists in knocking the ball over the net and into the court of your opponent, keeping up this volley until one side or player fails to make the return properly or at all, which scores his opponent a point. While a game in tennis consists of four points, the simple numbers from one to four are not used. ”

“ Generally all Squash Tennis strokes should be hit as low as possible—within a few inches of the front "telltale." This will take time and practice, but pays high dividends. A low ball invites the aforementioned nicks and keeps your opponent hurrying and scurrying. The chances are better that, when hit with the proper amount of pace, a low ball will die before it gets to the back wall.
When a ball is hugging the side wall, don't attempt to "pick" it off. It is far easier, and your percentage of success is far greater, to "scrape" the ball off with a very loose wrist. ”

“ Cheap cotton back stops are sold, but they are not very satisfactory, as they tighten in damp and sag in dry weather. For a permanent court belonging to a club the galvanized wire is well worth the difference in cost.
The size of the mesh is important, because although a tennis ball is 21⁄2 inches in diameter, when driven hard it frequently goes through two-inch mesh.
There are many opportunities about the tennis court for the young woodworker to show his skill. ”

“ Science has proved that given a tennis ball passing from point A to point B with the receiving player at B, that if the player at B keeps his eye on the ball throughout its full flight his chance of making a good A 1 2 3 4 B ———————————————- return at B is five times as great as if he took his eye off the ball at a point 4, or 4/5 of a second of its flight. ”

“ Thus the nearer a player is to the net the less space he leaves his opponent to place the ball in, but, on the other hand, the quicker he himself must be to judge and reach the ball. It is a great gain if you can volley the ball while it is still above the level of the net, as it can then be volleyed downward. If you allow the ball to drop much, you have got to volley upwards to get it over the net, and there can be little severity in your stroke, which moreover itself is a more difficult one to make. ”

“ CHAPTER II. THE DRIVE The forehand drive is the opening of every offensive in tennis, and, as such, should be most carefully studied. There are certain rules of footwork that apply to all shots. To reach a ball that is a short distance away, advance the foot that is away from the shot and thus swing into position to hit. If a ball is too close to the body, retreat the foot closest to the shot and drop the weight back on it, thus, again, being in position for the stroke. When hurried, and it is not possible to change the foot position, throw the weight on the foot closest to the ball. ”

“ It is the Big Bertha of tennis. It is the long range terror that should always score. The rules of footwork, position, and direction that govern the volley will suffice for the overhead. The swing alone is different. The swing should be closely allied to the slice service, the racquet and arm swinging freely from the shoulder, the wrist flexible and the racquet imparting a slight twist to the ball to hold it in court. The overhead is mainly a point winner through speed, since its bounce is so high that a slow placement often allows time for a recovery. ”

“ It is extraordinary how naïve the general public sometimes are. People will watch first-class tennis, sitting for hours together perhaps in great discomfort, and yet display a lamentable want of knowledge about the game. In fact, to many its object is a mystery! This seems hardly possible, but it is quite true. I once overheard a lady who was watching a match in the centre court at Wimbledon remark, "There, that's the very first time that man has hit the net with the ball, and he has had hundreds of tries!" ”

“ Other varieties of tennis posts can be used if needed, but the wooden poles supported by guy ropes and pegs are the least satisfactory. The pegs are constantly pulling out and destroying the sod. Straight iron anchor posts are better than these. They are driven in the ground, and by means of triple claw clutches they are held rigid. In place of the iron center forks for holding the middle of the net at the regulation three-foot height, canvas center straps are now preferred. The canvas straps do not chafe the net, and cannot cause the ball to glance off and strike out of court. ”

“ If you are too far away, you are apt to tip it; if too near, you bend your arm and do not get a good stroke.
The game of tennis is divided into two main divisions, serving and receiving. First, let us take up serving. This is the method of putting the ball in play. The server must stand behind the base line of the court. She must serve her ball into the diagonally opposite service court. She is allowed two balls; if the first is a fault she is allowed to serve the second. To be a good ball it must touch the ground in the service court, fairly clearing the net. ”

“ The game of Squash Tennis has something to offer players of all ages. The demands for fast reflexes, agile racquet work and speed of foot are intriguing challenges for the youngsters. On the other hand, placement, guile, patience, and the faster ball that actually provides more time for retrieval make Squash Tennis the ideal sport for the "older" athlete who wants to preserve that straight waistline all of his life. ”