Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER III ELEMENTS OF THE GAME, AND STYLE The greater part of this chapter is very much for beginners. But it would be no bad thing if the majority of players began all over again. There are many players who, had they only begun right, would now be in the front rank, instead of third-rate performers. Even now it is not too late to mend. But, alas! many a player is so foolish that she will not give up her bad, old way for a new and better. She will not unlearn and learn anew because during the transition- ary stage she will play worse than before. She will not endure this, not even for the sake of great future benefit. The Dohertys claimed that two things chiefly brought them success: Finishing backhand drive. Note the follow- through to the full extent of arm (See page 37) Overhead service—back view (See page 58) 1i) Keeping the eye on the ball till it hit the racket, or nearly so. (2) A good style. The former is possible to all. The latter every one of us must try to acquire. The very first thing you must do is to grip your racket right. There is a great deal of idle talk about the "unchanging" grip. That is to say, one grip which does for both forehand and backhand. Mr. R. F. Doherty used this grip, and, as he was one of the great masters of the game, many players think they must use it too. For not more than one player in a hundred is this grip a natural or a comfortable one. Give up the idea at once that this grip is necessary. 1 have never used it. I always change the grip for the backhand. Players who use it are quite the exception. Grip your racket naturally for the forehand stroke. Grip it in such a way that you could strike the hardest blow with the face of it. No forcing of the hand and wrist into some fixed position. Freedom and com...