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Service is the opening gun of tennis. It is putting the ball in play. The old idea was that service should never be more than merely the beginning of a rally. With the rise of American tennis and the advent of Dwight Davis and Holcombe Ward, service took on a new significance. These two men originated what is now known as the American Twist delivery.
From a mere formality, service became a point winner. Slowly it gained in importance, until Maurice E. M'Loughlin, the wonderful "California Comet," burst across the tennis sky with the first of those terrific cannon-ball deliveries that revolutionized the game, and caused the old-school players to send out hurry calls for a severe footfault rule or some way of stopping the threatened destruction of all ground strokes. M'Loughlin made service a great factor in the game. It remained for R. N. Williams to supply the antidote that has again put service in the normal position of mere importance, not omnipotence. Williams stood in on the delivery and took it on the rising bound.
Service must be speedy. Yet speed is not the be-all and end-all. Service must be accurate, reliable, and varied. It must be used with discretion and served with brains.
Any tall player has an advantage over a short one, in service. Given a man about 6 feet and allow him the 3 feet added by his reach, it has been proved by tests that should he deliver a service, perfectly flat, with no variation caused by twist or wind, that just cleared the net at its lowest point (3 feet in the centre), there is only a margin of 8 inches of the service court in which the ball can possibly fall; the remainder is below the net angle. Thus it is easy to see how important it is to use some form of twist to bring the ball into court. Not only must it go into court, but it must be sufficiently speedy that the receiver does not have an opportunity of an easy kill. It must also be placed so as to allow the server an advantage for his next return, admitting the receiver puts the ball in play.
Just as the first law of receiving is to, put the ball in play, so of service it is to cause the receiver to fall into error. Do not strive unduly for clean aces, but use your service to upset the ground strokes of your opponent.
Service should be hit from as high a point as the server can COMFORTABLY reach. To stretch unnecessarily is both wearing on the server and unproductive of results. Varied pace and varied speed is the keynote to a good service.
The slice service should be hit from a point above the right shoulder and as high as possible. The server should stand at about a forty-five degree angle to the baseline, with both feet firmly planted on the ground. Drop the weight back on the right foot and swing the racquet freely and easily behind the back. Toss the ball high enough into the air to ensure it passing through the desired hitting plane, and then start a slow shift of the weight forward, at the same time increasing the power of the swing forward as the racquet commences its upward flight to the ball. Just as the ball meets the racquet face the weight should be thrown forward and the full power of the swing smashed into the service. Let the ball strike the racquet INSIDE the face of the strings, with the racquet travelling directly towards the court. The angle of the racquet face will impart the twist necessary to bring the ball in court. The wrist should be somewhat flexible in service. If necessary lift the right foot and swing the whole body forward with the arm. Twist slightly to the right, using the left foot as a pivot. The general line of the racquet swing is from RIGHT to LEFT and always forward.
At this point and before I take up the other branches of serving, let me put in a warning against footfaulting. I can only say that a footfault is crossing or touching the line with either foot before the ball is delivered, or it is a jump or step. I am not going into a technical discussion of footfaults. It is unnecessary, and by placing your feet firmly before the service there is no need to footfault.
It is just as unfair to deliberately footfault as to miscall a ball, and it is wholly unnecessary. The average footfault is due to carelessness, over-anxiety, or ignorance of the rule. All players are offenders at times, but it can quickly be broken up.
by kiana
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Chop stroke.
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In Tennis, a chop stroke is a shot where the angle towards the player and behind the racquet, made by the line of flight of the ball, and the racquet travelling down across it, is greater than 45 degrees and may be 90 degrees. The racquet face passes slightly outside the ball and down the side, chopping it, as a man chops wood. The spin and curve is from right to left. It is made with a stiff wrist.
The slice shot merely reduced the angle mentioned from 45 degrees down to a very small one. The racquet face passes either inside or outside the ball, according to direction desired, while the stroke is mainly a wrist twist or slap. This slap imparts a decided skidding break to the ball, while a chop "drags" the ball off the ground without break.
The rules of footwork for both these shots should be the same as the drive, but because both are made with a short swing and more wrist play, without the need of weight, the rules of footwork may be more safely discarded and body position not so carefully considered.
Both these shots are essentially defensive, and are labour-saving devices when your opponent is on the baseline. A chop or slice is very hard to drive, and will break up any driving game.
It is not a shot to use against a volley, as it is too slow to pass and too high to cause any worry. It should be used to drop short, soft shots at the feet of the net man as he comes in. Do not strive to pass a net man with a chop or slice, except through a big opening.
The drop-shot is a very soft, sharply-angled chop stroke, played wholly with the wrist. It should drop within 3 to 5 feet of the net to be of any use. The racquet face passes around the outside of the ball and under it with a distinct "wrist turn." Do not swing the racquet from the shoulder in making a drop shot. The drop shot has no relation to a stop-volley. The drop shot is all wrist. The stop-volley has no wrist at all.
Use all your wrist shots, chop, slice, and drop, merely as an auxilliary to your orthodox game. They are intended to upset your opponent's game through the varied spin on the ball.
The half volley.
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This shot requires more perfect timing, eyesight, and racquet work than any other, since its margin of safety is smallest and its manifold chances of mishaps numberless.
It is a pick-up. The ball meets the ground and racquet face at nearly the same moment, the ball bouncing off the ground, on the strings. This shot is a stiff-wrist, short swing, like a volley with no follow through. The racquet face travels along the ground with a slight tilt over the ball and towards the net, thus holding the ball low; the shot, like all others in tennis, should travel across the racquet face, along the short strings. The racquet face should always be slightly outside the ball.
The half volley is essentially a defensive stroke, since it should only be made as a last resort, when caught out of position by your opponent's shot. It is a desperate attempt to extricate yourself from a dangerous position without retreating. never deliberately half volley.
Court position.
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A tennis court is 39 feet long from baseline to net. There are only two places in a tennis court that a tennis player should be to await the ball.
1. About 3 feet behind the baseline near the middle of the court, or
2. About 6 to 8 feet back from the net and almost opposite the ball.
The first is the place for all baseline players. The second is the net position.
If you are drawn out of these positions by a shot which you must return, do not remain at the point where you struck the ball, but attain one of the two positions mentioned as rapidly as possible.
The distance from the baseline to about 10, feet from the net may be considered as "no-man's-land" or "the blank." Never linger there, since a deep shot will catch you at your feet. After making your shot from the blank, as you must often do, retreat behind the baseline to await the return, so you may again come forward to meet the ball. If you are drawn in short and cannot retreat safely, continue all the way to the net position.
Never stand and watch your shot, for to do so simply means you are out of position for your next stroke. Strive to attain a position so that you always arrive at the spot the ball is going to before it actually arrives. Do your hard running while the ball is in the air, so you will not be hurried in your stroke after it bounces.
It is in learning to do this that natural anticipation plays a big role. Some players instinctively know where the next return is going and take position accordingly, while others will never sense it. It is to the latter class that I urge court position, and recommend always coming in from behind the baseline to meet the ball, since it is much easier to run forward than back.
Should you be caught at the net, with a short shot to your opponent, do not stand still and let him pass you at will, as he can easily do. Pick out the side where you think he will hit, and jump to, it suddenly as he swings. If you guess right, you win the point. If you are wrong, you are no worse off, since he would have beaten you anyway with his shot.
Your position should always strive to be such that you can cover the greatest possible area of court without sacrificing safety, since the straight shot is the surest, most dangerous, and must be covered. It is merely a question of how much more court than that immediately in front of the ball may be guarded.
A well-grounded knowledge of court position saves many points, to say nothing of much breath expended in long runs after hopeless shots.
by kiana
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Mills leads Roadrunners to sweep - Today's Sunbeam - NJ.com
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The Woodstown High School graduate belted a two-run homer in support of her 11-4 Game 1 win, then went 4-for-4 with a double, homer and seven RBIs in the nightcap as the Roadrunners completed the sweep with a 23-1 victory behind a no-hitter from Erica Knorr (Delsea).
Mills knocked home two runs with a single in her first at-bat of the second game, then added a three-run homer in GCC's 12-run first inning. Kelly Jenkins (Kingsway) and Erin Clifford (Schalick) each doubled twice in the win. Knorr improved to 15-2, walking two and striking out four.
Mills gave up five hits and three earned runs to win the first game with three walks and three strikeouts. Shannon Kelly (Gloucester Catholic) was 3-for-4 with a double and five runs scored, and Danielle DePasquale finished 3-for-4 with two RBIs.
GCC is now 24-5 on the season.
Center fielder Garrett Mull recorded three hits and four RBIs to lead Rowan University over Widener, 12-5, in a non-league game.
Mull had a double and three runs scored in the victory. Paul Urbanovich went 4-for-5 with two RBIs and a run scored. Designated hitter Tom Homstrom (Pitman) added two hits and two RBIs.
DeSales ripped 22 hits against four Rutgers-Camden pitchers, including four each by Andrew Feher and Greg Treat in an 18-8 win over the Scarlet Raptors in non-league action.
The Rowan University women's lacrosse team won, 14-13, over 16th-ranked Stevens Tech.
Attack Caitlin Meseroll led Rowan with five goals. Attack Lauren Crennan totaled three goals and two assists, while midfielder Carly Welsh recorded the tying goal and the game-winner.
• More Stories© 2008 Today's Sunbeam. Used with permission.
by pug938
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Aces take 3-0 series lead with 3-2 win in double OT - OurSports Central (press release)
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ANCHORAGE, Alaska - Derick Martin scored on a drive from the point at 2:34 of the second overtime, giving Alaska a 3-2 victory and a commanding 3-0 series lead over defending Kelly Cup champion Idaho before 5,843 Saturday at Sullivan Arena.
The Aces have not trailed at any point in this series, and can eliminate the Steelheads with a win tomorrow night at 7:15 p.m. Idaho had won seven straight playoff games in Anchorage dating to April 8, 1998, including a pair in last year's conference final, when the Steelheads ended Alaska's bid for back-to-back ECHL titles.
The Aces will get a chance to do the same to Idaho as a result of Saturday's win, which opened with a power play goal scored by Michael Lambert from the left circle at 12:04, assisted by Olivier Filion and Cam Ketih, who set a perfect screen in front of Steelheads goalie Matt Zaba. Idaho drew even on a goal by Lance Galbraith 1:43 into the second period, but Filion answered with a backhander just 44 seconds later to push Alaska back in front, 2-1. The Aces left Taggart Desmet all alone in front of the net midway through the second period, and the leading goal-scorer in the series (4) buried a one-timer past Marek Schwarz, who followed up his 95 saves in two wins at Boise on Wednesday and Thursday with 32 more on Saturday.
The game remained tied 2-2 for the final 27:28 of regulation, and through a scoreless first overtime despite excellent chances for Desmet and Alaska's second-leading scorer, Kimbi Daniels. Martin's shot was set up by Lambert and Bo Cheesman, who had a pair of helpers and appeared to screen Zaba as the puck whistled into the upper right corner. Both teams finished with 34 shots on goal.
The Aces improved to 10-4 in ECHL overtime games and 7-1 at home since 1999. Game Five, if necessary, will be in Anchorage Tuesday at 7:15 p.m. If Idaho should win tomorrow and Tuesday, Games Six and Seven would return to Boise on Thursday, and Sunday, April 20, respectively. Playoff tickets will be on sale at the team offices at the corner of 15th and Gambell tomorrow from Noon-5:00 p.m. weekdays between 9:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. All playoff games will be broadcast live on the flagship home of the Aces, AM 750 KFQD, with coverage beginning 15 minutes prior to the opening face-off.
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
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by pug938
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Johnson Wagner claims first PGA trophy - United Press International
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Wagner closed with a total of 16-under-par 272 and earned his first invitation to The Masters, which begins Thursday in Augusta, Ga.
Fred Couples and Billy Mayfair each shot a 66 and shared fourth-place, three shots behind the leader.
Wagner collected $1 million for winning the Houston Open.
"This is unbelievable, I can't even put it into words right now," he said. "I can't believe I'm going to Augusta next week ... I can't even talk I'm so excited."
by pug938
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After the surprising resignation of Rahul Dravid from the post of Indian cricket captain, the BCCI and the selectors seems to have just one agenda in mind. No, the agenda is not to select a good captain who should be able to lead India confidently and successfully; the first and foremost agenda is to keep Sourav Ganguly, the most successful and gutsy captain India ever had, at bay.
Rahul Dravid does not enjoy captaincy, neither does Sachin Tendulkar. The next generation of cricketers like Shewag and Yuvraj are struggling to get their places secure in the team. So what next? Appoint Dhoni, who merely played a handful of ODIs , as ODI captain. It does not matter if he his inexperienced, it does not matter if he does not have great records outside India. Nothing seems to matter as long as you can get rid of Ganguly. If Dhoni was unavailable they would not have hesitated to make Piyush Chawla the ODI captain!
Sourav Ganguly has been the most successful Indian captain. He groomed the young stars. Under his captaincy India could see eye to eye with any other teams in the world, including Australia. Great players all over the world have praised his captaincy. He has more than 11000 runs in ODI and made a fairytale comeback after being dropped from the team. Why then the BCCI does not like him? He did not have any problem with any of the existing board members in the past. His bitterest enemy Greg Chappell is no longer with the Indian team or board. Why the current board is so reluctant to choose him then? Well it is because he has a mind of his own. He can not be made to give in to the whims and fancies of board members. The board wants a ‘yes man’ and Ganguly by no means is one.
So, Indian cricket fans just brace yourselves for disastrous Pakistan and Australia series. As long as the board will be run by people with their vested interests and ego in mind, rather than the interest of Indian cricket, we the fans will not get anything better.
by hutom_pyancha
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My best team is liverpool
what is yours????????
by subarna21
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Mine is Craig Bellamy from Liverpool
Who is yours???
Lets compete guys common
for latest sports update
Click here
by subarna21
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So American Football is coming to UK Football?
LONDON (AP) - London was chosen Tuesday to stage the first NFL regular-season game outside North America.
The NFL received interest from several German cities, but settled on London for the first game.
"There is no better place to begin this initiative than London," NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said. "It is one of the great cities of the world with an established and growing fan base for our game."
So American Football is coming to UK.
Why the hell do they call it football
What the hell is American Football a game that they call only football and expect us to change the name of our sport the biggest sport in the world to soccer?
Now let’s have a look at this I have seen it on TV and they hardly kick it at all they throw it they catch it but not much foot contact with the ball.
So why the hell did they call it football why not handball, they could not do that there is all ready a sport called handball but then did they not know? There was all ready a sport called football.
To call it football is about the same as calling true football handball why did we not name football handball?
That’s a easy one because we have more brains than to call a sport that uses mainly feet handball, just shows how the American brain works think about it.
If you’re going to copy another sports name why not American Rugby it has more in common, or what about WIMPS Rugby why the hell do they need all them pads and helmets so they don’t get a bruise.
OK that’s it they call our sport by another name we will call their sport by another from now on we won’t call it American football we will call it by its now declared by me official English Name of WIMPS RUGBY.
So the head line above should be changed to LONDON (AP) - London was chosen Tuesday to stage the first NWRL regular-season game outside North America.
Anyway any of you that do like American sports got some new Basketball shoes come in today where I work and great street wear even if you hate sport. Nike Air Max 360 BBall they got them in 3 different colour ways.
(Note colour is spelt with a ‘U” in for any Americans reading this try to pronounce it the way the Americans spell it COL-OR)
by jag1957
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With names like Tom Brady and Reggie Bush, I was sure that I could get some solid wins this season with my FF team! I find myself in the middle, a 5-4 record and my team falling apart due to injury and just all around suckiness! Man, I sure am glad I don't manage a real team!
by seansanve
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