 
|
A Viewpoint on the Game - 2 Previous Page
Navigation
 Much of the present-day type of tennis is due to the effect of the official propaganda of the United States Lawn Tennis Association on young players. During the past two decades the U.S.L.T.A. has built up the finest and best-organized junior development system of any nation in the world. Much of our international success has been due to this, since we have encouraged and increased competition among our boys and girls from their earliest teens. By so doing, we have ingrained the spirit of competition, developed the will to win, and given the opportunity for champions to mature. Naturally, along with all its virtues, such a large organizational plan would also develop its attendant weaknesses, chief of which is the armchair theorist, who crept into power and established himself as a coach or tennis expert. Of ten he is merely an interested, well-meaning crackpot, who knows little or nothing about the actual development of the tennis game from either its technical or its tactical side.
These earnest but incompetent people take immediate result rather than sound development as their criterion of correct method, of ten without ability to see below the surface, to the foundation. The success of such hard hitters as Vines, Budge, and Kramer so impressed these armchair coaches that they induced the U.S.L.T.A. to start a steady stream of propaganda to its juniors that, summed up in a few words, amounts to "Hit like hell and run to the net." The result of this method, used al most exclusively by these inexperienced and unwise coaches, is that from 1940 to 1950 junior tennis has steadily declined in class in the United States, although more of it is played than ever before.
The year 1949 set a new low in the standard. It is amazing how far this blindness will carry these armchair coaches. I know of one high-ranking official, who has never been better than a third-class club player, but whose word is taken as gospel by the juniors in his district, who seriously advises his young players, "Never think on a tennis court-just hit as hard as you can and run to the net." How can real tennis players develop under that sort of official advice? The immediate result, which anyone who knows anything about tennis technique can see at first glance, is the deterioration of all ground strokes among the youngsters of today.
This is particularly true of that basic shot, most important stroke in tennis, the forehand drive. There are many well-produced backhands, but even these are inclined to be unsound and too aggressive. The defensive chop and the medium pace and slow drive have practically disappeared from the game, and all one sees is a bunch of kids trying to reach the net behind shots that are pitifully uncertain. If almost all these kids were not amazing volleyers and servers, they would have no chance at all, and, in fact, they have none now when they meet a really first-class ground-stroke player like Perry or Riggs, who can also volley when needed.
The official attitude of the U.S.L.T.A. should be overhauled and modified. The need of attack should definitely be stressed to all young players, but not overstressed as it is today. If the line of learning, and the method of teaching it, could be set by a group of such great stars as Eleanor Tennant, Vincent Richards, Fred Perry, Alice Marble, Donald Budge, and Bobby Riggs, rather than by such unpractical theorists as do it today, the standard of junior tennis would start an immediate rise and in a comparatively short time reach a new peak. The group of advisers I mentioned are all professionals, and today co-operation between the amateur body and the professionals is almost completely lacking, but there is no reason why it should be. it is my belief that all these pro stars and many others, myself included, would gladly give their knowledge and experience to aid the youngsters of the United States to improve their games. If, for any reason, the U.S.L.T.A. did not wish to accept their help gratis, the Association is financially able to pay for it. it is a situation where pride or prejudice should not be allowed to stand in the way of cooperation.
Something drastic is needed to bring back a balanced and intelligent method to American tennis, and to take full advantage of the wealth of superlative material that is today only realizing a small fraction of its true worth. I see boys and girls with wonderful natural ability held back and practically condemned to mediocrity because they are almost forced along a path that can only develop a portion of their abilities. It is a crying pity that this is so, when it could be avoided by a wise advisory method. The predominance of the California group, where tennis is played on concrete courts, is partially responsible for the overstress on attack. On concrete, cement, and asphalt, power pays off while defence and finesse are almost useless. Yet less than 5 per cent of all world tennis is played on such hard courts.
Over 85 per cent is played on some form of clay or dirt court, while grass, with its 10 per cent, is still the most important surface, since the United States, English, and Australian Championships are all played on it. On grass, and even more definitely on day courts, defence and finesse, variation of spin, speed, pace, and depth have equal importance with sheer power. All of those players whose goal is international competition should recognize that they must not allow themselves to be held within the limitation of the game as played generally in their home locale. Just as California and the Pacific Coast overstress attack, so do the East, South, and Middle West place too much reliance on defence. The wise player attempts to learn both styles, since in major competition only a blend of both can carry a man to the very top.
It is a pity that so far nothing has really been done to standardize court surfaces. The greatest single step forward that tennis could take would be for the International Tennis Federation to adopt one standard surface as the only one on which recognized tournaments could be held. It will never be. England, Australia, and to a lesser degree the United States would fight to hold grass as the standard, yet grass is impossible to grow in many countries where tennis is very popular. Some form of day, like En-Tout-Cas, or dirt, is a possibility and even practical almost all over the world, but the tendency of this surface to slow up the game-overstress defence and underplay attack makes it far from universally popular.
Even within a great country like the United States, various sections have such definite prejudices that they would battle to protect their own favorite type of court. I am positive it would take more than a major earthquake ever to wean California away from the hard court. It is sincerely believed-and possibly correctly, though I doubt it-that much of that state's success is due to the hard court. Personally, I think it is the fact that the climate allows all-year play, coupled with spendid organization of tennis, that keeps California at the top in this country. After all, Oregon and Washington have the hard courts, as do Arizona and New Mexico, but they haven't the other two factors.
Therefore, just so long as a tennis player will be called upon to play on varied court surfaces, just so long must he strive to have a real all-court game capable of meeting all conditions with the best possible style of play. Everything today points to one thing. Too much emphasis is laid on physical effort, quick result, and snap judgment. In the increased rush of modern living, the need for thoughtful, careful planning and preparation has been overlooked and sacrificed. Too great publicity on victory, and not enough appreciation for the sound, complete artist, has built up a fear of immediate defeat in many of our young players, so they are not willing to work slowly toward a real goal. Everything I write here about tennis today is written in the hope that the youngsters who read this book will gain the knowledge that there is no need for all the rush toward immediate success.
Tennis should always be played with the head consciously directing the racquet. Every shot should be played with a definite intention behind it, one that will make it of value to the player who hits it.
The viewpoint on tennis that stamps a tennis player is that the game is a science and an art. It can reach its highest expression only if a player is willing to study and practise in an attempt to master the game in all its varied facets. In the coming pages I will try to show as much of the game as I have been able to learn in fifty years. I need at least that much more time to learn all there is to know. What I have learned I owe to those who preceded me, my own contemporaries, and those who have followed me. Do not scorn to learn from those you can beat. There is much to be learned from them. Remember always that even more can be learned in defeat than in victory, if you suffered that defeat when you gave your best. And keep in mind that, no matter how great you are, there is always the possibility of someone greater.
|
RSS Feed XML Sitemap HTML Sitemap Privacy Policy
Next Page: