Notwithstanding these truths, there are certain players who have
turned the half volley into a point winner. The greatest half
volleyer of the past decade--in fact, one of the greatest tennis
geniuses of the world--George Caridia, used the stroke
successfully as a point winner. R. N. Williams, the leading
exponent of the stroke in the present day, achieves remarkable
results with it. Major A. R. F. Kingscote wins many a point,
seemingly lost, by his phenomenal half-volley returns,
particularly from the baseline. These men turn a defence into an
attack, and it pays.

So much for the actual strokes of the game. It is in the other
departments such as generalship and psychology that matches are
won. Just a few suggestions as to stroke technique, and I will
close this section.

Always play your shot with a fixed, definite idea of what you are
doing and where it is going. Never hit haphazard.

Play all shots across the short strings of the racquet, with the
racquet head and handle on the same hitting plane for ground
strokes and the head above the handle for volleys. The racquet
head should be advanced slightly beyond the wrist for ground
strokes.


COURT POSITION

A tennis court is 39 feet long from baseline to net. Most players
think all of that territory is a correct place to stand. Nothing