This historic book may have numerous typos, missing text, images, or index. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. 1915. Not illustrated. Excerpt: ... CHAPTER IV THE SERVICE IX America the service is a more offensive stroke than ever before. Its value is much greater than formerly. It has become of increased importance to get the receiver or strikerout upon the defensive. The service has been compared to the smash, and indeed there is a distinct similarity between these strokes. They go hand in hand, as is evidenced by the fact that in the case of most good servers you find a man who is a good smasher. A notable exception, however, is seen in the case of Norman E. Brookes, who possesses a peerless service but whose accompanying overhead work is extremely weak in comparison. Personally, I never think of my services and smashes in the same way when I am going about them. I am inclined to classify each more individually as a stroke, mainly because of the finer element of timing that the smash demands. In many cases it is true that you use a very similar swing. For the service, however, you are practically swinging on a stationary ball. The different types of service may be roughly classified as the straight overhead forehand service, the forehand service with a cut to make the bound of the ball "break" in the general direction of the line of flight, and the forehand chop service, which is given back-spin that causes it to shoot low. Then there is the typically American service, which I first knew as the "American twist," (I shall go into the peculiarity of this service a little farther on) and two reverse services of importance; the first being the reverse overhead cut, and the second that stroke so remarkably illustrated by Thomas C. Bundy, namely the Reverse American. My own service is both straight forehand, forehand cut, and American, with occasional dabblings in all the other varieties. In the main ...