The Age from Melbourne, Victoria, Australia • Page 32

ap nil niiiMWhl ma to BJORN BORG is often credited with inventing the baseline game, but that, of course, is quite wrong. It was invented by the weekend hacker who couldn't do anything else apart from stand on the baseline whacking the big forehand. The weekend hacker's strategy is to push the ball in play with his serve, and then run around everything to hit his forehand. Generally he has a volley which collapses as the ball hits the racquet, and an uncontrolled backhand. But according to Ian Occleshaw, president of the Tennis Coaches Association of Victoria, resident coach at Kooyong, and formerly of Glen.

Iris, it is often easier to perfect the backhand than the forehand. "It's hard to convince people the backhand is easier to play than the forehand, but I've usually found people need four forehand lessons to one backhand lesson." Occleshaw says the main problems he sees in social players are caused by poor footwork, hitting strokes with a slack wrist, and not swinging the racquet early enough. But he thinks the hardest thing is learning how to serve well. Here are the tips offered by six well-known Melbourne coaches: IAN OCCLESHAW: On the backhand, try to meet the ball about 25cm (lOin) ahead of your front foot. This will give you strength and control, and may also mean you don't need a double-hander.

DON TREGONNING: A few things to remember firm grip; early swing; watch the ball. i JUDY BULL: Footwork is the most important thing. See the ball come off the opponent's racquet, turn and move to the ball quickly, bring the racquet back, and be balanced at contact, so that you can direct the ball where you want with the most power. BRIAN CONNOR: Concentrate on consistency. Keep the ball in play and don't go for the big winner.

Don't beat yourself by always making the first error. KEN RICHARDSON: Meet the ball early instead of letting the ball come to you. BRIAN BEERS: Introduce more spin, and concentrate less on pace. It will give you more control in your game. Melbourne club tennis has undergone a big change in recent years, with the introduction of a rule permitting clubs to hire the best players to appear in their A-grade pennant teams.

It has tended to create a travelling band of A-grade professionals who go where the money is best, and in the process some old club identities have been lost. It has also meant that some ambi- The club The best way of obtaining regular practice is by joining a club, where you are likely to meet people of similar standard who are keen on playing more than once a week. There are about 700 in the Melbourne area, ranging from the grand, such as Kooyong or Royal South Yarra, to the By RICHARD YALLOP small and unpretentious, such as the two-court church club. Economically it makes sense to join a club. While subscriptions at RSY go up to $235 (arguably cheap for the range of facilities) and $150 for Kooyong, most clubs charge much less.

A small club such as Lilydale, with eight plexipave courts, charges only $30 a year. Considering you can pay $16 an hour for an indoor court in Melbourne in peak time, $30 a year is virtually a giveaway. Getting into Kooyong or RSY depends less on the quality of your game than the quality of your connections. The waiting time to get into either as a playing member is around 10 years (longer for RSY), but if you get your name down early enough the range of facilities available at both clubs will make the wait worthwhile. They are two of the few places outside the country still to offer grass courts.

The future of Kooyong remains unclear, with the likelihood that from 1988 the Australian Open will be played in a new national stadium in Flinders Park. Kooyong runs no competitive pennant teams, and young members joining the club often have difficulty finding people with whom to play. Many people use it as a second club, meeting established friends and taking advantage of the bar and perks such as reduced prices for Open tickets. Kooyong and RSY are unusual in that they are social institutions as much as tennis clubs. For at least some members of both clubs the attraction of membership is the social cachet attached to it, rather than the courts.

That would not be true of any other Victorian tennis clubs. A.f- From the tennis point of view Grace Park remains the top Melbourne club, with the unusual combination of tradition and playing strength. It is the only club in recent years to have been consistently successful at both men's and women's A-grade the top level of club competition in Melbourne. Other strong, well-estab-lished clubs such as Beaumaris, Dendy Park, and Glen Iris have been unable to match that record in both men's and women's tennis..