thoroughly absorbed and in earnest, he ought to improve.  You will find him buying every new book that comes out and poring over its pages.  He may play in a few competitions, but his time is more seriously occupied with practice and improvement.  He wisely deprecates the continuous strain of match play.  He prefers to acquire a working knowledge of the game, to make the various strokes with some degree of accuracy, before he pits his skill against others.

I think this lack of adequate practice is one of the reasons why there is such a dearth of rising talent among lawn tennis players.  Some of the competitors one meets at tournaments have been for years at exactly the same stage.  They never pause to take stock of their game.  They never advance or cultivate a new stroke.  They go from one tournament to another, struggling to win by hook or by crook.  Assisted by a generous handicap, they may win a prize, and, apparently, they are satisfied.  Let me say, in regard to tournaments, that when you are taking your strokes correctly and are really adding to your knowledge of the game, open competitions are admirable, and are essential if the highest honours are to be achieved.  But tournaments can very easily be overdone, especially by young players who have not completed what I may call stroke-education.

When you are practising, remember to practise head-work as well as strokes.  Cultivate thinking about the game.  Never mind asking an experienced player for advice.  Most people who play the game well are anxious that every one should improve; they want them to get more enjoyment out of the game, and they want the general standard of play to advance.  As a rule they never mind giving a helpful hint.  Do not hesitate, therefore, to ask for that help.  Discuss the game with your friends and find out all you can about it.  Read all the excellent books that have been written on the game from time to time.  I have often noticed that beginners will willingly pay their entrance fees for open events at tournaments, when they know very well that nothing but a miracle will take them through the first round.  Yet the same players grumble at the expense of purchasing books dealing with the game.  The book would most probably help them a great deal, whereas the one solitary match does them no good.  It is over so quickly, the difference in the class of play is so great, that the beginner hardly hits the ball at all.

A good way of practising is to play up against a brick wall.  In my own case I found the method very useful.  It helps one to keep the eye on the ball, to time well, and place with accuracy.  Another good way of practising is not to score, but to get some friend to hit or even throw the ball where you want it.  Systematic stroke-play like this for half an hour a day, finishing up with a game which brings into play the stroke you have been developing, is bound to improve your game.  I know of one champion of England who always practised in this way.  Any new stroke that had to be mastered was passed through the mill and assiduously exercised until perfection came.  If no friend were available for the purpose, the butler had to devote an hour a day to throwing the ball in the given direction.