Life, 1922-09-21 · page 25 of 36
Life — September 21, 1922 — page 25: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a humorous instructional article with photographs demonstrating deliberately *incorrect* tennis techniques. The author, presenting himself as a champion player, ironically offers advice on how to perform wrong moves with style and conviction. The four demonstrated faults are: - **Missing the ball**: maintaining poor form while failing to connect - **Driving out**: hitting beyond the court boundaries with apparent confidence - **Footfaulting**: serving illegally by stepping into the baseline - **Touching the net**: physically contacting the net during play (illegal) The satire works on multiple levels: the author's self-importance ("finest footfaulter"), the detailed instruction on rule violations, and the deadpan observation that "if you're going to do something wrong, do it completely." The opening reference to "the franc where it is, and the strike, and Ireland all agog" suggests this appeared during post-WWI economic turmoil and Irish independence tensions, making the article's focus on tennis triviality itself part of the humor—offering advice about doing things "wrong correctly" amid serious real-world problems.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
LIFE The Right Way to Do Wrong By Murgatroyd Jones Twice Open Champion of the Biltchester Tennis Club Now that the tennis season is about done, shaking off the bay leaves I modestly come forward to give a few words of advice. Books on tennis shed no light on how to do the wrong thing correctly. It’s queer no one noticed it before, but with the franc where it is, and the strike, and Ireland all agog, and, oh, cellar! be still! I suppose everyone else has something better to do. So twist your ear this way. Missing the ball Driving out The snapshot shows me in perfect form. The weight correctly on the ,wrong foot, the follow through gracefully cramped, the racquet has passed cleanly over the ball. Note suggestion of well-bred chagrin. Footfaulting I am perhaps the finest footfaulter in all tennis. My service enables me to be halfway to the net before I hit the ball. Very efficacious in just friendly games. Note also the pawn-shop spread of left hand. My eyes follow the flight of the ball; the head well back, the chest well out, the abdomen well in and the shirt collar well open. The belt, emblem of the Lightweight Championship, I wear on sunny days. Touching the net If you're going to touch the net, touch it! Throw qo whole body and soul into it, don’t peck at it! it is practically impossible to teach this sort of thing. ‘ou either have the knack or you haven't. comicbooks.com