IV. 閱讀測驗 10%
Welcome to the Gym World, ladies and gentlemen. As you have seen from the
demonstration, the sport offers a wide variety of basic strokes, and players require a high level
of skill to perform all of them effectively. All strokes can be played either forehand or backhand.
A player's forehand side is the same side as their playing hand: for a right-handed player, the
forehand side is their right side and the backhand side is their left side. Forehand strokes are hit
with the front of the hand leading, like hitting with the palm, whereas backhand strokes are hit
with the back of the hand leading, just like hitting with the knuckles. Players frequently play
certain strokes on the forehand side with a backhand hitting action, and vice versa.
Remember, the location of the place where you play your strokes matters. In the forecourt
and midcourt, most strokes can be played equally effectively on either the forehand or backhand
side; but in the rearcourt, players will attempt to play as many strokes as possible on their
forehands, often preferring to play a round-the-head forehand overhead rather than attempt a
backhand overhead. Playing a backhand overhead has two main disadvantages. First, the player
must turn their back to their opponents, restricting their view of them and the court. Second,
backhand overheads cannot be hit with as much power as forehands: the hitting action is limited
by the shoulder joint, which permits a much greater range of movement for a forehand overhead
than for a backhand. The backhand clear is considered by most players and coaches to be the
most difficult basic stroke in the game, since precise technique is needed in order to muster
enough power for the shuttlecock to travel the full length of the court. For the same reason,
backhand smashes tend to be weak.
How will we address the choice of strokes? Literally, it depends on how near the
shuttlecock is to the net, whether it is above net height, and where an opponent is currently
positioned: players have much better attacking options if they can reach the shuttlecock well
above net height, especially if it is also close to the net. In the forecourt, a high shuttlecock will
be met with a net kill, hitting it steeply downwards and attempting to win the rally immediately.
This is why it is best to drop the shuttlecock just over the net in this situation. In the midcourt, a
high shuttlecock will usually be met with a powerful smash, also hitting downwards and hoping
for an outright winner or a weak reply. Athletic jump smashes, where players jump upwards for
a steeper smash angle, are a common and spectacular element of elite men's doubles play. In the
rearcourt, players strive to hit the shuttlecock while it is still above them, rather than allowing it
to drop lower. This overhead hitting allows them to play smashes, clears, and dropshots. When
you play clears, you can draw your opponent to the rear part of the court. When you play
dropshots, you can force your opponent to come near to the net in the forecourt. If the
shuttlecock has dropped lower, then a smash is impossible and a full-length, high clear is
difficult. Manipulating the above strategies in rotation may confuse your opponents and make
them respond in a weaker way.
Now that the lecture is enough, let’s embark on our practice today and now Coach Spencer
will proceed.
【題組】41. The sport that the people in this program want to master is ________.
(A) tennis (B) volleyball (C) cricket (D) badminton