Tennis Tactics: Winning Patterns of Play

by United States Tennis Association

Book Overview

Match point. Your opponent hits a deep-sliced approach shot to your backhand. To neutralize this attack and regain control of the point, you retaliate with a crosscourt passing shot, low with topspin. Your opponent is forced to return a weak volley to the open court, and you win the point with a passing shot down the line. Game, set, and match. This is just one of the many winning strategies you'll find in Tennis Tactics: Winning Patterns of Play...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0880114991
• ISBN13: 9780880114998
• Release Date: July 1996
• Publisher: Human Kinetics Publishers
• Length: 248 Pages
• Weight: 0.92 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.1" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Lots of drills!

Book is pretty much all patterns of play and drills linked to improve those patterns. Good variation of drills. Simple illustrations are easy to understand.

Tennis Tactics: Winning Patterns of Play

Good book with excellent information. Love the drawings of what the author(s) are describing, making it easier to visualize tactics. Definitely a book for your reference library.

winning the right way

This book addresses effective tennis strategies from every angle. Tennis is a mental game after all. You just need physical fitness and endurance to go with it. Each drill comes with a clear description (category, purpose, player's level, time, procedure, coaching points) and a diagram. Every player's level is covered - from beginner to professional. In addition, USTA does not overlook the importance of planning your strategy around your and the opponent's strengths and weaknesses. In this respect, four basic styles of play are addressed: 1) counterpuncher, 2) aggressive baseliner, 3) all-court-player, and 4) serve-and-volleyer. Not only it recommends drill patterns for your particular style of play, it also offers a valuable look at the drill patterns that your opponent with a different style may (and surely will) use against you during a match. As an aggressive baseliner, I have always found playing against counterpunchers frustrating - now I know why. And if you are willing to step out of your comfort zone, and practise every drill in this book (as long as your level allows it, of course), your tennis skills will improve greatly. It goes without saying that you need another dedicated player to practise the drills for singles (or three for doubles), and a coach who will guide you through the drills and make necessary corrections (especially if you are a beginner or intermediate player). A great book for every competitive tennis player!

UNDERSTANDING THE GAME

I coach tennis for kids and teenagers for over 12 years. In order to plan classes not boring and profitable, I seek books that have pratical drills. Besides having this kind of drills, this book shows you HOW, WHY and WHEN you should apply them to a specific game situation. Using diferent patterns of play, from the defensive player to the aggressive one, this book matches drills with tactics, giving you a good perspective of THE GAME. I strongly recommend it. Mário Santos Tennis Coach PORTUGAL

Great book for coaches.

This book divides players into four playing styles based on a paragraph description of each. Then, it has a chart showing which patterns and drills in the book each style should focus on to improve their play. There are two chapters each on Serves, Returns, Midcourt, and Volleying. The first chapter describes the patterns of play and the second has drills to improve on the patterns.This is focused on singles instruction and is a great drill and skills book for a coach. Most all of the drills are for multiple player training.If you're looking for a book to give you drills to improve your tennis team, its a great buy. If you're looking for a book about strategy, what to do, and why, then this is not the book for you.