Winning Tennis

Book excerpt: A comprehensive guide on targeting an opponent's style of play for a winning advantage. Winning Tennis is unlike any other tennis instruction guide. It doesn't explain how to hit a tennis ball, and it leaves grips, strokes and serves aside. The book focuses on winning tennis by reading an opponent's strengths and weaknesses for clues, patterns, court position and more. Knowing what is about to come across the net is a huge advantage for preparing a winning return. The sections are: Reading the Game - turning anticipation, perception and decision-making into weapons, reading an opponent's grip, swing and court position, reading the ball (e.g., spin, speed) Serving - reading the receiver's grip, body and court position to create the desired return, why and how to vary the serve Returning the Serve - reading service patterns, grip, ball toss and court position to deliver a return the server will not want to hit Baseline Play - play patterns, stroke analysis, spotting an opponent's weaknesses, gaining control of a rally Net Play - making shots that limit an opponent's baseline options, using court positioning as a clue, deciding which approach shot to use. Opponent's Net Play - spotting an approach shot before it has been hit, tempting an opponent to make a certain play, reading an opponent's favorite play patterns Common Game Styles - the aggressive baseliner, all-court player, net rush, counter attacker, defensive baseliner Developing Your Own Style - playing to your strength, hiding your weaknesses, problem-solving and decision-making. The author explains how to build a valuable portfolio of tactical responses to any situation and how to apply the methods of the world's best players to your game. Winning Tennis: The Smarter Player's Guide is an essential resource that can revolutionize a player's tennis skills, and thus their ability to win.