Racket Sports Books

The Inner Game of Tennis: The Classic Guide to the Mental Side of Peak Performance

W. Timothy Gallwey

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 70 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

A phenomenon when first published in 1972, the Inner Game was a real revelation. Instead of serving up technique, it concentrated on the fact that, as Gallwey wrote, "Every game is composed of two parts, an outer game and an inner game." The former is played against opponents, and is filled with lots of contradictory advice; the latter is played not against, but within the mind of the player, and its principal obstacles are self-doubt and anxiety. Gallwey's revolutionary thinking, built on a foundation of Zen thinking and humanistic psychology, was really a primer on how to get out of your own way to let your best game emerge. It was sports psychology before the two words were pressed against each other and codified into an accepted discipline.

The new edition of this remarkable work--Billie Jean King called the original her tennis bible--refines Gallwey's theories on concentration, gamesmanship, breaking bad habits, learning to trust yourself on the court, and awareness. "No matter what a person's complaint when he has a lesson with me, I have found the most beneficial first step," he stressed, "is to encourage him to see and feel what he is doing--that is, to increase his awareness of what actually is."

There are aspects of psychobabble and mysticism to be found here, sure, but Gallwey instructs as much by anecdote as anything else, and time has ultimately proved him a guru. What seemed radical in the early '70s is now accepted ammunition for the canon; the right mental approach is every bit as important as a good backhand. The Inner Game of Tennis still does much to keep that idea in play. --Jeff Silverman

Mind Gym : An Athlete's Guide to Inner Excellence

Gary Mack, David Casstevens

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 23 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Best one for athletes! 5 out of 5 stars.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.

I have read several books on the mental game in sports and this is by far the best. I work with collegiate and professional athletes and recommend this so often that Gary Mack should send me a commission!!!

not what i expected 3 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

a solid read, but i was expecting a book that got more into the intricacies of sports psychology, but this book seems to focus more on your thinking off the court then on it.

Well-written and entertaining 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

If you want to read an inspiring book on the power of the mind in sports, then this book is for you. It is not too packed with information, but it underlines many of the important points in mental coaching. Great stories and examples make it an uplifting read. The only thing missing was a step-by-step instruction guide to mind management - practice makes perfect.

Editorial Review:

Drawing on his work with some of the top teams in professional sports, noted sport psychology consultant Gary Mack shares with you the same techniques and exercises he uses to help elite athletes build mental "muscle." These 40 accessible lessons and inspirational anecdotes will help you gain the "head edge" over the competition.

A Champion's Mind: Lessons from a Life in Tennis

Pete Sampras, Peter Bodo

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Total reviews: 26 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Pete Sampras is arguably the greatest tennis player ever, a man whose hard-nosed work ethic led to an unprecedented number one world ranking for 286 weeks, and whose prodigious talent made possible a record-setting fourteen Grand Slam titles. While his more vocal rivals sometimes grabbed the headlines, Pete always preferred to let his racket do the talking.

Until now.

In A Champion’s Mind, the tennis great who so often exhibited visible discomfort with letting people “inside his head” finally opens up. An athletic prodigy, Pete resolved from his earliest playing days never to let anything get in the way of his love for the game. But while this single-minded determination led to tennis domination, success didn’t come without a price. The constant pressure of competing on the world’s biggest stage—in the unblinking eye of a media machine hungry for more than mere athletic greatness—took its toll.

Here for the first time Pete speaks freely about what it was like to possess what he calls “the Gift.” He writes about the personal trials he faced—including the death of a longtime coach and confidant—and the struggles he gutted his way through while being seemingly on top of the world. Among the book’s most riveting scenes are an early devastating loss to Stefan Edberg that led Pete to make a monastic commitment to delivering on his natural talent; a grueling, four-hour-plus match against Alex Corretja during which Pete became seriously ill; fierce on-court battles with rival and friend Andre Agassi; and the triumphant last match of Pete’s career at the finals of the 2002 U.S. Open.

In A Champion’s Mind, one of the most revered, successful, and intensely private players in the history of tennis offers an intimate look at the life of an elite athlete.

The Best Tennis of Your Life: 50 Mental Strategies for Fearless Performance

Jeff Greenwald

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 9 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Excellent & Relevant Advice for Playing Great Tennis 5 out of 5 stars.
3 of 5 people found this review helpful.

As a therapist and tennis player who has read numerous books and articles on the mental aspect of tennis, Jeff Greenwald's book and cd are by far the most helpful and the most relevant I've come across. While other mental tennis books are interesting and helpful, Greenwald has put together powerful and credible insights born from his own tennis career and solid mental health research and experience.

His insights ring true and they are clear, employable and even necessary for being a healthy happy human tennis playing person (and I would think especially necessary for the junior and pro level players to keep a healthy perspective). Often mental tennis advice makes sense (just think positive) but falls far short of being realistically helpful (positive thinking usually doesn't help muscles from getting tense in a close match). But Greenwald has done a superior job of organizing, articulating and delving into the heart of the issue/s that can leave every tennis player from playing their best tennis.

Editorial Review:

For anyone who wants to improve their mental game, this must-have book provides inspiration, specific strategies and tools that will help tennis players shift their thinking so they truly can play the best tennis of their life. Former No. 1 world-ranked player, coach, sport psychology consultant and psychotherapist, Jeff Greenwald provides a deeper and richer glimpse into the mental game that gets at the heart of players' inner struggle. Full of highly practical mental toughness strategies, personal anecdotes and examples from clients, Greenwald's approach gives tennis players the edge they need to succeed at this most elusive part of the game of tennis. Organized in a simple and practical manner, no other book on the market makes improving your mental game this accessible.

Winning Ugly: Mental Warfare in Tennis--Lessons from a Master

Brad Gilbert, Steve Jamison

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 66 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

He's been called the best in the world at the mental game of tennis. Brad Gilbert's strokes may not be pretty, but looks aren't everything. He has beaten the Tour's biggest names -- all by playing his "ugly" game.

Now, in Winning Ugly Gilbert teaches recreational players how to win more often without necessarily even changing their strokes. The key to success, he says, is to become a better thinking player -- to recognize, analyze, and capitalize. That means outthinking opponents before, during, and after a match; forcing him or her to play your game. Gilbert's unconventional advice includes:

* How to identify the seven "Hidden Ad Points," and what to do when they come up

* Six reasons why you should never serve first

* How to beat a Lefty, a Retriever, a Serve-Volley player, and other troublesome opponents

* How to keep a lead, or stop a match from slipping away

* How to handle psyching and gamesmanship

Winning Ugly is an invaluable combat manual for the court, and its tips include "some real gems," according to Tennis magazine. Ultimately, Winning Ugly will help you beat players who have been beating you.

Pressure is a Privilege: Lessons I've Learned from Life and the Battle of the Sexes (Billie Jean King Library)

Billie Jean King

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 10 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Billie Jean King is a great lady - this book is not 2 out of 5 stars.
6 of 9 people found this review helpful.

Where is Billie Jean?

I was delighted to get an ARC for Billie Jean King's book, since I think of her as an extraordinary woman, one who has not only been a #1-ranked tennis player, but a woman of integrity, who championed the Title IX for equal disbursement of Federal funding for male and female sports in schools, World Team Tennis, the Virginia Slims Tournament, equal pay for women's tournaments, women's liberation and for non-discrimination in life style choices. I have always admired her for her willingness to take a position, albeit unpopular ones, because it was the right thing to do.

That being said, I am sorely disappointed in her book. It's not that the book isn't well written, as prose goes, it's just fine. And, actually, her subtitle does indicate that her book is about lessons she has learned and The Battle of the Sexes. I was hoping that the book was about more than the subtitle. My mistake.

She does list and discuss these lessons and her set of life principles with great enthusiasm, and I agree with them all.
The problem is that these lessons and principles are not new ones; certainly lots of champions and even everyday people live by these same principles. They are good principles to live by, and it isn't a bad thing to be reminded of how powerful they can be in your life. But she could have talked about all of these things in one chapter, as a prelude to telling us about herself. Instead this book is about stating and then restating (in large boxes at the end of each chapter) her principles and life lessons.

Secondarily, most of the rest of the book is about the tennis match for the ages - The Battle of the Sexes - with Bobby Riggs. Billie Jean would chat about other events in her life in a vague sort of way, but they always let back to some more conversation about the Bobby Riggs match. The book has 187 pages of text. She begins on Page 20 (following a preface and an intro) mentioning Bobby Riggs and the match. The story continues with him, ad nauseum, up to page 97, when Billie Jean states that she wants to make a "final observation" about Bobby Riggs. I thought - whew! - Enough already, we're going to get to the story of Billie Jean. Except, that promise of release from Bobby inanities was broken and Bobby continued to be discussed throughout the book and was last cited on page 186.

I agree that, in retrospect, that tennis match was more than just the entertainment, more than the spectacle. At the time a statement about women in sports, women as champions and equal rights was being promoted. But enough already! It was also just a tennis match. In equal retrospect, any number of other important events could be cited in that same vein - we just don't need 187 pages of it, couched in between lots of not-new lessons of life.

In reading this book, I relearned one of my own life lessons. Never let your expectations exceed a reasonable payoff -- you're bound to be disappointed. I went looking for Billie Jean and got Bobby Riggs and platitudes instead.

I think that Billie Jean is worth much more, that her life story would be profoundly more interesting that this rather trite and ultimately uninteresting account. Too bad she didn't write that book.

Editorial Review:

Billie Jean King's victory over Bobby Riggs in the "Battle of the Sexes" was a pivotal moment in gender relations for generations of American women and men. But her journey to the "Battle of the Sexes" was no accident. Now, for the first time ever, Billie Jean shares the life lessons that led to her success in that match, in sports, and in the world at large. Published in conjunction with the 35th anniversary of this monumental event, Pressure is a Privilege uses the Billie Jean King / Bobby Riggs match to illustrate what she learned in her early life that brought her to that event and the lessons that she learned from it.

Packed with the common-sense lessons by which Billie Jean has lived her remarkable life, as well as words of wisdom and inspirational advice for how you can use these lessons, Pressure is a Privilege is an invaluable tool for any person in any profession who wants to achieve a richer, more fulfilling life.

The Roger Federer Story: Quest for Perfection

Rene Stauffer

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 20 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Has Anyone Played Tennis Better? 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

The jury seems already to be in; this guy plays the game of tennis better than anyone! He has all the tools, plus the ingenuity to use them creatively and instinctly. Plus, he's a good guy.

Although at times this read was, as other reviewers have noted, to be just a sequence of scores of matches one after another. However, the author worked in the personal interest stuff and what was going on in the guy's life.

What was there from the outset was amazing potential, but his immaturity and temper preventing him from exposing his greatness too early. This was the revelatory part for me, that Roger was not always the dominant player he is now, but struggled.

I appreciate so much his temparement and his kindness. The last few chapters on such were well done and contributed much.

Editorial Review:

Regarded by many as the greatest tennis player in the history of the sport, this authoritative biography is based on many exclusive interviews with Federer and his family as well as the author's experience covering the international tennis circuit for many years. Completely comprehensive, it provides an informed account of the Swiss tennis star from his early days as a temperamental player on the junior circuit, through his early professional career, to his winning major tennis tournaments, including the U.S. Open and Wimbledon. Readers will appreciate the anecdotes about his early years, revel in the insider's view of the professional tennis circuit, and be inspired by this champion's rise to the top of his game.

Levels of the Game

John McPhee

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 6 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

a real pinnacle in Sports writing 5 out of 5 stars.
17 of 18 people found this review helpful.

Ostensibly this book is about a tennis match, Arthur Ashe versus Clark Graebner in the 1968 US Open Semifinals. The match was historic in itself:

"It has been thirteen years since an American won the men's-singles final at Forest Hills, and this match will determine whether Ashe or Graebner is to have a chance to be the first American since Tony Trabert to win it all. Ashe and Graebner are still amateurs, and it was imagined that in this tournament, playing against professionals, they wouldn't have much of a chance. But they are here, close to the finish, playing each other. For Graebner to look across a net and see Ashe--and the reverse--is not in itself unusual. They were both born in 1943, they have known each other since they were thirteen, and they have played tournaments and exhibitions and have practiced together in so many countries and seasons that details blur."

But McPhee is actually after bigger game than this one match. He also provides insightful portraits of the two very different contestants. Ashe, the only championship level Black tennis player of his time, is single, liberal, mercurial, a finesse player and a risk taker. Graebner is married with kids, conservative, religious, a power player and risk averse. McPhee demonstrates how their personalities influence, indeed shape, their play and how their lifelong rivalry lifts their games to higher levels when they play one another, ultimately lifting Ashe's game towards perfection by the end of this contest.

Ashe would go on to win the tournament, becoming the only amateur to win it in the Open era and together Ashe and Graebner lead the US to it's first Davis Cup in years. After that though, while Ashe went on to a respectable career, Graebner slipped into obscurity. But in this book, McPhee has preserved a moment in time when the two were evenly matched on the court, despite being polar opposites off of the court and in charting the lives that brought them to that moment, he provides a penetrating glance at two fascinating men.

This is a real pinnacle in Sports writing.

GRADE: A

Editorial Review:

This account of a tennis match played by Arthur Ashe against Clark Graebner at Forest Hills in 1968 begins with the ball rising into the air for the initial serve and ends with the final point. McPhee provides a brilliant, stroke-by-stroke description while examining the backgrounds and attitudes which have molded the players' games.

Complete Conditioning for Tennis (Complete Conditioning for Sports Series)

E. Paul, Ph.D. Roetert, Todd S. Ellenbecker

Amazon Price: $16.29 List Price: $23.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Human Kinetics Publishers Amazon Marketplace: 48 new & used starting at $13.42

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 9 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Completely Great! 5 out of 5 stars.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.

All books on conditioning will get you into shape, but THIS book was the best for tennis I have ever come across. As a 4.0 level player, I was looking for a book that gave me step-by-step instructions to beef up my conditioning - while focusing on the tennis side in a big way. I leafed through this one in the bookstore, and liked what I saw. Upon reading it cover-to-cover, it was EXACTLY what I wanted, and got me excited to play again! I've never seen the in-depth, attention to detail, and one-step-at-a-time coverage this book has.

Editorial Review:

Aimed at tennis players, tennis instructors and strength and conditioning coaches as well as fitness professionals, this new edition provides a complete foundation of conditioning for tennis, including both on-court and off-court training. It covers assessment of fitness level, exercise technique and evaluation of conditioning programmes. Updated and revised from the first edition, this book now includes new DVD footage of the most complex and advanced exercises. Improving tennis fitness helps all aspects of the game, not just the ability to stay in points longer or to play more sets. Sample programmes target strength, speed and stamina as well as shoulder stability programme.

The Open Book: Celebrating 40 Years of America's Grand Slam with DVD

United States Tennis Association

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Great photos, and more. 5 out of 5 stars.
5 of 5 people found this review helpful.

The first thing I did when I opened this book was to look at the pictures; all of them! The photography is so spectacular that I couldn't stop until I saw them all. The Open Book is a history of the US Open Tennis Championships during the 40 years of the "open" (professional) era of tennis. It covers each decade since the beginning of the open era in 1968, using photos, statistics, and articles by famous tennis journalists. The photographs, as mentioned above, are amazing, and lead you through the story of the Open, with a few thrown in "out of order" to make you think about the connections between players of different decades, and to marvel at the way the game of tennis has changed over the years. I found it interesting to read the articles and opinions written during each phase of the change over from the amateur to professional era, through the institution of the tie break, equal prize money for women players, and the birth of the National Tennis Center. The statistics are interesting, but don't make your eyes glaze over if you're not a stats person, and there is also a dvd with information about the players immortalized on the Us Open Court of Champions. This book has so much information, that I expect to find something I "missed the first time", every time I open the book. As an avid tennis player and fan, I highly recommend "The Open Book" to anyone who has an interest in the game.

Editorial Review:

Each year, the US Open brings down the curtain on the Grand Slam Tennis season with its unique blend of sports, celebrity, and entertainment, providing fans the world over with a spectacular showcase for the very best of tennis."The Open Book" is a visually stunning celebration of the sport and spectacle of the US open. On display are champions at their best and brightest - captured in vivid images from some of the world's leading sports photographers - including legendary trailblazers Billie Jean King and Arthur Ashe, fan favourites Jimmi Connors and Andre Agassi, loveable bad-boy John McEnroe, and modern greats Pete Sampras and Roger Federer.