The Art of Doubles: Winning Tennis Strategies and Drills [Paperback]

Pat Blaskower (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 5, 2007

Take Your Doubles Game to the Next Level!

Whether you're trying to improve your doubles game or are just getting started playing tennis with a partner, The Art of Doubles is the book for you. Author Pat Blaskower is your personal coach, guiding and encouraging you and your partner to play winning tennis by showing you how to:

• choose a compatible partner
• determine your jobs on the court
• learn poaching skills
• communicate with each other and opposing teams
• maintain mental toughness
• use various formations and strategies
• pick your shots intelligently
• decide where to play: tournaments or leagues
• and much, much more!

The book also includes detailed court diagrams that show you how to execute offense, defense, and tactical plays; checklists that summarize the most important points of each chapter; and on-court drills to help you improve and refine your skills. The Art of Doubles is loaded with practical, proven tennis strategies that you can put to work immediately to see improvements in your own doubles game!

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Pat Blaskower was ranked number one in the nation in Women's 35 Doubles, number one in Northern California in Women's Open Doubles, Women's 35 Doubles and Women's 40 Doubles. From 1985 to 1999 she coached league teams in Marin County and was the head tennis professional at the Mill Valley Tennis Club. In 1999 she moved to Connecticut where, for the past eight years, every league team she has coached has reached districts, sectionals or nationals.

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Betterway Books; 2 edition (July 5, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1558708235
• ISBN-13: 978-1558708235
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (35 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #48,336 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #19 in Books > Sports & Outdoors > Individual Sports > Tennis
  • #21 in Books > Sports & Outdoors > Racket Sports

More About the Author

Ethan Bodnar is a graphic designer and student at the Hartford Art School where he is a sophomore. He is the author of Creative Grab Bag (HOW Books) and publishes two blogs, one personal and one entitled Synthesis for the Hartford Art School. Ethan is the student representative and leader of the AIGA Connecticut student chapter. He is an Eagle scout, the online director of the University of Hartford's student newspaper and the president of Student Art Council. Ethan interned with Behance working on business strategy and marketing, is a freelance website designer, and is a theatrical lighting designer. He has been interview on Speak Up and was nominated for PRINT Magazine's New Visual Artists. Ethan will be co-speaking at the AIGA National Design Conference where he is doing a main-stage presentation. He is the recipient of the Henry Wolf Award in 2008 as a Worldstudio AIGA Scholarship.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Order two at once: share one with your doubles partner, March 15, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Art of Doubles: Winning Tennis Strategies (Paperback)

This is a must read for the player who wants to advance. I wish I had this book five years ago when our team went to USTA sectionals. Every chapter has practical advice to win at doubles. It's worth at least a game every set. The book can be read and re-read until the truths sink in. Improvement does happen when the player realizes that there are optimum plays and positions and begins to understand what their jobs on the court are. Well worth the price.

35 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good supplement to the real thing, October 23, 2000

By 

Debbie Lee Wesselmann (the Lehigh Valley, PA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (2008 HOLIDAY TEAM)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Art of Doubles: Winning Tennis Strategies (Paperback)

To improve one's game, nothing beats getting out on the court and playing competitive doubles, but this book is a great off-court companion. By breaking down various situations into easy to understand components, Blaskower enables players to understand why certain shots and positions are better than others. She uses photographs and figures to illustrate her points, thus reinforcing her words with visual aids. Don't read this book only once - refer to it often as you improve your doubles strategy.

This book is not for beginners because it makes certain assumptions about your understanding of tennis. I recommend it for the advanced beginner and intermediate player (NTRP 2.5 to 3.5) to hone teamwork and shot selection.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is the best book on doubles strategy yet., January 4, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (Jacksonville, Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Art of Doubles: Winning Tennis Strategies (Paperback)

Having played and coached at the college level, Blaskower pretty much summed up in a couple of hours what took me years to learn the hard way. I hope my competitors don't read this book. This is a great book for intermediate and up.