Breakthrough Tennis: A Revolutionary Approach to the Game [Paperback]

Rolf Clark (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1991

This book is for players who feel they may have stalled at a plateau below their potential and for the coaches who strive with their athletes to help them achieve new levels of performance. Breakthrough Tennis enlists the player to serve as his or her own teacher while focusing on three essential components of more advanced play: balance, timing, and concentration.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Clark (engineering, George Washington Univ.), teaches "systems thinking" and applies the principles of physics and mental discipline to the game of tennis. He emphasizes the components of "balance, timing and concentration" as keys to improved playing and writes "to really learn tennis you need to explore it in your mind." Appropriately, the first half of his book is about the mental aspects of the game. The second half covers basic and advanced techniques and provides drills with accompanying photos. While comparable to Timothy Gallwey's The Inner Game of Tennis ( LJ 6/1/74) and John Yandell's Visual Tennis ( LJ 5/15/90), Clark's book is more helpful for the advanced player who has reached a playing plateau. Recommended for sports collections.
- J. Sara Paulk, Concord
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"Rolf Clark's approach to tennis allows people freedom from having to play the 'right' way or trying to find the answer that will finally fix their game. His concept of inquiry leaves people powerful in their own development. How they play becomes part of them rather than something a coach told them." -- Jonathan Clark, President, Tennis Professionals Foundation (no relation to the author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 162 pages
• Publisher: Farragut Pub Co (June 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0918535115
• ISBN-13: 978-0918535115
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,224,830 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Forget the "tips." Read this book., July 11, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Breakthrough Tennis: A Revolutionary Approach to the Game (Paperback)

This is a great book to have if you have the basics down and want to improve your game. In my case, I was being stymied by a lot of "tips" that I had collected. Based on the suggestions in the book, I began becoming more aware of balance and timing -- and trusting my awareness more than all those tips. The book uses the great imagery of a pendulum for improving your swing.

The book could have more on the serve, which is a strange and unnatural stroke. But I am happy with what I was able to get from this book.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book was amazing., August 19, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Breakthrough Tennis: A Revolutionary Approach to the Game (Paperback)

Breakthrough Tennis made me think in a more simplified way, and aided me in seeing and hitting the ball better. Phenomenal!

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very good read for intermediate players, August 30, 2000

By 

"jm-uk" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Breakthrough Tennis: A Revolutionary Approach to the Game (Paperback)

As an intermediate player with a good grasp of technique but less than successful implementation I found this book very refreshing. I just wish it had been available when I was a learning junior many years ago. The book does not deal in detail with technique, and therefore may not be the best for an absolute beginner. It rather concentrates on some basics of the game that are not usually the focus of tennis teaching, which concentrates mostly on "proper" technique and stroke mechanics. The author argues that pros usually don't have problems with the basic elements of the game with which other mortals, like myself, have to struggle with: balance, timing. In my experience this is soooo true. These basics and how to address them may seem obvious...once you've read the book. Clearly, for advanced players this may not be so useful, but most of your average tennis club players (and buyers of tennis books) will fall in the intermediate category. For them, I think this is a very good buy.