Pressure Tennis [Paperback]

Paul Wardlaw (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 3, 2000

If you are looking for a training system that prepares tennis players for the pressures of competitive match play, look no further than Pressure Tennis. This instructional book shows you how to raise the level of intensity of your practices, increasing their effectiveness and mentally toughening up your players.

Tennis coach Paul Wardlaw has created and refined his extraordinary training program through his 14 successful seasons at the college level. Through his system, you will learn how to design and implement effective practice sessions using pressure drills that simulate match-like conditions. Pressure Tennis will also demonstrate how you can help your players develop

- high-percentage tactics;
- aggressive court position;
- varied, intelligent shot selection; and
- better court coverage and anticipation of the opponent's shot.

Within the first week or two of use, the system improves concentration, motivation, confidence, and conditioning. More important, players develop a resilience to match-play pressure and welcome the challenge of even the toughest opponent. To help evaluate progress, Wardlaw has included a novel Performance Index that provides coaches with a more objective measure of each player's execution, effort, and ranking on the team.

Whether you're a player or a coach, you'll want Pressure Tennis for the blueprint it provides for enhancing mental toughness.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Paul Wardlaw has done some of the first truly innovative work in tennis research in a long time. The real meat in this book has depth, substance and many things never before written about by other tennis authors."
Chuck Kriese
Men's head tennis coach
Clemson University
"A coach's dream! Paul's unique approach is clear and very powerful. We will definitely use his principles. A truly brilliant work!"
Bob Hansen
Men's head tennis coach
University of California, Santa Cruz
NCAA team champions 1989, 1995, 1996, and 1998
NCAA doubles champions 1994, 1996, 1998, and 1999
NCAA singles title 1999
"Pressure Tennis articulates a system of training that prepares players for match play conditions. Most players look great in practice. Paul Wardlaw's players perform at an extraordinarily high level in matches!"
Jeff Moore
Head women's tennis coach
University of Texas
NCAA team champions 1993 and 1995
"Pressure Tennis will make you a better coach. The book clearly explains the why and how of a proven system that works with college teams, high school teams, or any other group of players. I have used Pressure Tennis to create a winning high school tennis program and a successful summer camp program. If you want to teach players to compete better, this is the book you need. Pressure Tennis gives you a proven system for running a successful tennis program at any level. Players learn by competing in a variety of games and drills that keep players focused, learning, and having fun. Coaches at any level can use the book to develop players who know how to play under pressure."
Al Slawson
Varsity Tennis Coach
Shaker Heights High School (ShakerHeights, Ohio)
Member, United States Professional Tennis Association
"Brilliant and rich in content; simple yet comprehensive in its approach. Coach Wardlaw offers a master plan for all coaches who aspire to raise the bar and have fun taking their athletes to the next level."
Jerry Lynch
Director
Taosports Center for Athletic Development
Author, Working Out, Working Within and Running Within

Review

“Paul Wardlaw has done some of the first truly innovative work in tennis research in a long time. The real meat in this book has depth, substance and many things never before written about by other tennis authors.”
Chuck Kriese
Men's head tennis coach
Clemson University

“A coach's dream! Paul's unique approach is clear and very powerful. We will definitely use his principles. A truly brilliant work!”
Bob Hansen
Men's head tennis coach
University of California, Santa Cruz

NCAA team champions 1989, 1995, 1996, and 1998
NCAA doubles champions 1994, 1996, 1998, and 1999
NCAA singles title 1999

“Pressure Tennis articulates a system of training that prepares players for match play conditions. Most players look great in practice. Paul Wardlaw's players perform at an extraordinarily high level in matches!”
Jeff Moore
Head women's tennis coach
University of Texas
NCAA team champions 1993 and 1995

“Pressure Tennis will make you a better coach. The book clearly explains the why and how of a proven system that works with college teams, high school teams, or any other group of players. I have used Pressure Tennis to create a winning high school tennis program and a successful summer camp program. If you want to teach players to compete better, this is the book you need. Pressure Tennis gives you a proven system for running a successful tennis program at any level. Players learn by competing in a variety of games and drills that keep players focused, learning, and having fun. Coaches at any level can use the book to develop players who know how to play under pressure.”
Al Slawson
Varsity Tennis Coach
Shaker Heights High School (Shaker Heights, Ohio)
Member, United States Professional Tennis Association

“Brilliant and rich in content; simple yet comprehensive in its approach. Coach Wardlaw offers a master plan for all coaches who aspire to raise the bar and have fun taking their athletes to the next level.”
Jerry Lynch
Director
Taosports Center for Athletic Development
Author, Working Out, Working Within and Running Within

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Paperback: 216 pages
• Publisher: Human Kinetics (March 3, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0736001565
• ISBN-13: 978-0736001564
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 7 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #388,546 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #24 in Books > Sports & Outdoors > Coaching > Tennis

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Well-conceived original tactical system but artificial, December 12, 2001

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Pressure Tennis (Paperback)

Paul Wardlaw coaches at Iowa and formerly coached at Kenyon College. He is a well-known college coach and is well-respected.
His "Directionals" system is original in how it is organized/structured. Teachers before him also taught directionals but didn't articulate it as well. His directionals is a form of high-percentage tennis. Some players are not mentally wired to perform directionals and will express confusion when confronting a player who violates directionals (what do you do?). Directionals also sometimes conflict with creativity (or genius, like McEnroe or Hingis) and automaticity (being in the zone). There are a few lesser tactical problems with the "Directionals", e.g., situations where "Directionals" break down. "Directionals" do, however, help many players to understand "high percentage" tennis. "Directionals" also help players to anticipate based on geometry of the court and high-percentage play. It also allows coaches to present tactical ideas in an organized manner. There are many fine coaches who like "Directionals". Most players should be exposed to the concept of directionals...but it is for them to conceptualize their own style and tactics. Still, it is a very fine, original (although hyper-organized?!) contribution to tennis theory. And, every good player usually incorporates a good portion of "directionals" (high-percentage tennis) in their game. A final plus is that there are a wealth of tactical drills many of which don't involve directionals. In fact, 2/3 of the book is based on tactical drills. Recommended for coaches and teaching pros. Recommended for those advanced players looking for systematic tactics or just simply for more drills. Not recommended for beginners and low intermediates (below 3.5 NTRP) since they won't be able to execute many of the tactics and drills.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A book for all players and coaches, May 2, 2000

By 

Lee Underwood - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pressure Tennis (Paperback)

This book is for anyone that wants to improve their play. It shows you how to pick appropiate shot selection so that every shot becomes automatic and you won't have to think about it. These are called "Wardlaws Directionals" and any tennis coach worth anything or aspires to be needs to know. There are also practice schedules that can be used by coaches. A Great book!

4.0 out of 5 stars Pressure Tennis, November 1, 2011

By 

ron s - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Pressure Tennis (Paperback)

if you are interested in getting the most out of a tennis practice session, this book has every drill you could ever want to perform.