Customer Reviews

Tennis for Dummies

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Actually i'm fourteen but I bought this book entering my freshman year of high school to get acquainted with the game. It really does a thorough job of introducing one to the tennis world, covering everything from gear, tennis racquets, grips, strings, and the different types of strokes (forehand, backhand, volley, lob, serve, spins), and what the strokes ARE, but does not focus on how they should be implemented during matches. Advanced tennis players will probably already know most of the info in the book, but absolutely superb for beginners. It really helped me get started with tennis and reduced a LOT of beginner's confusion (eg. what stroke is that again... which is my forehand/which is my backhand, and what they should look like, how do i score, what in the world is a volley?? really detailed information on gear, how to score, what the grand slams are, short bios on historical players, and a lot more) really, really helpful and a must read for all beginners, a good reference book for intermediate players. After attending 6 weeks of tennis camp and hard work outside of tennis camp, I got into my school's JV team, muchly thanks to this book but also thanks to the fact that we didn't have cuts this year because too many people dropped out of tryouts.

I am an advanced player who has been training everyday for several years. This is an excellent overview of tennis. It does not get very detailed into anything, but it covers everything. What do I mean? For example, when it talks about forehand, it shows you basically how to hit it but doesnt include much more information like about open stance, semi-open stance, hip rotation, etc. It does include the very basic information. It also gives you information about the pro tour, how the tournaments work, and grand slams. I also like a few creative pages of information like "a day in the life of a pro" and "mommy, where do pros come from?" I recommend it for any beginner to intermediate player and it could even add one or two tips to the knowledge of the advanced player (afterall, no one knows everything!).

I think it's a good and well-written book for a beginner. I wish it had more detailed pictures when authors are explaining techniques of the game . It has some, but the majority of techniques described in words rather then pictures. However, I wasn't able to find much better book with regard to visual explanations. On the other hand, when it comes to keeping in mind a novice, you can't beat the Dummies books.

I'd suggest this book to everyone who is interested in tennis. It's very complete, it ranges from the very first steps to the greatest tennis matches ever, from injury prevention to strength building. It doesn't matter if you are an absolute beginner or a veteran: it's so involving that after reading it, you'll certainly become addicted to tennis !

This book is an excellent source for beginners. It will show you everything from why love means nothing to a backhand overhead and everything in between! It is easy to read and helpful hints and interesting bits of information (not to mention humor) are provided along the way. I would recommend it for any beginner.

Patrick has produced an excellent book which caters for the beginners, covering from tennis strokes to injuries prevention/treatment, how the pro competition events are played etc. Overall, it's a wonderful introductory book which basically covers everything i.e. how to play and to enjoy watching tennis! Also featured are some great anecdotes such as greatest 10 matches/players etc. A tennis beginner's dreams come true.

This is definitely one of the better "Dummies" books. It will teach you all the basic tennis rules and fundamentals a beginner needs to know and, with a little practice, help propel you to the next level. The book also helps show how beginners can really particpate in and appreciate the great sport of tennis.

This is a great book for people who know little or nothing about Tennis. It is complete and very explanable. I understand things, a lot more with the help of this book.

Tennis for Dummies provides answers to most of the questions all new entrants to the sport will have prior to taking their first lesson or just going out to hit a few balls across the net with a more experienced friend. To obtain a detailed presentation of the game rules, appropriate grips, groundstrokes, serving and the basics on singles and doubles matches, buy this book. Your Pro instructor or player friend will appreciate your initiative in obtaining a preliminary understanding of the fundamentals of tennis, which should cut down the time it takes for you to become at least recreationally proficient in the sport. Outside of an illustration that had the deuce and ad courts labeled backwards, the only weak area I noted pertained to playing doubles. While the sequence of serving was adequately covered, exactly how it fit into the chosen receiving court remaining constant for each set left me guessing exactly how that would work. Other than that,I'd rate this as one of the better tennis primers out there.

I used to teach tennis during and after college (was on a state championship team) and do so occasionally now for friends and family. I've recommended this book to beginners and intermediate players. I like Patrick's style and breadth of coverage, but I wish he went into much more detail, with more photos or illustrations regarding the various stroke techniques (top spin forehand, serve, etc.). Some of his verbal descriptions of stroke mechanics could be interpreted a variety of ways which can be confusing to a beginner when there is not an experienced player available to help interpret. Perhaps he answers these problems in his recent update and revision (I have read the first edition only). There is simply not much good instructional material available on tennis, unlike golf. This book does provide a lot of info on a variety of important tennis topics, and is the best of what I have seen on the market. I recommend it, but nothing beats having good, personal professional instruction. A solid reference source.