Visual Tennis

Rating:
Summary: Cheaper and better than a lesson!
Review: Having played competitive tennis for many years, having taught tennis, and having competed for many years in sanctioned USTA Open level events, this book is worth every penny. For many years my achilles heel was my forehand volley. No matter how many times I saw myself on video, how many volley lessons (at an average of $45 a lesson) I took, how much I competed in singles and doubles, how much tennis I saw, I could never hit a forehand volley with consistency, acuracy, and confidence. After visually seeing how to hit the volley and then practicing in front of a mirror as suggested in the book, I was able to hit a forehand volley RIGHT AWAY! With detailed visual cues to fall back on, I finally have a volley I can count on and keep. Amazing! This book is well worth having. Having taught tennis, I truly believe in the book's premise that we learn physical activities visually and not cognitively: our minds which can constantly criticize and judge our strokes can be our worst enemies on court (imagine trying to walk while TELLING yourself how to walk!); visual images are the best aids and this books provides great visuals.

Rating:
Summary: Too old style tennis
Review: I am very dissappointed after receiving this book.

This book teached only classical style(ex. only eastern
forehand grip)

If you want to play tennis just for fun, then buy this book.
BUT if you want to play well , forget this book, get lessons
from a modern tennis teaching pro.

Rating:
Summary: The BEST way to master tennis strokes.
Review: John Yandell has pioneered a new, and shockingly simple, way of first understanding how tennis shots are actually hit, and second how to teach this complex information in the most effective way possible to students.

To answer the first question, I will quote John:

"Of the thousands of words coaches and teaching pros have used to describe tennis strokes in lessons, articles, videos, etc., no single element is more neglected and misunderstood than the role and position of the hitting arm. In fact, even the term 'hitting arm' is largely unfamiliar in the vast lexicon of tennis tips."

What John says is hard to believe, but as a life-long student and as a teacher for many years, I know what John says is right on the money. In tennis, no one has been able to identify, with certainty, the position and path of the wrist and forearm through the shot. It has all been guess work and impression. And this information, of course, is the key to hitting good shots! The reason John has been able to answer this question is through cutting-edge, high-speed photography, which shows us exactly how professional tennis shots are hit. The naked eye (and the reports and tips of pro players) are surprisingly incorrect and misguided perceptions of what really happens during a stroke. The strokes are just too fast to capture.

To answer the second question about teaching, John has discovered something that I have long suspected. People learn physical movements and skills by watching and observing real-life examples, and then repeating these examples. We do not learn physical movements by words and instructions. We learn these things visually. Furthermore, we do not break down the strokes into minute, piece by piece progressions. Instead the brain needs three "key" images -- the backswing, the point of contact, and the follow through--ingrained in its memory. Once these key images are remembered, it becomes very easy to turn them into full, uninterrupted strokes.

Like another reviewer here, I too turned a pretty average stroke (my forehand) into a powerful consistent weapon soon after using the visual system. And this was after years of following "tips" and "advice" of pros. The speed and level of improvement were just breathtaking for me.

In short, Yandell's ideas are pioneering ones in terms of learning, teaching, and understanding a complex sport like tennis. I urge you to check out his website, "tennisone.com" which has footage of pro strokes -- Agassi, Sampras, Venus Williams, etc in super, super slow motion. I agree with the reader that complained of the pictures in the book not being pictures of the pros. But John's website, with its library of super slow motion video of pro strokes (shot at 250 frames/second, whereas television replays are shot only at 30 frames/second) certainly rectifies this omission.

Rating:
Summary: Visual Tennis is the best way to learn how to play tennis
Review: Speaking as a student of John Yandell since I was six (I am turning seventeen on July 13, 1999), I must say John's book is an excellent way to make sure your strokes follow those of the pros. Granted, I am not the world's best player (which is quite the understatement), but this book (and video with the same name) have pushed me into becoming a better tennis player by simply looking at the basic strokes and following the patterns of the pros. If you're looking to improve your game, this is the book for you.

Rating:
Summary: very good instruction but....
Review: The book illustrate all the essential skill for tennis. They describe each step with detail so we can get the main point of stroke of serve. This is good.

But, why photo are taken not from sampras or agassi or any pro player? This is different from the description!