Visual Tennis-2nd
by John Yandell

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Book Summary Information

• 192 Pages
• Published 12/24/1998
• TB794

Book Reviews of Visual Tennis-2nd

Book Review: The BEST way to master tennis strokes.
Summary: 5 Stars

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.

Summary of Visual Tennis-2nd

In acquiring and mastering sports skills, a picture is often worth a thousand words. Research shows most athletes learn skills better through visual demonstration than through verbal instruction. If you're a ""visual learner,"" Visual Tennis may be the most natural and effective way to improve your game.

The book presents more than 200 photographs-including many of top stars like Pete Sampras, Martina Hingis, Andre Agassi, and Steffi Graf-so you can imprint images of flawless technique into your mind. When you get on the court, your mind replays the images, and you develop and refine each stroke until it matches the proper technique.

As former tennis great John McEnroe-once one of the author's star clients-explains it, ""This book teaches the way players actually learn."" The outstanding photos combine with simple checkpoints to show exactly how to learn essential tennis skills, from the forehand through the serve.

Updated and expanded from the highly successful first edition, Visual Tennis provides you with an alternative to the repetitive verbal cues so common in tennis instruction. Leading teaching pro John Yandell shares his proven method, which has helped thousands of players realize their potential and raise their game to new levels.

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