Technical Tennis: Racquets, Strings, Balls, Courts, Spin, and Bounce

No more bulls***ting from the tennis equipment sellers and tennis mates after reading this book.

A few years back I did read "The Physics and Technology of Tennis." Even though this was a sensational book that gave me the physics knowledge to moonlight as a racquet development consultant, "Technical Tennis" is a great update. "The Physics and ..." consists of a collection of papers that were published in TennisPro magazine between 1993 and 2000. Meanwhile, "Technical Tennis" was published in 2005. Tennis technique and technology have changed since the mid nineties. The authors thoroughly study these changes. They do a great analysis of Sampras second serve that remained a standard even for today's pros. They also analyze Federer's forehand that is a marvel of versatility, speed, and accuracy. Nobody hits a forehand using Federer's technique. But, maybe thanks to this book more tennis players and especially pros will emulate it.The authors' opinions have become more complex and nuanced over time. In "The Physics ..." they stated unequivocally that heavier racquets gave you more power, control, and felt better all around than lighter ones. Now, they indicate it depends somewhat on your playing style. And, they come up with an all around "ideal" weight of 342 grams or 12 ounces. That is heavier than most recreational racquets sold in store. But, it is not heavy vs what the pros use. On page 55, they also indicate that to reduce the force on your arm there are five things you can do:1) Use a heavier racquet;2) Use a head heavy racquet;3) Use a more flexible racquet (not a widebody one);4) Lower the string tension;5) Use a softer thicker grip.These are different recommendations than in "The Physics ..." book. Back then they recommended a stiff racquet.The authors also study in greater details the relationship between racquet weight and ball speed. And, how the relationship is different for serves vs groundstrokes.If you read "The Physics ..." book, you have to read this one to update your knowledge. If you have not, you don't need to read it, and can jump in straight into this one. It will provide you with all the physics you care about. This book is really not dummed down much. Be ready for that. At times the physics discourse gets pretty dry and challenging. But if you digest it, it's pretty interesting stuff.

un testo che farebbe bene a qualunque appassionato di tennis e a tutti i negozianti che spesso non sanno di cosa stanno parlando, specialmente sul lato corde.Gli avrei dato un voto superiore se non che è aggiornato al 2005, quindi i consigli sull'attrezzatura valgono solo in generale (che non è comunque poco).

Did not realize it was such an old publication. Could use an update

This book was very helpful for me in deciding on what I should look for in a tennis racquet that would best suit my style and level of play. It also helped my understanding of how tight vs loose stringing affects the ball rebound off the racquet. In fact, I found myself at home watching one of Rafa Nadal's matches where he was consistently overhitting his shots and I thought to myself, his strings might be too loose. Amazingly, within a minute or so of my thinking this, Rafa went over and got another racquet!The only downside for me was that I found myself skimming through certain parts of the book that were more technical and/or detailed than I liked.I recommend this book to anyone wanting to shop for a new tennis racquet or strings, and for those wanting a clearer understanding of HOW and WHY the physical properties of the racquet, strings, and court affect your shot-making.