Stan Smith's Winning Doubles

Rating:
Summary: Insights that only a true doubles player would know.
Review: It's clear when reading this book that Stan put a lot of time and energy into making sure the book was filled with good information and no fluff. Many tennis books present the same things you can get from taking groups lessons from your local parks and recreation department. This book, on the other hand, contains the type of insights into doubles that you can only get from expensive private lessons from an experienced pro. It contains so many nuggets though, that there's no way you could get them all from a pro. That's why this book is great to refer back to over and over.

Stan covers the nuances of doubles, and explains in detail most situations you can expect to see in doubles. He talks about your options in each situation: the types of shots you can hit, where to hit them, the proper techinque for each type of shot, the psychology of a doubles match between you, your partner and your opponents, and explains the reasons for (and consequences of) hitting certain shots in certain situations.

I teach doubles clinics myself, and I often refer back to this book for new ideas to teach my students. It is an excellent reference for the advanced player as well as a great source for players just starting to learn doubles to get an idea of what they need to do to get to the next level.