Tennis Practice Games - Joe Dinoffer

Tennis Practice Games

by Joe Dinoffer

NEW, 232 pages

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About Tennis Practice Games

Tired of boring, repetitive drills? Then Tennis Practice Games provides the challenge, creativity, and fun you’ve been seeking on the practice court. The games-based approach will help you refine your total game, from stroke development to strategy. Through competitive situations, you’ll quickly learn when to hit specific shots and what tactics to apply when the match is on the line.

Tennis Practice Games features 139 games that can be adapted for various skill levels, with a wide selection for both singles and doubles play. With games that allow you to increase the difficulty for higher levels of competition, this comprehensive guide covers all the essential parts of the tennis game—shotmaking, footwork skills, tactics, strategy, and handling pressure. From beginning to end, it’s packed with purposeful games that have proven successful with both coaches and players.

A respected tennis authority and motivational speaker, Joe Dinoffer has traveled the globe, inspiring players to enjoy the game as they strive for their personal best. Now you can gain from his valuable insights. Whether you’re a dedicated player or a coach looking for new ways to inspire better performance on the courts, you’ll find it here in this fun and practical guide.

About Joe Dinoffer

Joe Dinoffer is a USPTA Master Professional with an extensive career in the tennis industry. He is founder and president of Oncourt Offcourt, Inc., and has conducted clinics and exhibitions in more than 50 countries. He has logged over 30,000 hours of instruction in English, Spanish, and German.

Dinoffer has written numerous articles for Tennis magazine, is a contributing editor for Tennis Industry magazine, and is the publisher of Coach Tennis America audio magazine. He is the author of 16 books, 20 videotapes, and more than 70 digital audiocassettes. Dinoffer is also a member of the Professional Tennis Registry and Intercollegiate Tennis Association. He is a frequent speaker at tennis conferences all over the world.

Dinoffer lives in Dallas, Texas, with his wife, Monika, and their daughter, Kalindi.

Reviews of this Book

"Whether you're a dedicated player or a coach, Tennis Practice Games will inspire better performance on the court through practical game-based drills."

Billie Jean King

"Tennis Practice Games offers a brilliant array of creative learning games that stimulate fun, enthusiasm, and excitement. Joe provides the perfect antidote to the boredom and monotony of repetitive drilling. This is a must for every teaching professional!"

Jim Loehr, EdD

About Tennis

Tennis is a sport usually played between two players (singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles). Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all ages. The sport can be played by anyone who can hold a racket, including people in wheelchairs.

The modern game of tennis originated in the United Kingdom in the late 19th century as "lawn tennis" which has close connections to various field/lawn games as well as to the ancient game of real tennis. Up to then, "tennis" referred to the latter sport: for example, in Disraeli's novel Sybil (1845), Lord Eugene De Vere announces that he will "go down to Hampton Court and play tennis. As it is the Derby [classic horse race], nobody will be there". After its creation, lawn tennis spread throughout the upper-class English-speaking population before spreading around the world.

The rules of tennis have not changed much since the 1890s. Two exceptions are that from 1908 to 1961 the server had to keep one foot on the ground at all times, and the adoption of the tie-break in the 1970s. A recent addition to professional tennis has been the adoption of electronic review technology coupled with a point challenge system, which allows a player to challenge the line (or chair) umpire's call of a point. Players have unlimited opportunity to challenge, but once three incorrect challenges are made in a set, they cannot challenge again until the next set. If the set goes to a tie break, players are given one additional opportunity to challenge the call. This electronic review, currently called Hawk-Eye, is available at a limited number of high-level ATP and WTA tournaments.

Tennis is enjoyed by millions of recreational players and is also a hugely popular worldwide spectator sport, especially the four Grand Slam tournaments (also referred to as the "Majors"): the Australian Open played on hard courts, the French Open played on red clay courts, Wimbledon played on grass courts, and the US Open played also on hard courts.

Tennis Practice Games