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The Art of Doubles: Winning Tennis Strategies and Drills
Take Your Doubles Game to the Next Level!
Whether you're trying to improve your doubles game or are just getting started playing tennis with a partner, The Art of Doubles is the book for you. Author Pat Blaskower is your personal coach, guiding and encouraging you and your partner to play winning tennis by showing you how
• choose a compatible partner
• determine your jobs on the court
• learn poaching skills
• communicate with each other and opposing teams
• maintain mental toughness
• use various formations and strategies
• pick your shots intelligently
• decide where to tournaments or leagues
• and much, much more!
The book also includes detailed court diagrams that show you how to execute offense, defense, and tactical plays; checklists that summarize the most important points of each chapter; and on-court drills to help you improve and refine your skills. The Art of Doubles is loaded with practical, proven tennis strategies that you can put to work immediately to see improvements in your own doubles game!
Whether you're trying to improve your doubles game or are just getting started playing tennis with a partner, The Art of Doubles is the book for you. Author Pat Blaskower is your personal coach, guiding and encouraging you and your partner to play winning tennis by showing you how
• choose a compatible partner
• determine your jobs on the court
• learn poaching skills
• communicate with each other and opposing teams
• maintain mental toughness
• use various formations and strategies
• pick your shots intelligently
• decide where to tournaments or leagues
• and much, much more!
The book also includes detailed court diagrams that show you how to execute offense, defense, and tactical plays; checklists that summarize the most important points of each chapter; and on-court drills to help you improve and refine your skills. The Art of Doubles is loaded with practical, proven tennis strategies that you can put to work immediately to see improvements in your own doubles game!
224 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1994
98 people are currently reading
113 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
March 22, 2019
Great tactical book
Great description of common situations and how to handle them. Very good for intermediate and advanced players looking to become even better. Easy to visualize and put into practice. A must read for both players and then use in matches.
Great description of common situations and how to handle them. Very good for intermediate and advanced players looking to become even better. Easy to visualize and put into practice. A must read for both players and then use in matches.
December 18, 2021
Very good tips to play doubles in tennis. Worth reading a couple times
May 13, 2025
So much awesome information which has improved my doubles play already! I highlighted as I read, so I can reread it because there’s a lot to absorb.
June 2, 2025
Took me a while to decipher the positioning advice, but well worth the time. Learned a lot!
February 2, 2012
The Art of Doubles is a look at the California doubles way of playing, as author Pat Blaskower puts it. This book seems geared towards the 4.0 and above doubles specialist. Blaskower offers many good strategies and mental reminders to practice and put into play. She offers very specific instructions on where to best place the ball in a multitude of situations. Various formations are discussed, along with their strengths and weaknesses.
At times, Blaskower gets a bit vague in explaining her strategies. The diagrams can also be confusing at times. But these weak points are kept to a minimum, and overall, the book is still a great guide to taking your doubles game to a more advanced level. Drills are also offered in the back of the book, to help you practice the situations you'll face. The Art of Doubles is a must read for anyone hoping to take their doubles game to a more advanced level.
At times, Blaskower gets a bit vague in explaining her strategies. The diagrams can also be confusing at times. But these weak points are kept to a minimum, and overall, the book is still a great guide to taking your doubles game to a more advanced level. Drills are also offered in the back of the book, to help you practice the situations you'll face. The Art of Doubles is a must read for anyone hoping to take their doubles game to a more advanced level.
April 21, 2012
This is a great book about tennis. It goes over tennis positioning really well. Something I always wanted to learn more about.
The usual suggestions like:
hit short to short, deep to deep, short to deep, but never deep to short.
i found the idea of the middle net tape very useful in understanding where you should position yourself. I had to read some of the concepts over again, because it was the first time learning them.
I have heard some of the suggestions before , but it is still a great reminder.
I always understood that if you poach a ball you should keep it going in the direction you are going towards. I didn't know there was a name for not doing this. It is called hitting behind yourself.
If you poach a ball and hit it to the space in front of you on the opposite side that you just left, they can hit it right into the space you left .. for a clean winner.
I am not finished with the book yet, but wanted to jot down these highlights
The usual suggestions like:
hit short to short, deep to deep, short to deep, but never deep to short.
i found the idea of the middle net tape very useful in understanding where you should position yourself. I had to read some of the concepts over again, because it was the first time learning them.
I have heard some of the suggestions before , but it is still a great reminder.
I always understood that if you poach a ball you should keep it going in the direction you are going towards. I didn't know there was a name for not doing this. It is called hitting behind yourself.
If you poach a ball and hit it to the space in front of you on the opposite side that you just left, they can hit it right into the space you left .. for a clean winner.
I am not finished with the book yet, but wanted to jot down these highlights
October 15, 2014
Can't really implement the "California Doubles" movement described without one steady partner to practice it with - maybe someday. That said, there are lots of other strategies provided to help my game with any partner.
October 11, 2012
A must read for any doubles player. I read it through and then reread each chapter out of order. Sometimes i just pick it up and read a few pages before a match! Love the description of the roles of each position!
February 16, 2015
The best book on how to play doubles, period. This is classic, but still so relevant today. My coach Randy Schubert teaches these tactics and his teams WIN. Shot selection, positioning, strategy, plays for key situations, it is all here. Read this and get better, you'll have more fun.
April 3, 2013
Great pointers!
November 2, 2015
I recommend this book
I have read the art of Doubles and would recommend it if you are planning to be a serious tennis player.
I have read the art of Doubles and would recommend it if you are planning to be a serious tennis player.
October 1, 2016
One of the best, if not THE best book on tennis, doubles specifically, that I have read.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews