The book I am reviewing this week came up as an Amazon suggestion when I was recently looking for titles that are specific to Senior tennis. The 4.5 average star rating across 40 reviews was more than enough to convince me that I needed to take a look at it. My reactions are mixed.
David Starbuck Smith’s biography indicates that he played junior tennis in Colorado and attended UC Berkeley on an athletic scholarship. His biography goes on to state that he competed on the tennis team before playing professionally for three years. That professional playing record is… kind of sketchy.
According to the official records of the ATP, Smith played in one 25K ATP tournament going 1-1. Looking to ITF professional records, his singles record there was 1-2. He found his way onto the doubles court a few more times than that, with a 2-9 record at the ITF professional level. That isn’t much tennis for a 3 year professional tennis career.
Smith earned a degree in “Human Biodynamics” from UC Berkeley in 1997 and worked for many years as an exercise therapist for Peter Egoscue, from whom he learned all about the Egoscue method. Smith now operates his own Egoscue franchised clinic.
Smith is a big proponent of balance and symmetry and much of what he writes in his book resonates with my own “the body is a system” philosophy. At the same time, his method is described in mystical terms. Usually the words “alchemy” and “magic” are big red flags to me and this book was no exception.
Ageless Painless Tennis spends way too much space selling the method up front. In fact, I was on the verge of abandoning the book before paging to the later chapters where there is significantly better value added content in my opinion. What I found in those sections were recommendations for specific strength training and flexibility exercises designed to address the root causes of various physical ailments and pain.
For me, the Planter Fasciitis section was very interesting for the obvious reason of my own ongoing issues in this area. The recommendations for that injury all seem reasonable to me and I am definitely going to try them. Of course, I am currently willing to try any reasonable sounding conservative treatment at this point. I might not be the most unbiased source for that judgement.
This book contains plausibly good physical therapy advice. The key is skimming past the woo-woo repetitive sales pitch designed to inspire people to try the Egoscue method and Smith’s clinic in particular. It is best positioned as a reference for physical therapy exercises for various physical ailments.
If you are in pain, it is certainly worth a look. I probably wouldn’t recommend it otherwise.
 | Ageless Painless Tennis: Free Yourself from Pain, Injuries, and Limitations & Unlock Your Athletic Potential |
