Tennis Hits the Books
The book selection for this week is “Winning Doubles: Strategies, Key Concepts, and Shot-By-Shot Playbook for Players at All Levels.” It was written by Scott Perlstein, who is a veteran tennis instructor in California. I believe Perlstein may be the originator of the doubles playbook concept for tennis. The book is dominated by pictures of doubles positioning while still packing a wealth of information as supporting text.
The forward of the book was written by Richey Reneberg. I saw Reneberg play a lot as a junior in Texas as he is just a couple of years older than me. He went on to be a three time All-American for Southern Methodist University and had a nice career on the ATP tour. His career high ranking was #20 in Singles, but was mostly regarded as a doubles specialist. Reneberg’s endorsement delivered via the forward means something.
The last part of the subtitle indicates that Winning Doubles is intended for players of all levels. As such, some of the information might not add much insight for more experienced tennis players. Some of the player positioning is very rudimentary. Probably there are sections of the book that should be skimmed by established players.
At the same time, Perlstein provides periodic valuable nuggets of information that all doubles players should know. In my experience, some of his recommendations aren’t always universally understood. A great example of this is how the net person should always clear a netted first serve quickly so their partner can focus on their second serve routine at their normal pace and rhythm. From personal experience, not every net person does that quickly. Occasionally I will see the net person not clearing the ball at all.
Winning Doubles contains a long philosophical section on bad line calls. That section has a California chill vibe to it, but departs from many other books of this era by observing that bad line calls can make a significant difference in the outcome of the match. Perlstein’s approach for dealing with that situation is both practical and probably effective in most scenarios. He also emphasizes the importance and virtue of generous line calls.
Perstein’s strategic arc on doubles is best summed up in his own words. “Don’t react – Dictate.” I am adopting that as my new doubles mantra. There is tremendous power in tennis by forcing each point to patterns which create an advantage. However, that is easier said than done.
Perstein’s concept of a playbook and explanations on why it is important for doubles is spot on. His playbook is a comprehensive enumeration of how points can play out. The play titles are long and descriptive. Winning Doubles suggests studying the book with your playing partner. I simply can’t imagine going over many of the patterns with another person. “No sh*t, Sherlock” is the phrase that comes to mind.
For example play #14 is titled “Player A serves and stays back. Player C hits a good lob return over Player B. Player B yells, ‘Help.'” The subsequent description basically is an enumeration of the options that Player A has when returning the lob. For a book that emphasizes “Don’t react – Dictate” some of the plays are mundanely reactive.
Of course, that is useful because you simply cannot dictate each point. The other team is probably also attempting to impose their will during the point. The value is thinking through the possibilities in advance and drilling the on-court reactions and skills that are required for snap decisions in the heat of battle.
For example, one option for Player A when fielding the lob in play #14 is to take the ball on the fly with a swinging volley and following it to the net. Quite frankly, it had never occurred to me to play the ball that way. It is something that I can work on to open up that option in match play.
Winning Doubles is for tennis players who want to dictate how each point is played and are willing to invest in understanding the arsenal of patterns and tactics to make that happen.
 | Winning Doubles: Strategies, Key Concepts, and Shot-By-Shot Playbook for Players At All Levels by Scott Perlstein |
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