Helping coaches and players streamline their learning systems, improve their performance, and further their understanding and enjoyment of the game, this book provides an entertaining and enlightening look at the physics behind how to use a racquet to change the speed and direction of a tennis ball. Distinguishing the science from the folklore and myth, it makes the physics of tennis understandable to players of all skill levels. Important issues such as the role of string tension, the meaning of power, the importance of swing weight, and the relevance of the various sweet spots are addressed. Athletes are shown how to play better tennis by obeying the laws of the universe, optimizing equipment for ultimate performance, and understanding the dynamics of tennis events. From speed-to-spin ratios and shock vibration scales to choosing string on a moist day, this guide covers it all.

"What are the single most important variables in racquet performance? What racquet and string features combine to provide the most control, comfort, and feel? How can a player create maximum spin? "This informative primer answers these and other elusive equipment and performance-related questions that perennially plague hackers and experts alike. A simplified, layperson's companion to the authors' previous work, "The Physics and Technology of Tennis," this conveniently sized guide to selecting racquets and strings includes bite-sized explanations of the possible expectations of equipment choices.