A must have book for any tennis player no matter what skill level or playing ability is the Inner Game of Tennis by Timothy Gallwey. The book has been used outside of tennis in other sports and is endorsed by many other athletes such as golfers and football players, even the business community can find a great use for the book. The book uses tennis has a main concept however; the concepts and ideas can be applied to any area of life. Timothy writes about the “outer game” which applies to the physical world and includes tactics and techniques, but more importantly writes about the “inner game” which includes emotional state, beliefs, psychology and attitude. The book continues to explain how the “inner game” is much more important than the outer game. The reason is because if you don’t have the beliefs, attitude, and proper emotional state than the tactics and techniques will never fully be able to flourish. The book can be used across a number of sports and in everyday life because it teaches individuals to not always be fully thinking and be more in the moment. When you judge yourself you are creating a certain role for yourself. You basically start to become what you think.

The second book I looked through is a much more scientific approach to the game. The physics and Technology of Tennis by Jeff Cooper focuses more on how tennis equipment functions together and how it functions with tennis strokes. It is a very scientific book and includes many charts, diagrams, and graphs. It is a very large book with a great attention to detail. The book may not be the best choice for someone looking for a quick question. The two books are a strong contrast to each other, one very specifically for the mind and soul and they other for physics and technology. Between the two a large area of tennis can be discovered.