The Best 5 Tennis Coaching Books
Updated: Sep 3
The tennis game can obviously be won on the tennis court, but a good book can raise your tennis game. My bookcase is full of years of research from Youth Tennis, complete conditioning or winning ugly by Brad Gilbert.
Suppose you’re like many Tennis coaches I talk to. In that case, you’re probably constantly looking for good information and resources that can help you improve your coaching and, ultimately, your players.
I’m the same way. My bookshelf is just loaded with the best books for tennis fans, tennis players or tennis coaches.
Some weeks back, I told someone about my books, and he said I should share them with other tennis coaches when I do my coach education courses.
It sounded like a good idea, in theory.
However, I have dozens of books. And the truth is, not all of them are that great.
So here’s what I did – I just spent the last week pouring through these bookmarks.
I kicked out the outdated philosophies and dead practices and set aside the average information. And when I was all done, I had just five of the best coaching books on the market today.
These are the best, the cream of the crop, so I know you’ll enjoy them too.
Read on…or use My Quick Link Guide.
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My Best Tennis Books (or an excellent book for coaching)
Best Tennis Coaching Book: High Performance: Lessons from the Best on Becoming the best
Best Coaching Book: The Inner Game of Tennis
5 Best Cheap Tennis Shoes (Blog)
Best Coaching Book: Essential Tennis: Improve Faster, Play Smarter, and Win More Matches
The Best Tennis Drills For Beginners (With Video) - Blog
Best Coaching Book: Champion Minded: Achieving Excellence In Sport and Life
Best Coaching Book: The Coach
What to Read Next
My Tennis Coach
Best Tennis Coaching Book: High Performance: Lessons from the Best on Becoming the best
I own this book twice; I have an audible version which I listen to when I walk the dog and a hard copy which has quickly become my daily bible. This is a great read and jam-packed with great advice from some of the world's best high-performing individuals.
What I like about this resource is that it pulls from the very best athletes and entrepreneurs in the world of what makes them High-Performance individuals. A few former professional tennis players have also been on the podcast.
You will be surprised how simple some values these highly successful people have. Timekeeping, gratitude and empathy are just some of this book's lessons. Simply put, you won’t find an easier or better way to lead a High-Performance lifestyle when you use this book.
Tennis may be an individual team sport, but you need a team of people around you, and as the coach, you need to show courage, leadership and responsibility if you want a be part of successful teams going forwards. This should be the first book on your list.
The amount of helpful information in this book is unbelievable, and if you are a fan of the High-Performance Podcast, this is a must-buy.
You can get a free month's trial with Audible below and keep your book even if you decide not to carry on the trial. You can sign up for free, get your book and cancel anytime. Free Book and a great new resource!
You can even pick any book on this list!
Best Coaching Book: The Inner Game of Tennis
I’ve noticed that many of my colleagues don’t include this particular book on their Top 10 lists, and that’s probably because it was written in the 1970s when Billy Jean King was on top. However, I always have this book on my list simply because it was fifty years ahead of the game.
Before sports psychology became mainstream, W Timothy Gallwey wrote about talking less, using non-judgement and shifting a player's awareness. I use this book for every single lesson in some way. I have owned multiple copies over the years as I keep wearing them out—a must-buy for any Tennis Player of Tennis Coach.
The sport of tennis is often called a mental battle, and this book looks at improving your competitive tennis with your mindset, not your forehand. This book is ideal for first-time or advanced players as Gallwey explains how to switch your conscious mind and let your subconscious take over the mental game of tennis to the next level.
A fascinating read, you may not win the US Open, but this book can help you relax and enjoy your battles down the tennis club or at your tennis tournaments.
Best Coaching Book: Essential Tennis: Improve Faster, Play Smarter, and Win More Matches
I like this book. And that’s because it gives you a quick and dirty way to improve your Tennis. Ian gives simple, straight-to-the-point advice. No fluff, just great content. Check it out, and you’ll see what I mean. This a handy guide if you want one of the latest books on the market by a top-rated YouTube tennis coach. Ian focuses on a technique that will give you an advanced foundation that even the top tennis professionals would be proud of.
Written by a coaching tennis professional with years of experience, it's a precious resource. If you're looking for a technical and tactical book, this is the right tennis book.
If you are a beginner, you may want to check out: The Best Tennis Drills For Beginners (With Video)
Best Coaching Book: Champion Minded: Achieving Excellence In Sport and Life
Have you ever tried to develop confidence in your players or even yourself but ended up with a negative, frustrated and stressed mindset instead? What separates the likes of Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Serena Willimas from the rest of the thousands of tennis players? Mindset!
The mental side of tennis is enormous, and the ability to deal with pressure like a top player is not easy, but this book will give you some great practical lessons you can bring to your tennis lessons.
If so, then you’ll LOVE this resource. Simply put, you can access over 125 lessons and inspirational anecdotes. Champion Minded will not only improve your mental and game preparation but motivate you to achieve excellence in your life, too. If you are looking for a complete guide to the mindset element of your tennis anatomy, this could be the perfect gift for any tennis player.
Best Coaching Book: The Coach
While this is the last resource on my list, it is by no means the least. That’s because Patrick Mouratoglou is everywhere! This book gives you an insight into possibly the first tennis social media influencer who happens to be a WTA tour coach.
Learn some of his secrets and the backstory of how he set up his academy. This book won't give you any specific tennis instruction or take you through learning tennis basics, but it gives you a great insight into possibly the most famous tennis coach in the world today. Serena Williams owes a lot to the influence, and there is an excellent story about the first time the two meet in the book.
In summary on the Best Coaching Book…
If you want to improve your coaching, your player's performance or even your mindset, then you should use all five of these books regularly for the best results. I do, and I credit these resources for a great deal of my tennis coaching success. These very informative tennis books may not have main characters or be a series of fancy online courses, but they will help you develop into a better tennis player or coach.
Suppose you are a Lawn Tennis Association, United States Tennis Association or a national governing body tennis coach. In that case, you may be able to claim independent learning as part of your continuous professional development.
So give them a try and see what they can do for you too!
PS- Don’t forget you can get a free audiobook with Audible below
What to read next
5 Best Cheap Tennis Shoes
The Different Types of Tennis Shots Explained (Full Overview with Video)
My Tennis Coach
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