PLAY BETTER TENNIS IN TWO HOURS: Oscar Wegner's Guide to Simplifying the Game & Playing Like a Pro (Paperback, 2005) – Perfect for Beginners & Intermediate Players to Improve Skills Fast

Oscar Wegner is a genius and this is the best book on tennis I've come across.By way of background: I'm a 4.0 NTRP (NorCal, if that matters) league player. I've been batting about .500 in league play, so I'd say that I'm your average league player (I played varsity a long time ago in High School -- and received "proper" high-end instruction from tennis pros when I was in elementary school, which is where I learned how to play).I'm always browsing for new material to improve my game. I own too many rackets. I've played with different string types and tensions. I've bought several books and subscribed to on-line instruction, some of which has been useful.This book came as a revelation -- I stayed up until the wee hours the day I bought it (kindle edition) since it all just "made sense". The very next day I went to hit against a wall, and my groundies were immediately better. I've never improved any aspect of my game from just reading -- I realize that my experiences sound like hyperbole, but it all clicked and it really did improve my game dramatically and immediately.There was a bit of a learning process the day after, when I played a match -- there was a lot going on in my head, and I was fighting my old tendencies, but after two sets the "new" forehand and backhand mechanics were grooved.I'm a better player thanks to this book, and this from one rushed reading!The amazing thing is that it's even affected my watching of professional tennis on TV -- I understand more clearly what's actually happening with their movement and preparation, and how they address the ball. It's like I finally really understand what they're doing with the ball.The fundamental truths (my wording) on how to effectively hit a ball translate regardless of minor details -- I'm sticking my to my old-school Eastern grips on both wings, but making the changes he recommends. Actually, his description of the backhand is identical to standard tennis-teaching dogma, but I did find his explanation on the forehand, which was different from what I was taught eye-opening, effective and true.I'm baffled by reviews who claim that this is only for beginners -- read the book and then watch the pros play -- he's synthesized the things that they all have in common! From Federer and his old-school Eastern forehand (yes, it's an Eastern forehand grip -- look it up - FuzzyYellowBalls did a study to finally put this myth to rest) to Nadal and his extreme "full" Western.I also tried his methods on my girlfriend, who had instruction as a child but hasn't really played much since. Even she's a believer now. She played the best tennis of her life, and the only "change" I helped her with was modifying her racket preparation along the lines of what Wegner recommends.PSAs an aside, for someone at my level, racket preparation is the key! But not the way I (and most of us, I'd wager) were taught. He is right, you have more time when you focus on "finding the ball" instead of "racket back first". He describes this quite well in the book.I found myself stepping into the court when receiving serve, and coming over the ball on the backhand more, as it now feels like I'm so less rushed.At any rate, I've read and borrowed more than my share of tennis books, and this is, hands-down, the best. It clearly applies to beginners and college-level players (in fact, do a google search of the MIT men's coach on the Wegner method. There's also an interview of MIT's top player and his experience with it -- which eerily echoed my own.) In fact, it has some streaks in commmon with the "Inner Game" (also a good book), in that it points out how inneffective traditional coaching in tennis is, and how more quickly learning happens when you focus on key elements and let as much as possible happen naturally.