Books published by publisher Human Kinetics, Inc.

Match point. Your opponent hits a deep-sliced approach shot to your backhand. To neutralize this attack and regain control of the point, you retaliate with a crosscourt passing shot, low with topspin. Your opponent is forced to return a weak volley to the open court, and you win the point with a passing shot down the line. Game, set, and match.This is just one of the many winning strategies you'll find in Tennis Tactics: Winning Patterns of Play. It's the first book to break down what shots to make and when to make them. You'll learn how to plan your shot selection in competition and put yourself in the best possible position to win every point. Based on an extensive USTA study of actual tournament play by the game's top athletes, Tennis Tactics describes 58 patterns—repeated shot sequences—that will emphasize your strengths and exploit your opponents' weaknesses. It contains 63 drills that show you how to practice the patterns and make them part of your routine during match play. Competitive players, coaches, and instructors will love the book's simple approach for practice and play.Tennis Tactics reviews sound, time-tested strategic principles, then explains how they apply to patterns of play. You'll learn how to choose patterns that fit your style of play, whether you're an all-court player, a counterpuncher, an aggressive baseliner, or a serve-and-volleyer.Next, the book provides strategies and tactics for different areas of the court. You'll learn how to execute 58 patterns for- backcourt (26), - midcourt (8), - net play (8), and - defensive play (16). For each pattern, the book describes and illustrates corresponding practice drills that will help you get an edge on the competition. A Pattern Finder chart helps you quickly locate the shot combinations you want to study and incorporate into your game.Make your practice sessions pay off in competition by using the drills and mastering the patterns in Tennis Tactics: Winning Patterns of Play.

Field a winning fastpitch softball team year after year with the knowledge and insights of a coaching legend! CoachingFastpitch Softball Successfully provides the guidance and technical expertise you need in order to build and maintain a competitive team, covering every facet of leading a squad on the field and developing a program off of it. Hall of Fame coach Kathy Veroni, who has won more than 1,250 fastpitch games in her career, and pitching expert Roanna Brazier share their insights and experiences in this authoritative, comprehensive guide to coaching fastpitch softball. From developing a coaching philosophy and planning for the season to teaching the skills and tactics of the game, you will find proven formulas for success within these pages. With practice and conditioning plans, administrative forms, sample scouting charts, tactics for dozens of game situations, and more than 130 drills, Coaching Fastpitch Softball Successfully is the most complete resource available for aspiring and experienced coaches alike. Take advantage of the authors’ expertise to gain a winning edge over your competition.

The Phoenix Suns' Steve Nash shines in running the break, but how do his teammates know where to go to get open to receive his passes? Orlando's Dwight Howard is a tremendous talent in the post, but how has he improved and added new dimensions to his game? And how is it that Utah's Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer run the screen-and-roll as smoothly as Jazz legends John Stockton and Karl Malone did years before? Coaching. Yes, even in a league loaded with superior athletic talent, the teaching, tactical maneuvers, and strategies provided by NBA coaches are second to none. And as younger, sometimes less mature and less experienced players from all over the world have entered the league, those coaching skills are more diverse and better honed than ever before.Now NBA Coaches Playbook takes you into the practice sessions and sideline huddles with detailed Xs and Os and more from the game's best at maximizing performance on the court. Let the likes of Phil Jackson, Mike D'Antoni, Avery Johnson, Stan Van Gundy, George Karl, Eddie Jordan, Mike Dunleavy, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and many other head and assistant coaches provide you with new insights to benefit your own team and individual players.

Women’s tennis has come of age. Players today are taller, stronger, and faster than ever before. The distinction between traditional baseline, all-court, and serve-and-volley games continues to diminish as players learn how to dictate the point at the earliest opportunity. The top players know how to play to their strengths and their opponents’ weaknesses, and Women’s Tennis Tactics shows you how to do the same: More than 68 drills to practice match tactics Breakdown of match situations and tactical solutions Guidance on developing a personal style Strategies for tracking performance Tactics for singles and doubles play Whether serving, returning, playing the baseline, or playing the net, Women’s Tennis Tactics provides you with the strategic arsenal to elevate your game and enjoy greater success on the court. Contents Chapter 1. Tactical Serving Chapter 2. Tactical Returning Chapter 3. Playing From the Baseline Chapter 4. Approaching and Playing at the Net Chapter 5. Opposing the Net Player Chapter 6. Developing a Game Style

Carve out a spot on your bench, and in your library, for hockey's most comprehensive playbook. Hockey Plays and Strategies presents all of the popular offensive, defensive, and special teams systems used in today's game, as well as tactical advice on making in-game adjustments and player match-ups at every level of play. Veteran coaches Ryan Walter and Mike Johnston share more than 160 plays, systems, and strategies to control the ice and light up the net. In this one-of-a-kind guide, you'll learn these skills: -Puck movement within the neutral zone to set up for attack zone entry and scoring chances on the rush-Capitalizing on all odd-man rush scoring chances and shutting down the opposition's opportunities-Executing lock-down defensive play in all zones to eliminate good scoring chances and shots on goal-More than 25 power play systems for both the one-man and two-man advantage to keep the defense off balance and produce more scoring chances-Penalty kill strategies that will stymie any attack and routinely clear the zone-Controlling the puck and breaking up the opposition's play with aggressive forechecking and backchecking strategies-Controlling the game with top-notch game management tips on line pairings and changes, key momentum changers, and many more in-game adjustments to keep your opponents on their heels throughout the gameWhether you're an experienced coach or taking the coaching reigns for the first time, Hockey Plays and Strategies will guide smart, consistent, and winning play.

As a coach, your success depends on the success of your players. Now you can better ensure players’ development and team performance with Coaching Tennis Successfully. The United States Tennis Association (USTA) presents this comprehensive manual with information on planning productive practices, conducting drills, developing physical and mental skills, and teaching match tactics. You’ll find ideas to prepare singles players and doubles teams for competitive matches. Plus, the book offers the best methods and helpful tips for teaching key skills: • Footwork • Serves • Groundstrokes • Overheads and volleys With more than 670,000 members and programs that encompass all 50 states and beyond, the USTA is able to tap into the best minds and mentors in tennis coaching. Coaching Tennis Successfully synthesizes and shares that expertise to give you the winning edge!

Develop explosive acceleration, speed, and agility and dominate the ice! Laura Stamm’s Power Skating, Fourth Edition book and DVD package presents the skating system used by thousands of the sport’s top players and teams to move with maximum efficiency on the ice. Plus, you’ll learn proven drills to help practice and master each maneuver. The DVD released in 2005 brings Stamm’s new book alive by demonstrating the skills and drills in each chapter. From starts and stops to turns and transitions, Laura Stamm’s Power Skating covers all of the critical components of explosive skating. Through top-level instruction, practice drills, and coaching tips, you’ll learn these skills: • Increase on-ice acceleration. • Improve balance while changing directions on the ice. • Increase speed and agility to disrupt aggressive defensemen. • Explode from a stationary position and stop more rapidly. • Increase puck protection without sacrificing speed. • Use speed and agility to create more scoring chances for yourself and teammates. The great hockey players skate powerfully and are able to get in position to make the key plays. Laura Stamm’s Power Skating/DVD package will give you an explosive edge on the competition with every technique you need to skate your best and elevate your game.

Learning to play volleyball has never been more effective—or more fun—than with Volleyball Fundamentals. Students will enjoy using this resource because they will learn by doing, spending less time reading and more time engaged in playing the game. With simple instructions and accompanying photographs you'll find it easy to teach them to play volleyball quickly and simply.Volleyball Fundamentals begins by teaching formations and rotations so that students get an immediate sense of where they belong on the court. Chapters are devoted to mastering specific skills such as serving, receiving, setting, attacking, blocking, and digging. Sections on offensive and defensive tactics, scoring systems, rules, rotations, and on-court communication make the game as easy for you to teach as it is for your students to learn. Each chapter addresses a specific skill, leading the student through a simple, four-step sequence:·You Can Do It: The skill is introduced with sequential instructions and accompanying photographs.·More to Choose and Use: Variations and extensions of the primary skill are covered.·Take It to the Court: Readers learn how to apply the skill in competition.·Give It a Go: These provide several direct experiences—such as drills, small-sided games, and self-tests—for gauging, developing, and honing the skill. Writer Joel Dearing is a veteran instructor and coach with extensive knowledge of volleyball. Dearing knows how to communicate clearly and succinctly, making reading and applying the content to the court enjoyable for students of all ages.As part of the Sports Fundamentals Series, Volleyball Fundamentals will help you teach and your students learn the basic skills and tactics of the game so that they can compete on the court in no time at all.

You volunteered to coach the football team, but are you ready? How will you teach the fundamental skills, run effective practices, and harness the energy of your young team? Fear not: Survival Guide for Coaching Youth Football has the answers. Longtime coach Jim Dougherty teams up with Brandon Castel to share experience and advice you can rely on from the first practice to the final game. It's all here in the drills and the plays: evaluating players' skills, establishing realistic goals, offering in-game coaching tips, and making the practices fun! Develop your team's offensive and defensive skills for all positions with the Survival Guide's collection of the game's best youth drills. For plays that young players can actually run, flip to the Survival Guide's offensive playbook and defensive alignments. And to get the most out of every practice, follow the ready-to-use practice plans. Turn to the series that has already guided thousands of first-time coaches in basketball, soccer, and softball to rewarding and productive seasons. With Survival Guide for Coaching Youth Football, you're already well on your way.

Women's tennis has come of age. Players today are taller, stronger, and faster than ever before. The distinction between traditional baseline, all-court, and serve-and-volley games continues to diminish as players learn how to dictate the point at the earliest opportunity. The top players know how to play to their strengths and their opponents' weaknesses, and Women's Tennis Tactics shows you how to do the same: -More than 68 drills to practice match tactics-Breakdown of match situations and tactical solutions-Guidance on developing a personal style-Strategies for tracking performance-Tactics for singles and doubles playWhether serving, returning, playing the baseline, or playing the net, Women's Tennis Tactics provides you with the strategic arsenal to elevate your game and enjoy greater success on the court.

Learning to play basketball has never been more effective—or more fun—than with Basketball Fundamentals. Students will enjoy using this resource because they will learn by doing, spending less time reading and more time engaged in playing the game. With simple instructions and accompanying photographs, this book makes it easy to teach the game of basketball quickly.Basketball Fundamentals begins by teaching basic offensive skills so that students get an immediate sense of where they belong on the court and what to do when they get the ball. A separate chapter on defense teaches students how to stop the opposition by playing man-to-man, zone, or combination defense. Chapters are devoted to mastering specific skills including lay-ups, perimeter shooting, passing, dribbling, screening, and rebounding. Each chapter addresses a specific skill, leading the student through a simple, four-step sequence:·You Can Do It: The skill or tactic is introduced with sequential instructions and accompanying photographs.·More to Choose and Use: Variations and extensions of the primary skill are covered.·Take It to the Court: Readers learn how to apply the skill in competition.·Give It a Go: Several direct experiences—such as drills, small-sided games, and self-tests—are provided to gauge, develop, and hone the skill. Writer Jon Oliver is a veteran instructor and coach with a broad range of basketball teaching experience at the educational, recreational, and competitive levels. Oliver knows how to communicate clearly and succinctly, making reading and applying the content to the court enjoyable for students of all ages.As part of the Sports Fundamentals Series, Basketball Fundamentals will help you teach and your students learn the basic skills and tactics of the game so that they can compete on the court in no time at all.