I can imagine what lots of folks are thinking. What would Brad Gilbert have to offer me as a tennis player or coach or anything for that matter? The answer is much more than you think.
Summary
Gilbert's style of playing tennis parallels hi coaching style and this philosophy bleeds over into his writing as well. Those of you who read Winning Ugly are by now familiar with Gilbert's concept of meticulously analyzing his opponent's game, finding that elusive vulnerable spot and then grinding out a win by matching his own strengths against his opponent's weaknesses. The idea doesn't stop with playing tennis. Gilbert demonstrates that it also applies to coaching and, well, just about anything else we do in life. I'm not sure Gilbert planned to write an inspirational self-help book, but that is what it amounted to for me.
What it is about
Gilbert perfected the art of not beating himself during his professional tennis career. With a moderate degree of talent and loads of determination, Gilbert found a way to beat his opponents by studying their moves and never giving up. He called his style "winning ugly" because he seldom looked great while he was on the court, even if he was beating the stuffing out of his opponent. And he rode this blue-collar style all the way to #4 in the world. The same is true of his coaching career. He eschews the limelight and performs menial tasks for his players while influencing them in such subtle ways that they hardly realize they are being coached. Gilbert has taken two underachievers (Agassi and Roddick) and helped them reach their potential. Yet all throughout the book he denies himself the credit, charging that it was his patient and wise former coaches and his honest players that taught him how to be an effective coach. He learned to listen and pay attention to both and it payed off.
What it is not
This is not a tennis "how to" book with loads of advice on strategy and skill. Even though Gilbert says he is basically and X's and O's kind of guy, he shares little in the way of strategy or mechanics with the reader. He appears to be aiming for more of a philosophical approach to success in tennis in this book. If you get the concept, you should have no problem finding the answers to more detailed questions for yourself. It is also not a "tell all" book about other players or coaches on the tour. Although he does share many stories about his experiences with players and coaches, it is far from scandalous or controversial and gives the reader only the barest glimpse into their lives. You are left with the realization that almost everyone has something to teach you if you can only listen.
What I liked
I loved the approach Gilbert took with this book. If you grasp his concepts, you can apply them to anything in your life, not just tennis. He talks about loving what you do, about respect for other people, about listening to others as well as yourself and about the importance of a strong work ethic even in the multi-million dollar world of professional sports. He reminds the reader that rich and famous tennis players are still just human beings made of skin and bone and the players that reach the pinnacle of their sport got there, not because of perfect backhand volleys or scorching serves, but because they were willing to reach deep inside themselves and fix the things that did not work so well. To make it to the top, and especially to stay there, players must meet more internal challenges than external ones.
What I did not like
In a book this brief, only 217 pages and a small format, one often feels frustrated that it is over so quickly. And for $24 (retail), it does seem to be a premium. Of course, you can find it for less than $20 if you are willing to look. All I can offer here is that I expect to read this book again, possibly many times, to instill the ideas in my mind. So what the book lacks in details, it makes up for in the value of its ideas. These are the kinds of ideas you would like to share with your family and friends. Unfortunately, as Gilbert points out in the book, these ideas are not effective if forced on someone. A person has to be receptive in order to understand, so the best way to share the concepts is to practice them and hopefully someone will notice and internalize the philosophy on their own. Just lead them to the water...
Other details
Gilbert has carefully organized this book into sections that represent the different facets to his philosophy, each one containing a nugget of easily digestible wisdom. These make it easy to revisit the ideas and refresh one's mind if you don't have time to re-read the chapters. Once you've read the book once, you'll recall the stories that formulate the point of the chapter.
Recommended:
