Which of these tennis instructional videos are the best?

[recoveryjones]

As mentioned earlier, I am brand new to tennis and want to learn proper fundamentals/technique right from the get go.I've enrolled in tennis lessons and I'm also interested in instructional videos.

I did a search at my local(Vancouver Public) library and was pleased to find out that there are 44 VHS tennis instructional videos available and 10 DVD tennis instrucutionals availbale to view free of charge.I was just wondering whose instructional videos are the best amongst Bollettieri,Braden Jensen or Avery?

Here are some I can get:

AVERY INSTRUCTIONAL’S
Consistent tennis wins #1
Consistent tennis wins #2 Strategy, singles and doubles
Consistent tennis wins #4 The backhand
Consistent tennis wins #5 The ability to swing
Consistent tennis wins #6 Return of serve

JAMES JENSEN INSTRUCTIONALS
1. Ultimate Forehand
2. Ultimate Backhand
3. Ultimate Serve
4. Ultimate Volleys and Net Game
5. Ultimate Killer Angle Shots
6. Ultimate Lobs and drop shots
7. Ultimate Return of Serve
8. Ultimate Singles Strategy and Tactics
9. Ultimate Doubles Strategy and Tactics
10. Tennis faults and fixes, over 100 tips

BOLLETTIERI INSTRUCTIONALS
Right Back Atcha Returns
Shot Selection and Court Positioning
Sonic Serve
Tenacious Net Play
Bollistic Backhand
Building Points and Tactics
Deadly Drop Shots and Lobs
Killer Forehand
Competitive Club Doubles
Practice with Purpose

VIC BRADEN INSTRUCTIONAL’S
Winning Tennis Strokes
How to play winning doubles and stay the best of friends

Tennis our way

Tennis for the future (3 videos)
1. Overview, forehand, backhand, serves, volley
2. Approach shot, spin and serve return, overhead, lob and drop shots, conditioning
3. Singles strategy no. 1, singles strategy no. 2, playing doubles, psychology


As mentioned there are 54 Instructional tennis videos/dvd's available to me in total at the library including other older ones by Jimmy Connors, Chris Everett etc etc and much more.There's so many tennis instructionals available at my library,I don't even no where to start.

Any recomendations for a beginner would be much appreciated.
Thanks, RJ

ps.. Aside from videos/dvd's our library system has over 300 tennis related books.Any suggestions on books?

 

[mctennis]

I think Avery videos are the best. I bought them some time back in VHS. Very good instructor with no magical hype to sell you. Good info to help you out.

 

[Tennismastery]

From the stand point of reaching your true potential and playing at higher levels of play, avoid the Braden tapes. You will find them full of techniques that counter that which most all top teaching pros teach and what almost all top playing pros do.

Most of the other videos, while each varies in philosophy and approach, they almost all stay within high performance methodologies which I can honestly say the Braden videos don't. Braden presents many of his unique methods. (Unique here does not mean better!) And while some of his stuff has merit, most of it will get you to a 3.0 or 3.5 level and then stagnation...because of the need to change what you learned to play not only at better levels, but to defend and play well against more accomplished players.

It is from my 32 years teaching, (and discussing tennis with many of the pros you have listed videos for, including Braden), that these opinions have been formed.

 

[recoveryjones]

From the stand point of reaching your true potential and playing at higher levels of play, avoid the Braden tapes. You will find them full of techniques that counter that which most all top teaching pros teach and what almost all top playing pros do.

Most of the other videos, while each varies in philosophy and approach, they almost all stay within high performance methodologies which I can honestly say the Braden videos don't. Braden presents many of his unique methods. (Unique here does not mean better!) And while some of his stuff has merit, most of it will get you to a 3.0 or 3.5 level and then stagnation...because of the need to change what you learned to play not only at better levels, but to defend and play well against more accomplished players.

It is from my 32 years teaching, (and discussing tennis with many of the pros you have listed videos for, including Braden), that these opinions have been formed.

Thanks a lot for your reply regarding Braden, as this is the type of advice I was looking for as to narrow down my choices.I've been checking out some of the Avery and Bollettieri videos and find them to be good.Avery in particuliar explains things really simple which is good for a begginner like me.Thanks to Mctennis for that recommendation.

I look forward to learning more here as time goes on.
RJ