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Occam's Racquet: 12 Simple Steps To Smarter Tennis
Written by tennis teaching professional, Marcus Paul Cootsona. Occam's Racquet focuses on the twelve most important parts of the physical and mental games of tennis. No matter what strokes you use, the ideas in here will make you the most effective player you can be.
192 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 2011
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About the author
Marcus Paul Cootsona
4 books1 followerI am a tennis teaching professional and lapsed playwright. I live in Northern California with my wife and two sublime, ridiculous dogs.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
June 11, 2014
Review from my website The Sports Book Review
From the amusing opening sections, the light hearted tone is set which makes this a welcome change from many “how to” books, and makes it infinitely more readable. As such, there’s a better chance of its message getting across, although the core messages of the book are repeated frequently meaning they get across just fine. That of playing better ‘match tennis’ by looking at the physical and mental aspects of tennis and your approach to it.
The book is split into two main sections, or ‘sets’, dealing with the physical and the mental, with each set again split into six ‘games’ for the key messages being put across. The title is based on the “Occam’s Razor” theory that ‘if a number of explanations describe a situation or solve a problem accurately, the simplest explanation is to be preferred’, which is adapted to ‘taking the simplest true explanation as the best way to play great and enjoyable tennis.’
This is used to explain Cootsona’s idea of focusing on tennis’s core ideas in order to play better, rather than losing yourself in the complexities of learning to play like a professional. Given the unlikelihood of most people reaching that lofty level, Cootsona points out how little sense there is of many tennis players learning the more specific playing styles they see at Wimbledon and Flushing Meadows. More effective answers can be found.
The core message therefore is to simplify. Don’t waste time emulating the stars without having mastered the basics. Hit the ball in, and enjoy playing the game, otherwise why bother.
Looking at techniques and strategies for the normal mortal to win matches, from the revelation that it’s better to keep hitting the ball in to the brutal truth that most players won’t possess a demon serve, the suggestions here make a lot of sense. It’s slightly disappointing if effective match play becomes a tad unadventurous, but I suppose that is what the practice courts are for, and there’s no point in being adventurous if you haven’t completely mastered the essentials first. Cootsona espouses a rule of 70%: until anything is mastered at least 70% of the time, then don’t use it in a match.
The second set delves into the mental side of the game, looking at the psychological aspects which can affect you as a player no matter what the level. It is basic sports psychology (ignore the score, focus on mechanics, pursue the method not the outcome, don’t overcomplicate, reinforce positive messages) but is again presented in and explained in a humorous and light hearted way.
That said, there are occasions where the author’s repeated jokes and conversations with himself go a bit far as to distract, but I wouldn’t trade that for a more formulaic and stoic approach with no humour at all. Where this book does well though is in keeping its message essentially simple. At the end of the day, you can drive yourself crazy by going into too much depth on skills that are either beyond you or bring minimal gain. Trying to emulate the stars of the sport when their game bears little or no relation to your small town knock about can be a folly.
For the aspiring tennis player or coach you could do worse than to follow the key messages of this book as an aid to keeping the focus where it should be. Keep it simple, and keep the ball in.
From the amusing opening sections, the light hearted tone is set which makes this a welcome change from many “how to” books, and makes it infinitely more readable. As such, there’s a better chance of its message getting across, although the core messages of the book are repeated frequently meaning they get across just fine. That of playing better ‘match tennis’ by looking at the physical and mental aspects of tennis and your approach to it.
The book is split into two main sections, or ‘sets’, dealing with the physical and the mental, with each set again split into six ‘games’ for the key messages being put across. The title is based on the “Occam’s Razor” theory that ‘if a number of explanations describe a situation or solve a problem accurately, the simplest explanation is to be preferred’, which is adapted to ‘taking the simplest true explanation as the best way to play great and enjoyable tennis.’
This is used to explain Cootsona’s idea of focusing on tennis’s core ideas in order to play better, rather than losing yourself in the complexities of learning to play like a professional. Given the unlikelihood of most people reaching that lofty level, Cootsona points out how little sense there is of many tennis players learning the more specific playing styles they see at Wimbledon and Flushing Meadows. More effective answers can be found.
The core message therefore is to simplify. Don’t waste time emulating the stars without having mastered the basics. Hit the ball in, and enjoy playing the game, otherwise why bother.
Looking at techniques and strategies for the normal mortal to win matches, from the revelation that it’s better to keep hitting the ball in to the brutal truth that most players won’t possess a demon serve, the suggestions here make a lot of sense. It’s slightly disappointing if effective match play becomes a tad unadventurous, but I suppose that is what the practice courts are for, and there’s no point in being adventurous if you haven’t completely mastered the essentials first. Cootsona espouses a rule of 70%: until anything is mastered at least 70% of the time, then don’t use it in a match.
The second set delves into the mental side of the game, looking at the psychological aspects which can affect you as a player no matter what the level. It is basic sports psychology (ignore the score, focus on mechanics, pursue the method not the outcome, don’t overcomplicate, reinforce positive messages) but is again presented in and explained in a humorous and light hearted way.
That said, there are occasions where the author’s repeated jokes and conversations with himself go a bit far as to distract, but I wouldn’t trade that for a more formulaic and stoic approach with no humour at all. Where this book does well though is in keeping its message essentially simple. At the end of the day, you can drive yourself crazy by going into too much depth on skills that are either beyond you or bring minimal gain. Trying to emulate the stars of the sport when their game bears little or no relation to your small town knock about can be a folly.
For the aspiring tennis player or coach you could do worse than to follow the key messages of this book as an aid to keeping the focus where it should be. Keep it simple, and keep the ball in.
January 9, 2023
great book ! regardless of your level : much needed reminders !!
I love rereading my highlights from this book every few months. It’s amazing how far away we stray from the true basics and the keys to playing simple solid tennis !! We just get bogged down with nonsense and complications - but this book strips that all away like cleaning out the garage periodically and Ahh - what a great feeling of lightness after doing so !
I love rereading my highlights from this book every few months. It’s amazing how far away we stray from the true basics and the keys to playing simple solid tennis !! We just get bogged down with nonsense and complications - but this book strips that all away like cleaning out the garage periodically and Ahh - what a great feeling of lightness after doing so !
June 6, 2019
Easy read
I'm not much of a reader, so when I can read a complete book it must be an easy read! I enjoyed the author's style and wit. I feel like there are definite ideas I can take away from this book to improve my tennis game.
I'm not much of a reader, so when I can read a complete book it must be an easy read! I enjoyed the author's style and wit. I feel like there are definite ideas I can take away from this book to improve my tennis game.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews