---
product_id: 221281765
title: "Conversation with a Zen Tennis Master: Courting the Mind, Minding the Court Paperback – January 15, 2013"
brand: "dr desmond oondr damien lafont"
price: "S$6"
currency: SGD
in_stock: false
reviews_count: 9
url: https://www.desertcart.sg/products/221281765-conversation-with-a-zen-tennis-master-courting-the-mind-minding
store_origin: SG
region: Singapore
---

# Conversation with a Zen Tennis Master: Courting the Mind, Minding the Court Paperback – January 15, 2013

**Brand:** dr desmond oondr damien lafont
**Price:** S$6
**Availability:** ❌ Out of Stock

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- **What is this?** Conversation with a Zen Tennis Master: Courting the Mind, Minding the Court Paperback – January 15, 2013 by dr desmond oondr damien lafont
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## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 







  
  
    Five Stars
  

*by A***R on Reviewed in the United States on September 2, 2017*

awesome

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 







  
  
    "Conversations with a Zen Tennis master --- Courting the Mind: Minding the Court" ... Desmond Oon PhD
  

*by B***R on Reviewed in the United States on April 2, 2014*

I met Desmond Oon at Adelaide University in 1960, where he had come to study Physical Education, after already being a teacher in Malaysia/Singapore, which included writing a text book. I was in my second year of teacher training, and we met in History lectures. I understood that he was a very good tennis player in the Pennant and District tennis competition in Adelaide and other parts of South Australia. My tennis was nowhere near that standard, but we did find a common interest in squash. Even though he was a much better player, Desmond and I played with gusto and enjoyment, and my game improved significantly.He could always beat me with a high lob to the nock of the backhand court, where it would die, unplayable. His touch was soft and deft, and the placement always exact, and try as I might I could seldom return it. Needless to say, the more often he did it the more I fretted about it.Had I known then what Desmond has put forward in his latest book "Conversation with a Zen Tennis Master" I could well have overcome my mental difficulties in mastering that stroke. However, when I played with other friends of far less skill than Desmond, if ever they tried a high lob into the left backcourt corner I could kill it every time! His "torture" definitely improved my stroke play, and for that I have to thank him.Desmond's book is a fusion of Eastern wisdom with the physicality of the game of tennis, dominated as it has been by European competitiveness since its curious beginnings as Court Tennis around the reign of Henry VIII in England and Europe. The Eastern wisdom combines the enigmatic koans of Zen, with the aphorisms of the Tao, with its emphasis on balance and the unimpeded flow of energy.Desmond clearly illustrates how the mental approach to the game of tennis in many ways can be more important than the physical mastery of the skills of tennis and the physical fitness required to play the game, especially at elite professional level. Many are the examples of players who on past performance, physical fitness, and ambition to win could be expected to be consistent winners, but inexplicably "choke" at critical times and lose with great frustration. Sports psychologists try to help such players overcome the mental obstacles to success by concentrating on motivation and focussed intention: this can help, but it can also heighten anxiety, especially in western oriented players.This is where Desmond's approach helps players to transcend the anxiety issue by moving into a mindset which many westerners would call "spiritual", but in Eastern thinking is so very much a part of normal existence that it is taken for granted ---- finding the place of peace within the self.So, how to you bring this to the tennis court I hear you say? .... probably with some degree of scepticism, if you have been raised in the West. This is what Desmond's book is about; bringing mind and body together in harmony on the court.In Part 1 (Zen and Life) Desmond discusses how Zen and the Tao have affected his life, and what he has found, both as a player and as a coach, about the importance of the mind in playing the game of tennis. He does not speak from a theoretical or academic position but from the experience of a life spent playing the game he loves, and fusing into it how to make body and mind work together. Having grown up in Eastern culture from his Chinese heritage it was natural for him to make the connections with both the Tao and Zen to develop his mind game, and the mind game of those he has coached all over the world.Part 2 (Problems and Solutions) is a very practical application of his insight into the mind game for players to use themselves. Chapter 5 --- Zen Tennis Toolkit brings it all together in direct plain language, spiced up with Desmond's wit for finding gentle humour and word play in what other coaching books approach with great earnestness. His tips, with what may appear to be whimsical contradictions, reflect how he has infused the Zen tradition of the koan (a sentence of apparent contradiction) into his own thinking and expression. You may not hear the sound of one hand clapping when you read Desmond's Tennis Toolkit, but you will certainly hear him chuckling in the background.Part 3 (Conversation) is unusual for a coaching book on Tennis as it is a conversation between Desmond Oon and Dr. Damien Lafont, his good friend and editorial adviser. Through this conversation the reader is able to gain insight into how Desmond has arrived at what he now brings to the Tennis world as a contribution to both improving player performance and the game itself.The inclusion of an Appendix (Zen Teaching tips) provides a whimsical yet thought provoking end to a book which I think you will find quite unlike any other you will read.  Personally, it made me think of the aphorisms from Sun Tzu's "the Art of War", without the direness of what that book considered. Here are some snippets to entice you: ---"Zen is cognizant of the Tao and below are tips that will make teaching that more Zenjoyable: ---#1  Succeed with encouragement, not prohibition#2  Put things in order before disorder arises#3  Teach by example; strive in moderation#4  Never be an authoritarian; those who are flexible are superior#5  Seek simplicity and honour what is known#6  Take your time; be attentive and receptive#7  Be careful with words#8  Control input to the senses; avoid confusion and respond to inner depth#9  Obey your instincts#10  Respect tranquillity as it is more important than perfection#11  Be mindful: enlightenment comes from watching what is small#12  Excellence is its own reward; the material is fleeting, the spiritual is everlasting." {Page 129}It is with both pleasure and privilege that I can recommend "Conversations with a Zen Tennis Master" to you: --- the distillation of Desmond's life, career and tennis wisdom over sixty years of playing and learning.This is a book for every serious, and not-so serious, player to carry in his/her equipment bag.John Gladwell,Adelaide,South Australia

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 







  
  
    Cheaper than Therapy and more effective
  

*by R***E on Reviewed in the United States on July 22, 2013*

This may come across as biased because I know Desmond Oon as a tennis coach and person, but it's still a fantastic book.  Like many Zen books, there are sayings, puzzles, statements, definitions and conversations, and once you spend an hour or two reading this, you will slowly unlock many of the patterns that are holding you back.  This seems especially appropriate for intermediate or advanced players who find themselves stalled by bad habits, choking under pressure, drifting or losing attention during matches, or stuck in deep ruts.  Oon tells us the main thing holding us back is ourselves.  Even more importantly, he offers psychological tools from the very specific to the simple, such as repeating mantras before and during a match.  If you don't love tennis even more after reading his book, perhaps you should play another sport.

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*Last updated: 2026-01-25*