The Inner Game of Tennis: The Classic Guide to the Mental Side of Peak Performance

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Web icon An illustration of a computer application window Wayback Machine Texts icon An illustration of an open book. The third type of person, before deciding to overcome the obstacle, tries to find a viewpoint where what is on the other side of the obstacle can be seen.

It requires more than most of us realize and asks us all to have deep enough commitment not only to short-term performance but how we are truly learning and growing in the process. My ex-manager actually gifted this book to me, unaware I had heard about it from another friend a few months prior. With chapters devoted to trusting the self and changing habits, it is no surprise then, that Gallwey’s method has had an impact far beyond the confines of the tennis court.Often when we are rallying we trust our bodies and let it happen because the ego-mind tells itself that it doesn’t really count. The Inner Game of Tennis is a short read, unlike many modern books of its ilk, which often take what could be an essay and balloon it to hundreds of pages by way of excessive examples and testimonials. What is required to disengage oneself from this trap is a clear knowledge that the value of a human being cannot be measured by performance—or by any other arbitrary measurement. Once one recognizes the value of having difficult obstacles to overcome, it is a simple matter to see the true benefit that can be gained from competitive sports.

As a player recognizes what (mostly ego-, Self-1-based) games she is playing with herself, she can discriminate and then discover what games she finds worth playing.And that can happen only if we change in ways that in harmony with out true nature and not at war with it. Good players of course still have to exert significant effort on the court, but there’s a difference between this and trying too hard, which almost always involves getting angry at yourself. So it's not about replacing bad judgments with good judgments, but about removing judgments altogether and solely observing. A little self-doubt, an erroneous assumption, the fear of failure, will be all it takes to greatly diminish one’s performance. The fundamental question is, What is truly possible for you both as an individual or as an organization?

Timothy Gallwey’s profound realization that the key to success doesn’t lie in holding the racket just right, or positioning the feet perfectly, but rather in keeping the mind uncluttered, this transformative book gives you the tools to unlock the potential that you’ve possessed all along. You absolutely want to see the truth, but the goal is to see events as they are without adding anything to them. It isn't the other person we are defeating; it is simply a matter of overcoming the obstacles he presents. The most indispensable tool for human beings in modern times is the ability to remain calm in the midst of rapid and unsettling changes.Allowing it to learn new skills through natural learning and not allowing over-critiquing from an outside entity or ourselves leads to a fulfillment.

When this is reversed, which is usually the case, with Self 1 in control, Self 1 provides a running commentary on everything that Self 2 does – and it is often a critical one.Only by doing this do you give each other the opportunity to find out to what heights each can rise. There was also quite a lot of esoteric tennis minutia presented here, despite the author saying there wouldn't be. To publicly use The Inner Game models you require formal permission and or a licence to run any programs internally or externally. This book is about relaxed concentration and what it can do for your performance, in anything really.