The Inner Game of Tennis: The Classic Guide to the Mental Side of Peak Performance
- Downloads：1984
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2023-01-15 06:53:51
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：W. Timothy Gallwey
- ISBN：0679778314
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Reviews
Luz
，
The book gives a great insight at how our inner mind works and possible way of practicing and letting our inner mind take control when needed。
Waleed Abd El Rahman
，
It’s like an article turned into a book
Michelle Erins
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Must read for all competitive athletes。
Connor Bergen
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Worth a re-read; book makes the case for “relaxed concentration” and how， by paying very close attention to intended outcomes and by non-judgmentally noticing what specific what actions we’re doing， we can improve faster & more effectively （called “natural learning”）。
Jose Santos
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very interesting how he introduces System 1 / System 2 thinking modes before Thinking Fast and Slow on the game of tennis
Simon Holm
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Reading this short and sweet book felt light， and I loved it。 It is an everyday-life story from a real person who has thought hard about something in the context of tennis。 In this case， how one's mind influences one's game。 The few， yet valuable， key insights were shared in a calm， methodical manner。My main takeaways were:*When there is no measuring stick， we invent our own。*Non-judgmental description and awareness beat evaluating criticism。*We always play some game， inner or outer - be aware o Reading this short and sweet book felt light， and I loved it。 It is an everyday-life story from a real person who has thought hard about something in the context of tennis。 In this case， how one's mind influences one's game。 The few， yet valuable， key insights were shared in a calm， methodical manner。My main takeaways were:*When there is no measuring stick， we invent our own。*Non-judgmental description and awareness beat evaluating criticism。*We always play some game， inner or outer - be aware of what game you are playing and why。*Experimentation and exploration are a chance to find what playing style YOU like and question your presuppositions about yourself。*The obstacle is the way。These are things one may have heard before， either through evolutions of these very memes or in other contexts - but I found something really "clicked" when putting them all together in this narrative。 I also felt these were very useful insights to become a better teacher。 One of the author's main motivations to the readers for getting into a state of flow， letting go of the judgmental part of your mind and letting the unconscious do the work， is to enjoy the fun of it。 What I am left wondering at the end is - what if the outer game you are playing is not fun？ How then can you motivate yourself to improve it？ Or is it a sign that you are playing the wrong game？4。5 stars rounded up。 。。。more
Anastasios
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Indeed a tennis bible， sharing with the reader the same message that the sport of tennis is teaching us every day。
Kai Knetsch
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This book was one of Bill Gates’ recommendations and since I like tennis I wanted to read it。 It was pretty helpful and full of good advice for how to deal with the “inner game” that goes on in our heads and affects our game。 I’m eager to play to put the advice into practice and see if it helps my game。 Many of his main principles echo other books I’ve read that say the same thing such as the “Power of Now” （staying in the present） and “Thinking， Fast and Slow” （Self 1 and Self 2）。 But his I fin This book was one of Bill Gates’ recommendations and since I like tennis I wanted to read it。 It was pretty helpful and full of good advice for how to deal with the “inner game” that goes on in our heads and affects our game。 I’m eager to play to put the advice into practice and see if it helps my game。 Many of his main principles echo other books I’ve read that say the same thing such as the “Power of Now” （staying in the present） and “Thinking， Fast and Slow” （Self 1 and Self 2）。 But his I find more practical and concise and also he wrote his first before the other books came out which is impressive。 。。。more
Phil
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It's a little tricky to figure out how to assign a star rating here。 It wasn't 4 start writing quality， but the point of a book like this is self-help， and it has some nice， easy-to-understand insights into the mental side of tennis。 I'm not sure if it is going to have an impact on me or not yet （because of various holiday and life obligations I haven't played in a few weeks now）， but at a minimum it provides a good framework for understanding how to perform better mentally。The opening portion o It's a little tricky to figure out how to assign a star rating here。 It wasn't 4 start writing quality， but the point of a book like this is self-help， and it has some nice， easy-to-understand insights into the mental side of tennis。 I'm not sure if it is going to have an impact on me or not yet （because of various holiday and life obligations I haven't played in a few weeks now）， but at a minimum it provides a good framework for understanding how to perform better mentally。The opening portion of the book has the best description I've ever encountered of what can go wrong mentally when playing tennis。 This earned a lot of goodwill from me to continue reading on。 The book goes on to present the concept of two inner "selves"; one that is instinctual， and one that is explicitly controlling and analytical。 The book argues that you need to bring these two selves into harmony and achieve quiet focus in order to play to the best of your ability。Easier said than done， but with various examples the author lays out some practical strategies for accomplishing just this。 It's largely about how to focus your attention， and observe yourself， and avoid unconstructive self-criticism。 Even if the specific tips are not quite right for me， I think it will be a good starting point for what to work towards。I highlighted a lot of passages to refer back to later。 I have no clue if it will end up being helpful， but I at least appreciate having a way to reason about the mental side of tennis that makes sense to me。 。。。more
Gemma Cortadellas
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Didn't finish the book as I wasn't interested in the more technical part of tennis， however the first half of the book can be applied in any field， not just tennis。 Interesting read Didn't finish the book as I wasn't interested in the more technical part of tennis， however the first half of the book can be applied in any field， not just tennis。 Interesting read 。。。more
Ashley
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So many gems in this book for tennis and for life！This book gives a really great description of our two selves。 The self that is constantly making chatter in our heads， often negative and confidence and performance destroying。 And our other self that is in the flow of whatever we are doing。 If you’ve ever lost yourself in doing something you enjoy， and it becomes almost meditative…This is the second self in action。Also， lots of great tips for focusing and turning off the mental chatter。 And one So many gems in this book for tennis and for life！This book gives a really great description of our two selves。 The self that is constantly making chatter in our heads， often negative and confidence and performance destroying。 And our other self that is in the flow of whatever we are doing。 If you’ve ever lost yourself in doing something you enjoy， and it becomes almost meditative…This is the second self in action。Also， lots of great tips for focusing and turning off the mental chatter。 And one of my favorite favorite takeaways was this quote “Your body knows what to do”。 Which I take to mean， you’ve had the lessons， you’ve had the practice， you have the skill now just turn off your brain for a minute and let your body take over and do what it knows how to do。Highly recommend！！！ 。。。more
Billy Tumur
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A solid book to read the book that was written as a 50 year precursor to Thinking Fast and Slow - a personal favourite and a basis of my university thesis。 Picked it up on a whim and was surprised to find myself self-reflecting so much to。 Would recommend as a introduction to understand the human brain！
Reyhan
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Şu sıralar ne okusam ne dinlesem karşıma aynı temalar çıkıyor"Nonjudgement" "flow" "presence" Competition görüşü ilginç ve besleyici geldi。 Şu sıralar ne okusam ne dinlesem karşıma aynı temalar çıkıyor"Nonjudgement" "flow" "presence" Competition görüşü ilginç ve besleyici geldi。 。。。more
Walter Ullon
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I think this one is a candidate for that one app that turns entire books into 15-minute summaries。 If you need to save time and get much more out of it without the distracting bits， just listen to 'The Coach in your Head' （Season 2 of the "Against the Rules" podcast by Michael Lewis。 Yes， of "Moneyball" fame）。 The interview is great。Here's the recap - there are two "Selves":* Self-1: conscious， critical， reflective， discursive。 * Self-2: unconscious， reflexible， wordless。Real breakthroughs i I think this one is a candidate for that one app that turns entire books into 15-minute summaries。 If you need to save time and get much more out of it without the distracting bits， just listen to 'The Coach in your Head' （Season 2 of the "Against the Rules" podcast by Michael Lewis。 Yes， of "Moneyball" fame）。 The interview is great。Here's the recap - there are two "Selves":* Self-1: conscious， critical， reflective， discursive。 * Self-2: unconscious， reflexible， wordless。Real breakthroughs in performance are driven by Self-2， and the challenge lies in silencing Self-1， which is overthinking and criticizing your efforts are every turn。 That's pretty much it。The rest of the book is repetition ad-nauseum and a ton of tennis stuff I just didn't care about， but to be fair， the author needed to frame his material somehow and tennis is what he knows。 People looking into this type of material would perhaps be better served by With Winning in Mind: The Mental Management System: An Olympic Champion's Success System。 Much more actionable and easier to follow。Highly regarded book， just not for me。 。。。more
Enric
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To the point。 Easy reading。 3-4 key ideas well described， with an interesting story backing the rational behind each idea。 And pragmatic， with actionable suggestions （not surprising as it is written by a tennis coach with the measurable goal of having his trainees win more matches）。 Perhaps the author， throughout his career， has explored various day-to-day routines （monday to sunday tasks） to be put in practice by his trainees to bring up the inner game changes suggested in the book。 Then the bo To the point。 Easy reading。 3-4 key ideas well described， with an interesting story backing the rational behind each idea。 And pragmatic， with actionable suggestions （not surprising as it is written by a tennis coach with the measurable goal of having his trainees win more matches）。 Perhaps the author， throughout his career， has explored various day-to-day routines （monday to sunday tasks） to be put in practice by his trainees to bring up the inner game changes suggested in the book。 Then the book could have describes the most effective ones， so that the readers can start experiment with specific daily routines。 Otherwise the reader is left alone to design his/her own routine， evaluate success， redesign routine， repeat。。。。 。。。more
Deanna Ford
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This is a fantastic book！ It was recommended to me by a music teacher and in the end， it turned out to be one of those life altering books。 While technically an easy read， it took me 3 goes at it to finally finish it。 I was initially resistant to what I read but I kept coming back to it。 The ideas in it changed how I approached my learning and it influenced how I work with others who I am leading， helping or teaching。 In my life， there is before the Inner Game and after it！ I highly recommend it This is a fantastic book！ It was recommended to me by a music teacher and in the end， it turned out to be one of those life altering books。 While technically an easy read， it took me 3 goes at it to finally finish it。 I was initially resistant to what I read but I kept coming back to it。 The ideas in it changed how I approached my learning and it influenced how I work with others who I am leading， helping or teaching。 In my life， there is before the Inner Game and after it！ I highly recommend it。 。。。more
James Dworkin
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Dated but so worth the readI am finally old enough to park my ego， calm my mind and focus on the now。 This is exactly what my tennis game needs。 And so many other aspects of my life。
Albee
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 What a thoughtful book on tennis and achieving excellence in general！ “[A good tennis player] has nothing to lose。 Letting go of the concerns of Self One and letting in of the natural concerns of a deeper and truer self。”“… true completion is identical with true cooperation…it is simply a matter of overcoming the obstacles [the opponent] presents。 In true competition no person is defeated。 Both players benefit by their efforts to overcome the obstacles presented by the other。”Some other summary What a thoughtful book on tennis and achieving excellence in general！ “[A good tennis player] has nothing to lose。 Letting go of the concerns of Self One and letting in of the natural concerns of a deeper and truer self。”“… true completion is identical with true cooperation…it is simply a matter of overcoming the obstacles [the opponent] presents。 In true competition no person is defeated。 Both players benefit by their efforts to overcome the obstacles presented by the other。”Some other summary notes I took for myself:- letting go of judgements （detached interests）， the art of creating images （of ball/racquet trajectory）， and letting it happen （trusting yourself leads to self-confidence）- focus the attention on the present moment without dwelling on the past or being caught up in the future/relaxed concentration on the ball/racquet（sound and visuals） and sensing the movement of your body- use external technical instructions to guide your self-discovery- tennis is essentially hitting the ball over the net into the court with accuracy， power， and consistency 。。。more
Dylan Gardner
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A book that every single person should read atleast once。 From reading the title， you would assume the book is about tennis yet that is only scratching the surface。 This book teaches you how to attack the physical and mental side of sport that largely goes untalked about whilst learning the sport。 This book can also be found useful by people that dont play any sport because you will learn so much about mindfullness aswell as becoming stronger mentally。 Just read this book。
Leni Heimrich
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Ich habe oft das Problem， dass ich beim Tennis zu viel nachdenke und dann verliere - deshalb habe ich dieses Buch gelesen und es hat mir wertvolle Tipps mit auf den Weg gegeben， wie ich den Kopf „ausschalten“ oder ablenken kann。 Ich bin gespannt， die Hinweise auf dem Court auszuprobieren 🎾 Auch für andere Sportler denke ich das Buch ist durchaus lesenswert！
David McGill-Soriano
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Inner Game。 One of the hardest games to battle in the field of sports and life。 I love the nonjudgmental awareness that doesn’t see your performance as either bad or good。 It simply is aware of it。 It is detached from it。 Your performance is not your identity。 You can still grow it， but it is not apart of the measure as a human。 I wish I read this book in high school。 Basketball always presented a battle of the inner game for me。 Your conscious v intuitive。 First person v third person。 This book Inner Game。 One of the hardest games to battle in the field of sports and life。 I love the nonjudgmental awareness that doesn’t see your performance as either bad or good。 It simply is aware of it。 It is detached from it。 Your performance is not your identity。 You can still grow it， but it is not apart of the measure as a human。 I wish I read this book in high school。 Basketball always presented a battle of the inner game for me。 Your conscious v intuitive。 First person v third person。 This book is short， but it is deep。 There is so much to unpack and some of it needs to sit with you。 Some of it needs to be tested。 Let it feel and absorb。 I would recommend this book to anyone I know。 。。。more
sawaaiiq
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3。5/5Decent book。 Written by a tennis coach looking to improve how his students/clients learn， making them take out the thinking （or overthinking， rather） in their actions， creating fluidity in their actions， like Bruce Lee said: "empty your mind， be formless， shapeless， like water。。be water， my friend"。 The book was especially helpful for me to discover my own faulty thinking habits， as I don't play tennis （but I'd like to）， it's not very helpful on that side of things but it's definitely given 3。5/5Decent book。 Written by a tennis coach looking to improve how his students/clients learn， making them take out the thinking （or overthinking， rather） in their actions， creating fluidity in their actions， like Bruce Lee said: "empty your mind， be formless， shapeless， like water。。be water， my friend"。 The book was especially helpful for me to discover my own faulty thinking habits， as I don't play tennis （but I'd like to）， it's not very helpful on that side of things but it's definitely given me a fresh perspective on how I approach tasks since I read it。 Tbh， you don't need to read the whole book to get the author's message。 Empty the mind and let your body react in sport or other tasks， let it do what feels best and think solely about the action you need to take without trying to be perfect， take that action without fear or worry of its future outcome or the bias and prejudice of the past。 That way， you will sooner or later get to "the right way" of performing an action， which he prefers to learning by instructions。 He promotes that doing and experience are the best ways to learn anything。 。。。more
Alice Drew
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Una super piacevole lettura nonostante io non sia esperta/amante di questo sport， penso di aver trovato un buon libro di crescita personale che offre tanti spunti di riflessione per affrontare il presente senza farsi opprimere dall'ansia del futuro e dall'angoscia del passato。 Semplicemente ti insegna a vivere nel qui e ora。 Da oggi ogni volta che ne avrò bisogno， cercherò la mia personale giuntura della pallina 🎾 su cui concentrarmi。 Una super piacevole lettura nonostante io non sia esperta/amante di questo sport， penso di aver trovato un buon libro di crescita personale che offre tanti spunti di riflessione per affrontare il presente senza farsi opprimere dall'ansia del futuro e dall'angoscia del passato。 Semplicemente ti insegna a vivere nel qui e ora。 Da oggi ogni volta che ne avrò bisogno， cercherò la mia personale giuntura della pallina 🎾 su cui concentrarmi。 。。。more
Brent Skillicorn
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Read this when I was a teenage， many moons ago and re-read in my 20s。 I would like to give this book a fresh read or browse。 I was and am a （part time） tennis player and I like the tips on mental toughness。
Tomasz
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The first 50 and the last 20 pages are the best
Aleks
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"What is a real game？ It is a game in which the heart is entertained。 It is the game in which you are entertained。 It is the game you will win。" MaharajiThe key to better tennis， or better anything， lies in improving the relationship betwwen the conscious teller （self 1） and the natural capabilities （of self 2）。"Not assuming you already know is a powerful principle of focus。""Natural focus occurs when the mind is interested。""It is perplexing to wonder why we ever leave the here and now。 Here an "What is a real game？ It is a game in which the heart is entertained。 It is the game in which you are entertained。 It is the game you will win。" MaharajiThe key to better tennis， or better anything， lies in improving the relationship betwwen the conscious teller （self 1） and the natural capabilities （of self 2）。"Not assuming you already know is a powerful principle of focus。""Natural focus occurs when the mind is interested。""It is perplexing to wonder why we ever leave the here and now。 Here and now are the only place and time when one ever enjoys himself or accomplishes anything。"Most of our suffering takes place when we allow our minds to imagine the future or moll over the past。 Nonetheless， few people are ever satisfied with what is before them at the moment。 Our desire that things be different from what they are pull our minds from the real world and consequently， we are less able to appreciate what the present has to offer。Our minds leave the reality of the present only when we leave the unreality of the past or the future。 To begin to understand my own lapses of concentration I had to understand what I was really desiring。 （。。。） Part of the process of attaining a concentrated state of mind is to know and resolve these conflicting desires。""Who said that I am to be measured by how well I do things？ In fact， who said I am to be measured at all？ Who indeed？ （。。。） the value of a human being cannot be measured by performance or by any other arbitrary measurement。 Do we really think the value of a human being is measurable？ It doesn't really make sense to measure ourselves in comparison with other unmeasurable human beings。 In fact， we are what we are， we are not how we happen to perform at a given moment。""It is said that all great things are achieved by great effort。 Not true that all effort leads to greatness 。。。）。 When it comes to obstacles， there are three kids of people: the first kind sees most obstacles as unsurmountable and walks away; the second kind sees and obstacle and says 'I can overcome it' and starts to dig under， climb over， or blast through it; 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 ibstacle can be seen， then inly if the reward is worth the effort does he attempt to overcome the obstacle。""What does it mean to win at inner game？ （。。。） I think it is the most important question [but] any attempt to define an answer to this question is an invitation to self 1 to form a misconception。 Self 1 has come a long way if it has gotten to the point where it can admit and mean it that it doesn't know and never will。 Then the individual has more of a chance to feel the need of its own being to follow the inner thirst and to discover what is truly satisfying， that my self 2 is the only one that knows， that there will be no external credit or praise is something I greet with relief。" 。。。more
Karen
，
I don’t play tennis。 I read this book because Bill Gates had it on his list of most important lifetime books， not just for 2022。 I especially liked the last few chapters that applied the “inner game of tennis” to life generally， and I will go back to these ideas。 I especially saw parallels with writing。
JVA
，
Don’t let the title fool you。 This book is not about tennis。 It should really be called The Inner Game of Life。 It’s about finding your path to bliss。 It’s about the mental aspects of peak performance。 It’s about competition and cooperation。 The author uses tennis as an example， but his discoveries and the insights he shares are applicable to many aspects of human life。
Michael Solomentsev
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lets see if it works
Hale Yaman
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