- Hardcover: 141 pages
- Publisher: Random House; First Edition edition (31 Dec 1974)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0394491548
- ISBN-13: 978-0394491547
- Product Dimensions: 23.6 x 21.1 x 1.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
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- #97 in Books > Sports, Hobbies & Games > Racket Sports > Tennis
The Inner Game of Tennis
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Product Description
Product Description
How to improve your game and discover your true potential by increasing your concentration, willpower and confidence.
--This text refers to the
Paperback
edition.
Book Description
The Inner Game of tennis is that which takes place in our mind, played against such elusive opponents as nervousness, self-doubt and lapses of concentration. It is a game played by our mind against its own bad habits. Replacing one pattern of behaviour with a new, more positive one is the purpose of the "Inner Game". Peak performance at tennis, like any sport, only comes when our mind is so focused that it is still and at one with what our body is doing. The key to the "Inner Game" and better tennis is achieving this state of relaxed concentration so that we are playing "out of our mind" and therefore no worrying about how, when or where to hit the ball. In The Inner Game of Tennis, Tim Gallwey, a professional player and instructor who has produced dramatic results among the amateurs and pros he has trained, explores how to overcome mental obstacles, improve concentration and reduce anxiety for better performance at every level. There is no physical reason why any of us should not more consistently serve aces or hit perfect returns. The Inner Games approach makes all the difference.
--This text refers to the
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
As most people can guess by the title, the "inner game" of tennis is the game that takes place iin the mind of the player and is played against barriers such as nervousness, self-doubt, etc.
To gain clarity on the mental problems in tennis, the book looks at the concepts of "Self 1" and "Self 2". Self 1 is the name that is given to the conscious ego-mind which likes the tell Self 2, you and your potential, how to hit the ball and play the game. Or, to put it another way, Self 1 is the "teller" and Self 2 the "doer". I found this to be an interesting idea, as we have all caught ourselves talking to ourselves or have seen others talking to themselves during a game. If you ask someone who they are talking to, they will usually say "I'm talking to myself." This, of course, implies that there are 2 "selves", "I" and "myself"- and so is born the idea of Self 1 and Self 2. Pretty astutue observation in my opinion.
Now according to the book, to achieve peak performance, the key is to resolve any lack of harmony between the two selves, as it is the contrary thinking of Self 1 which causes interference with the natural abilities of Self 2. This requires the learning of several inner skills, such as the art of letting go of self-judgements, letting Self 2 do the hitting, recognizing and trusting the natural learning process, and so on- which is what much of the books spends discussing.
I highly recommend this book for anyone who plays tennis (or any other sport for that matter) as it does a great job in dealing with the fact that many of our difficulties in tennis are indeed mental in origin. Other helpful books for tennis players I've come across include Treat Your Own Tennis Elbow and Treat Your Own Rotator Cuff.
To gain clarity on the mental problems in tennis, the book looks at the concepts of "Self 1" and "Self 2". Self 1 is the name that is given to the conscious ego-mind which likes the tell Self 2, you and your potential, how to hit the ball and play the game. Or, to put it another way, Self 1 is the "teller" and Self 2 the "doer". I found this to be an interesting idea, as we have all caught ourselves talking to ourselves or have seen others talking to themselves during a game. If you ask someone who they are talking to, they will usually say "I'm talking to myself." This, of course, implies that there are 2 "selves", "I" and "myself"- and so is born the idea of Self 1 and Self 2. Pretty astutue observation in my opinion.
Now according to the book, to achieve peak performance, the key is to resolve any lack of harmony between the two selves, as it is the contrary thinking of Self 1 which causes interference with the natural abilities of Self 2. This requires the learning of several inner skills, such as the art of letting go of self-judgements, letting Self 2 do the hitting, recognizing and trusting the natural learning process, and so on- which is what much of the books spends discussing.
I highly recommend this book for anyone who plays tennis (or any other sport for that matter) as it does a great job in dealing with the fact that many of our difficulties in tennis are indeed mental in origin. Other helpful books for tennis players I've come across include Treat Your Own Tennis Elbow and Treat Your Own Rotator Cuff.
32 of 37 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
If there are many of you out there that are like me, then you can be forgiven for being very sceptical about learning from a book rather than the more conventional typical coaching methods, however this book differs from all the others I have read, and also gives you the advantage on the most important aspect of the mental side of the game.
Before I read the book I was having a lot of trouble with keeping my mind focussed when things didn't go my way, I would get frustrated and more often than not my tempor would get the better of me time and time again. However after reading the book my tennis pals noticed a huge difference in my temprement, and I was channelling my frustration into determination. But the book also demonstrates ways of improving your all round game in the simplist terms and I found that I learned more from the book than I was learning from my qualified coach from serving to backhand its all here and for the price it is a true bargain, the book isn't as expensive as some that are out there but it is clearly more effective as it really focusses on the mental game and explains it in a way that would put most of the best coaches to shame. If you keep smashing your tennis racket like me then look no more and buy this book immediately because it is a true bargain.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is an interesting book, which was originally recommended to me by a martial arts instructor; even though the book is about the inner game of tennis, it does have a wider application; as other books in the series indicate: The Inner Game of Golf; The Inner Game of Music. You could read The Inner Game of Tennis and call it the Inner Game of...Karate, Judo, etc.
The book describes concepts of Self 1 and Self 2, which is like the conscious and unconscious minds. In a nut shell, self one is like a captain of a ship that states the desired destination and self 2 is the crew. Once the captain gives the order (self 1) He or she gets out of the way and lets the crew carry out their tasks; therefore, if you want to develop a skill, the conscious mind states the intention/desired goal, while allowing your other than conscious mind to carry out the task of skill development. The Inner Game of Tennis is about how to go about getting out of your own way or how to stop self consciousness inhibiting your progress.
I found the book interesting and it has helped me with my own sport; however, my wife, who is a tennis player found the book repetitive. I guess it is all in the eye of the beholder.
The book describes concepts of Self 1 and Self 2, which is like the conscious and unconscious minds. In a nut shell, self one is like a captain of a ship that states the desired destination and self 2 is the crew. Once the captain gives the order (self 1) He or she gets out of the way and lets the crew carry out their tasks; therefore, if you want to develop a skill, the conscious mind states the intention/desired goal, while allowing your other than conscious mind to carry out the task of skill development. The Inner Game of Tennis is about how to go about getting out of your own way or how to stop self consciousness inhibiting your progress.
I found the book interesting and it has helped me with my own sport; however, my wife, who is a tennis player found the book repetitive. I guess it is all in the eye of the beholder.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
The key book for tennis players
Not a word too much in this book. Straight to the point, author sums up the essence of the game and very much promotes the natural behavior of a player. Read more
Published 1 month ago by MaggieWhy
Let go of your conscious mind and trust your body to perform
I do not play tennis but read this book because some horsemen recommend it. I found it useful as the book explains how good our body is at computing and calculating what it needs... Read more
Published 6 months ago by A. Grovestock-thompson
Enlightening
The book is well written, clearly communicated, thought provoking and above all, enlightening whether you play tennis or not. Read more
Published 14 months ago by Carl Rodgers
Self Actualization
Good material recommended for those who seek a productive change in their personal and professional lives.
Published on 26 Dec 2009 by S. Emmanuel
Simply very useful
The book is fundamentally introducting some very simple concepts that will probably explain a lot about why as tennis players, many of us just don't progress and have uncontrolled... Read more
Published on 11 July 2009 by Olivier Choquet
The Inner Game - not just for tennis
If you've ever served at break point, and despite extra care served a double fault, here's why. And a zillion other little niggles that all lead back to the same basic problem. Read more
Published on 22 Jun 2009 by D. Harrison
Excellent lessons in coaching - tennis and life
An excellent combination of philosophy, yoga and spirituality applied to achieving success in the tennis court as well as in life and business. Read more
Published on 26 May 2009 by Springahead
What game are you trying to win?
I came to this book as a business coach exploring the origins of modern business coaching. Much of our current approach to coaching can be traced back to Timothy Gallwey and this... Read more
Published on 24 Feb 2009 by M. Somers
Inner Game of Nothing Special
I have not found the reason why people rave about this book. It basically tells you to make a clear mental image of what you want to achieve and trust your body to do it - that's... Read more
Published on 15 July 2008 by C. Tucker
So good. Never forget what the author tells you in this exquisite...
This is beautiful. Every chapter just makes perfect sense. Gallwey has taught me many things through this masterpiece - how far in you can get away standing to receive even fast... Read more
Published on 15 May 2008 by Onewithall
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