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

This book not only improved my tennis game, it made the game infinitely more enjoyable for me. Gallwey explores the psychology of tennis, focusing on how most players hurt their game by thinking too much, and offers detailed, common-sense advice to combat that problem. You won't find a lot of specific tips like "watch the ball" and "follow through", instead you'll learn how to observe your body and your game in an enlightening way that at the very least will give you a greater appreciation for your abilities, and at most, forever change the way you play tennis - for the better. If you're looking for a book to improve your tennis game, you can't go wrong with the Inner Game of Tennis.

I am the person for which this book is written. I started tennis late but being athletic quickly could play above my experience. Eventually I hit the wall, getting beat repeatedly and having the complete inability to be a human on the court. This book simply showed me what was really going on in my mind. And, more importantly, that it goes on in everyone's mind to some extent. Not being a philosophical person nor a follower of Eastern Spirituality, these very basic concepts were Greek to me. But they make certain logical sense.

Having said all that, I'm still not sure exactly what I need to do for a complete change. I know I need to stop the Self 1 and 2 conflicts occurring in my mind and I need to concentrate on minor things like breathing rather than let my mind wander to failure. But how I will be able to apply this is still somewhat of a quandary as I am so regimented in my approach. One thing is for sure, I need to make the attempt.

Overall, I recommend this book highly whether a tennis player or not to look at your activity from a totally different light. To me the most compelling statement is that this book was written due to a "dumped" volley on match point to win the Boys National Championship. Having "dumped" and choked many points on a much lower level, I can understand the inspiration for the book. Read this book for a different perspective.

I bought this book to strenghten my mental game, but it also opened up a new world for me. It showed the path to enlightment by using the concept of self1 and self2. The author has been doing a very good job in explaining the relation of self1 and self2. I have read books written by Krisnamurti and Zen gurus but I never quite grasped the ideas. I wished those gurus using the concept of self1 and self2 as a key to depict their ideas. Now I know if I let self1 control self2 my life will be miserable, but if I use self2 to control self1 I will be in harmony with people and the world I am living in.

This book is very well written and easy to read. The author uses intelligent wording/language and teaches through interesting stories. If you are a player who is easily frustrated you should read this book to help you calm your mind when you play tennis. Even a player who is normally quiet should use this book as a tool to stay even more focused. Don't be thrown off my the author's 'laiser faire' attitude towards winning tennis games; the real kick is in the last couple chapters when he talks about why it's important to win. Great book, I will read it again.

This book has cured me from being a head case!! Better late than
never! Thank you Tim Gallwey.