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Type of bind: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 796.342019
EAN num: 9780679778318
ISBN number: 0679778314
Label: Random House Trade Paperbacks
Manufacturer: Random House Trade Paperbacks
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 160
Printing Date: May 27, 1997
Publishing house: Random House Trade Paperbacks
Release Date: May 27, 1997
Sale Popularity Level: 2400
Studio: Random House Trade Paperbacks
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Editor's Notes and Comments:
Product Description:
The Inner Game of Tennis is a revolutionary program for overcoming the self-doubt, nervousness, and lapses of concentration that can keep a player from winning. Now available in a revised paperback edition, this classic bestseller can change the way the game of tennis is played.
Amazon.com Review:
A phenomenon when very first published in 1972, the Inner Game was a real revelation. Instead of serving up technique, it concentrated on the fact that, as Gallwey wrote, 'Every game is composed of two parts, an outer game and an inner game.' The former is played against opponents, and is filled with lots of contradictory advice; the latter is played not against, but within the mind of the player, and its principal obstacles are self-doubt and anxiety. Gallwey's revolutionary thinking, built on a foundation of Zen thinking and humanistic psychology, was really a primer on how to get out of your own way to let your best game emerge. It was sports psychology before the two words were pressed against each other and codified into an accepted discipline.
The new edition of this remarkable work--Billie Jean King called the original her tennis bible--refines Gallwey's theories on concentration, gamesmanship, breaking bad habits, learning to trust yourself on the court, and awareness. 'No matter what a person's complaint when he has a lesson with me, I have found the most beneficial very first step,' he stressed, 'is to encourage him to see and feel what he is doing--that is, to increase his awareness of what actually is.'
There are aspects of psychobabble and mysticism to be found here, sure, but Gallwey instructs as much by anecdote as anything else, and time has ultimately proved him a guru. What seemed radical in the early '70s is now accepted ammunition for the canon; the right mental approach is every bit as important as a good backhand. The Inner Game of Tennis still does much to keep that idea in play. --Jeff Silverman
User popularity level:
Rated by buyers 
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I have been a student of the Inner Game of Tennis for over 30 years now and Tim Gallwey's book is still the best book ever written describing how the mind and body work so that we can play at our very best. Tim has completely changed not only my playing but my entire tennis life and as a result, I have written my own book called Tennis: Play the Mental Game which will teach you the practical applications to playing the inner game. I recommend to all my book owners and students that they read Tim's book. There are many other so called sports psychologists out there that try to say the same things Tim is saying but they just don't succeed. Tim's book is and will be a classic for as long as people play tennis. David Ranney, www.maxtennis.com.
Rated by buyers 
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This is a very helpful guide that allows you to 1. recognize when the mind and your inner thoughts are conspiring against you and 2. help control the negative thoughts, so that your game can improve. Tennis is very much a 'mind game' and this book gives great insight into that inner game.
Rated by buyers 
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I read this book after reading an article about Pete Carroll. The ideas behind the book seemed right on and I can completely understand why it is seen as such an insightful book. That being said the premise is play with out thinking, react, and play on your sense. In the very first two chapters this strategies is laid out in front of you then the rest of the book is dedicated to try to make sure you don't think. That's a lot of reading about not over thinking. I found it to be funny that you were reading so much about trying not to think it actually made it harder not to think. But it is well written and has some valuable tools for coaches to use when teaching young athletes.
Rated by buyers -
While this book has tennis undertones, the implications range well beyond the tennis court. The lessons are useful for all athletes that are "in their own way" of performing at their best. The mental training suggested is simple, yet effective. As a coach, the simpler the better for my players. I've used the ideas with my players already.
Rated by buyers -
Does it matter how and what we think about while we are playing tennis ? Yes, it matters so much that it affects our tennis performance significantly and could even affect our mental well being. W. Timothy Gallwey obviously understands both tennis and psychology very well and has written an excellent book that very clearly explains why it matters how we think about our tennis performance. As a long time tennis player I enjoyed reading the book and learned very much from it. I am eager to start applying Gallwey's advice as soon as possible. If you often scold yourself everytime you make a " mistake " and / or you are trying too hard but not quite achieving the performance you aim in tennis then you can not afford to not read this book. I read it twice and I recommend that everybody read it again and again every few months.
Many tennis instructors do not know the psychological aspect of the game that is so well explained in the book. Their ignorance is obvious from the incessant verbal instructions they give their students.
The harmful and correct ways of thinking explained in the book are not limited to tennis ; they can be applied to our self talk about anything and to any interaction between humans such as parenting, marriage, social, work and other relationships.
The types of scolding comments and even positive instructions and praise we make to ourselves either silently or aloud when we are playing tennis are self defeating ; they re- enforce the performance that we label unsatisfactory. Then the negative comments we make to ourselves about our tennis performance become self fulfilling prophecies.Timothy Gallwey demonstrates that it is no use to replace negative self talk with positive self talk neither. Because positive thinking is actually negative thinking in disguise ; it communicates the demand for good performance and is therefore manipulative. Thus positive self talk and manipulative self praise also have an unfavorable effect on our tennis performance although not as much as negative self talk. Any instructions we give ourselves such as : " tilt the face of the racket a little more " or " I hit it very well this time " also interfere with the natural method of learning which is much more effective. We have the potential to learn naturally which is possible only when we let go, that is when we shut up and stop criticizing or praising our performance, stop giving instructions to ourselves and stop trying too hard to correct our mistakes.
So what is the correct and effective method of improvement in tennis ? It is visualization in our mind of the desired strokes and consistent practice on the court. This practice must be without interference from the disruptive way of thinking and self talk. Gallwey does not propose that we do not pay attention to our tennis strokes. On the contrary, he says we must feel and be aware of our strokes without judgement i.e. without labelling our strokes as bad or good. If you think you are making mistakes eg : the ball keeps on getting caught in the net when you hit it, instead of saying to yourself things such as : " You loser ! you couldn't hit even one ball over the net ! " just observe how you play non - judgementally and visualize in your mind's eye the ball clearing the net and landing inside your opponent's court and continue to play. Do this consistently without giving yourself verbal instructions about how to hit the ball ( aloud or silent ), be patient and observe the eventual correction in your strokes.
He says that each human being has two selves ; Self 1 who continually makes judgements about the performance of Self 2 and scolds or praises it. In the meantime Self 2 is trying to play tennis under nagging and much less often praising from Self 1.Self 2 has the natural ability to learn and improve, like a toddler learns to walk naturally without any lessons nor comments from parents about how to walk. But Self 2 can not learn naturally nor effectively as long as Self 1 judges and comments negatively or positively about Self 2's tennis performance and rolls out instructions to it. What we need to do is to silence Self 1 , visualize in our mind the desired strokes, continue practicing on the court and trust our body and mind's natural ability to learn. The power of visualization in the mind with open or closed eyes ( with open eyes when you are playing of course ) of the desired performance to improve it in sports and other aspects of life is mentioned in many other psychology books too. As I mentioned above this principle is valid whatever we are learning and in our communication with other humans not just in tennis. In fact Gallwey says that Self 1 could be a critical parent and self 2 his / her child.
Achieving these will involve unlearning the bad habit of self judgement whether it is negative or positive. Gallwey says that if we fight the bad habit it will get stronger. ... Read More
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