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tevreads's review against another edition
4.0
Perhaps one of the first books on Type I and Type II thinking, ‘The Inner Game of Tennis’ is a quick but fascinating read on a tennis player turned academic turned coach that discovered the importance of the inner self to success. Gallwey calls the two frames of mind Self 1 and Self 2 - Self 1 being the logic mind that tends to overthink and make adjustments to your tennis swing worse, and Self 2 which is the ‘doer’ that unconsciously knows what to do when hitting a ball, it feels it. Strikingly similar to Daniel Kahneman’s psychology of Type I and Type II thinking, it offers insights into a tennis player’s natural awareness of this thinking, and the difference between them.
noodleboy667's review against another edition
5.0
I don’t play tennis, but I am a weightlifter, and both in the gym and at work as a coach, there’s the physical element of the work we do, and there’s the mental (inner) element of the work we do.
For me this book helped me in more than one domain - it got me thinking about how I facilitate coaching and how to better help people to bring out the best in them - to not ‘over coach’ them, and with my own ‘inner game’ and the mental challenge of coaching in high stakes situations - to rely on my skills and my training and know that they will show up when I need them the most.
For me this book helped me in more than one domain - it got me thinking about how I facilitate coaching and how to better help people to bring out the best in them - to not ‘over coach’ them, and with my own ‘inner game’ and the mental challenge of coaching in high stakes situations - to rely on my skills and my training and know that they will show up when I need them the most.
crufts's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
4.5
An instructional book presenting a simple but effective idea: to achieve optimal performance in tennis (and other sports and athletic activities), make better use of your subconscious.
Back in 1974 when the book was written, the field of "sports psychology" didn't exist. So this was a groundbreaking idea. Even now, it's probably one of the best short books on the topic.
The book starts by pointing out something that everyone already knows deep down, if they've done a sport requiring fast and precise coordination (such as tennis, flying trapeze, gymnastics, and more). It's that at your best moments of the game, you hardly seem to be directing your body at all. Your subconscious appears to be doing all the work for you, while your conscious experience is one of flow and ease.
The book then proceeds to outline how to get into this state. Basically, it involves paying attention to the placement of your body or movements in a non-judgemental, observational way. Before long, you'll find yourself automatically adjusting your posture and movement in the way that best meets the goals of the game.
That's it! The technique really is that simple, it works well, and the book does a good job of explaining it.
Back in 1974 when the book was written, the field of "sports psychology" didn't exist. So this was a groundbreaking idea. Even now, it's probably one of the best short books on the topic.
The book starts by pointing out something that everyone already knows deep down, if they've done a sport requiring fast and precise coordination (such as tennis, flying trapeze, gymnastics, and more). It's that at your best moments of the game, you hardly seem to be directing your body at all. Your subconscious appears to be doing all the work for you, while your conscious experience is one of flow and ease.
The book then proceeds to outline how to get into this state. Basically, it involves paying attention to the placement of your body or movements in a non-judgemental, observational way. Before long, you'll find yourself automatically adjusting your posture and movement in the way that best meets the goals of the game.
That's it! The technique really is that simple, it works well, and the book does a good job of explaining it.
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