Inner Game of Tennis, Anyone?
Serena's Retirement and the US Open Has Got Me Thinking
“What kind of forehand is that?!”
“What the hell are you doing?”
“You SUCK!”
Oh, to be a fly on the wall of my mind when I play tennis.
Heck, I would often times say the quiet part out-loud.
I’d shout it as I smacked my racquet on the court in frustration and disgust.
I did and said all of these things until I read the seminal book, “The Inner Game of Tennis” by Tim Gallwey.
It changed my game.
It changed my life.
In short strokes, the book changes your perspective.
Gallwey has you focus on being aware.
And freeing yourself from judgement. As you play the Inner Game, there are no bad shots or good shots. There are only shots.
On the court, use your mind to focus on being aware.
Look at the trajectory of the ball. The bounce. Your hit. The sound it makes.
Forget about skill and technique, just be in the moment, let your body take over and swing to where you want the ball to go.
It’s all very Zen, I know. No surprise. Gallwey is inspired by the teachings of Zen Buddhism.
And wouldn’t you know, a lot of modern leadership coaching is based on Gallwey’s work.
In fact, there’s a whole rabbit hole to fall into with Tim Gallwey, Sir John Whitmore and the birth of modern performance coaching.
But that’s for another time.
For now, focus on the ball.
Look for the seams.
Bounce.
Hit.
Just came across your blog."The Inner Game of Tennis" by W. Timothy Galley (Random House 1974) has been in my library (actually my dad's library and when he died, it was one of the books I kept) for years. Outstanding! When I was a kid (single digits), we vacationed on Cape Cod in N. Truro. Close by in Provincetown there were clay tennis courts operated by a man named Hawthorne Bissell.He believed in Zen tennis (quite ahead of his time). Many of the practices which Galley cites...mental side of tennis, quieting the mind, etc... Bissell embraced..Thanks for the post. It triggers both great memories and important lessons.