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May 21 - November 9, 2024
What is the real game? It is a game in which the heart is entertained, the game in which you are entertained. It is the game you will win. —Prem Rawat
They must clear their minds of all confusion and earn the ability to let themselves play freely.
Gallwey had one particular insight that seems crazy the first time you hear it. “The secret to winning any game,” he wrote, “lies in not trying too hard.”
We need to learn from our mistakes without obsessing over them.
Gallwey’s insights subtly affected how I showed up at work. For example, although I’m a big believer in being critical of myself and objective about my own performance, I try to do it like Gallwey: in a constructive fashion that improves my performance.
The Inner Game of Tennis is just as relevant today as it was in 1974. Even as the outer game has changed, the Inner Game has remained the same.
It is the thesis of this book that neither mastery nor satisfaction can be found in the playing of any game without giving some attention to the relatively neglected skills of the Inner Game.
Victories in the Inner Game may provide no additions to the trophy case, but they bring valuable rewards which are more permanent and which can contribute significantly to one’s success, off the court as well as on.
Players of the Inner Game come to value the art of relaxed concentration above all other skills; they discover a true basis for self-confidence; and they learn that the secret to winning any game lies in not trying too hard.
Moreover, while overcoming the common hang-ups of competition, players of the Inner Game uncover a will to win which unlocks all their energy and which is never discouraged by losing.
All that is needed is to unlearn those habits which interfere with it and then to just let it happen.
To uncover and explore the potential within the human body is the quest of the Inner Game;
I too admit to overteaching as a new pro, but one day when I was in a relaxed mood, I began saying less and noticing more.
Perhaps a better way to describe the mind of a player who is “unconscious” is by saying it is so concentrated, so focused, that it is still.
The backhand can be used to advantage only on a tennis court, but the skill of mastering the art of effortless concentration is invaluable in whatever you set your mind to.
Obviously, the “I” and the “myself” are separate entities or there would be no conversation, so one could say that within each player there are two “selves.”
For clarity let’s call the “teller” Self 1 and the “doer” Self 2.
the key to better tennis—or better anything—lies in improving the relationship between the conscious teller, Self 1, and the natural capabilities of Self 2.
Self 1 does not trust Self 2,
new theories don’t always pan out;
“trying hard,” the energy of Self 1, and “effort,” the energy used by Self 2,
Getting it together mentally in tennis involves the learning of several internal skills: 1) learning how to get the clearest possible picture of your desired outcomes; 2) learning how to trust Self 2 to perform at its best and learn from both successes and failures; and 3) learning to see “nonjudgmentally”—that is, to see what is happening rather than merely noticing how well or how badly it is happening.
the art of relaxed concentration.
We have arrived at a key point: It is the constant “thinking” activity of Self 1, the ego-mind, which causes interference with the natural capabilities of Self 2. Harmony between the two selves exists when this mind is quiet and focused. Only then can peak performance be reached.
We simply know the action will come, and when it does, we don’t feel like taking credit; rather, we feel fortunate, “graced.” As Suzuki says, we become “childlike.”
In short, “getting it together” requires slowing the mind. Quieting the mind means less thinking, calculating, judging, worrying, fearing, hoping, trying, regretting, controlling, jittering, or distracting.
It is the purpose of the Inner Game to increase the frequency and the duration of these moments, quieting the mind by degrees and realizing thereby a continual expansion of our capacity to learn and perform.
The first skill to learn is the art of letting go the human inclination to judge ourselves and our performance as either good or bad.
When we unlearn how to be judgmental, it is possible to achieve spontaneous, focused play.
What I mean by judgment is the act of assigning a negative or positive value to an event.
it is the initial act of judgment which provokes a thinking process.
Letting go of judgments does not mean ignoring errors. It simply means seeing events as they are and not adding anything to them.
Judgment results in tightness, and tightness interferes with the fluidity required for accurate and quick movement. Relaxation produces smooth strokes and results from accepting your strokes as they are, even if erratic.
Like a good gardener who knows when the soil needs alkali and when acid, the competent tennis pro should be able to help the development of your game.
The first step is to see your strokes as they are.
Interestingly, he wasn’t congratulating himself for doing it right; he was simply absorbed in how different it felt.
When the mind is free of any thought or judgment, it is still and acts like a mirror. Then and only then can we know things as they are.
What I have tried to illustrate is that there is a natural learning process which operates within everyone—if it is allowed to.
To discover this natural learning process, it is necessary to let go of the old process of correcting faults; that is, it is necessary to let go of judgment and see what happens.
Ending judgment means you neither add nor subtract from the facts before your eyes.
Things appear as they are—undistorted. In this way, the mind becomes more calm.
The first inner skill to be developed in the Inner Game is that of nonjudgmental awareness.
But first, one balancing thought. It is important to remember that not all remarks are judgmental.
it seems inappropriate to call our bodies derogatory names.
“Trust thyself.”
Trusting your body in tennis means letting your body hit the ball. The key word is let. You trust in the competence of your body and its brain, and you let it swing the racket. Self 1 stays out of it. But though this is very simple, it does not mean that it is easy.
Anatomy tells us that muscles are two-way mechanisms; that is, a given muscle is either relaxed or contracted. It can’t be partially contracted any more than a light switch can be partially off.
When more than necessary are used, not only is there a waste of energy, but certain tightened muscles interfere with the need of other muscles to relax.
Fortunately, most children learn to walk before they can be told how to by their parents.
In short, for many of us, a new relationship needs to be forged with Self 2. And building new relationships involves new ways of communicating.
