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

by W. Timothy Gallwey

Every game is composed of two parts, an outer game and an inner game.

This is the game that takes place in the mind of the player, and it is played against such obstacles as lapses in concentration, nervousness, self-doubt and self-condemnation.

The player of the inner game comes to value the art of relaxed concentration above all other skills; he discovers a true basis for self-confidence; and he learns that the secret to winning any game lies in not trying too hard.

I was beginning to learn what all good pros and students of tennis must learn: that images are better than words, showing better than telling, too much instruction worse than none, and that trying often produces negative results.

In other words, 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.

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.

Man is a thinking reed but his great works are done when he is not calculating and thinking. “Childlikeness” has to be restored….

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.

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.

In the Chinese tradition of medicine, patients visit their doctors when they are well and the doctor is expected to keep them well.

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.

The first step is to see your strokes as they are. They must be perceived clearly. This can be done only when personal judgment is absent. As soon as a stroke is seen clearly and accepted as it is, a natural and speedy process of change begins.

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.

Knowing where it should be isn’t feeling where it is. Knowing what your racket didn’t do isn’t feeling where it is. Feeling where it is is knowing where it is.

“Just observe your racket at the moment of bounce.”

Things appear as they are—undistorted. In this way, the mind becomes more calm.

Fortunately, most children learn to walk before they can be told how to by their parents.

The answer is: if your body knows how to hit a forehand, then just let it happen; if it doesn’t, then let it learn.

The benefits to your game come not from analyzing the strokes of top players, but from concentrating without thinking and simply letting yourself absorb the images before you.

Movements are learned through visual and feeling images.

Getting the clearest possible image of your desired outcomes is a most useful method for communicating with Self 2, especially when playing a match.

It is important not only to understand intellectually the difference between letting it happen and making it happen, but to experience the difference. To experience the difference is to know the difference.

Letting go of judgments, the art of creating images and “letting it happen” are three of the basic skills involved in the Inner Game.

The less instruction interferes with the process of learning built into your very DNA, the more effective your progress is going to be.

The more awareness one can bring to bear on any action, the more feedback one gets from experience, and the more naturally one learns the technique that feels best and works best for any given player at any given state of development.

A partial ground stroke checklist Backswing Exactly where is the head of your racket at the back of your swing? Where is the ball when you initiate your backswing? What happens with the face of the racket during the backswing? Impact Can you feel where the ball is meeting the racket at impact? How is your weight distributed? What is the angle of racket face at impact? How long can you feel the ball on the face of the racket? To what extent can you feel the kind and amount of spin being imparted to the ball? How solid does the shot feel or how much vibration is sent up your arm at impact? How far in front of or behind you is the ball at impact? Follow-through Where does your racket finish? In what direction? What has happened to the face of the racket since impact? Is there any hesitancy or resistance experienced during the follow-through? Footwork How is your weight distributed during preparation and at impact? What happens to your balance during the shot? How many steps did you take to get to the ball? What size are the steps? What kinds of sounds do your feet make on the court as you move? When the ball approaches you, do you retreat, advance or hold your ground? From how solid a base are you hitting the ball?

THE TOSS How high is it? How far does it drop, if at all, before contact with your racket?

How much forward or behind, right or left of the toe of your front foot? BALANCE Is there any time during the serve when you feel off balance? What is the direction of your momentum at follow-through? How is your weight distributed during the serve?

RHYTHM Observe the rhythm of your serve. Count the cadence of the rhythm you feel by saying, “da … da … da,” one “da” at the moment you start the serve, one at hit, as you bring the racket up, and one at contact. Feel and listen to th...

RACKET POSITION AND WRIST SNAP Where is your racket at the moment before moving forward toward the ball? Is your racket coming around the right side of the ball or the left? Hitting it ...

To what extent is your wrist snapping at impact? At what point in the swing d...

As long as you take his guidance as an opportunity to explore your own experience, you really cannot help but learn in a natural and effective manner.

STROKE TECHNICAL INSTRUCTION AWARENESS INSTRUCTION GROUND STROKES Follow through at shoulder level. Notice the level of your follow-through relative to your shoulder. Take your racket back early. Observe where your racket is when the ball bounces.

Get down to the ball. Feel the extent of knee bend on the next ten shots. Take the racket back below the level of the ball to produce topspin. Notice the level of your racket in relation to the ball at impact. Feel the contact and notice the amount of topspin produced. Hit the ball in the center of the racket. Sense (not with your eyes) where the ball makes contact with the racket face. Plant your back foot when setting up for your ground stroke. Notice what percent of your weight is on your back foot as you prepare to hit your ground strokes

VOLLEY Hit the ball in front of you. Notice where you are making contact with the Volley the ball deep into the opponent’s court. Notice where your volleys are landing in relation to the baseline. Don’t take a backswing. Punch the ball. How far back are you taking your racket? What is the minimum amount possible? What amount of backswing provides the best opportunity to punch the ball? Whenever possible, strike the ball before it drops b...

SERVE Hit the ball with your arm fully extended. Notice the degree of bend in your elbow at the moment of impact with the ball. Toss the ball as high as the extended arm and racket, and about six inches in front of your lead foot. Observe the height of your toss. Let...

Step 1: Nonjudgmental Observation Where do you want to start? What part of your game needs attention? It is not always the stroke that you judge as worst which is the most ready for change. It is good to pick the stroke you most want to change. Let the stroke tell you if it wants to change. When you want to change what is ready to change, then the process flows.

Awareness of what is, without judgment, is relaxing, and is the best precondition for change.

Step 2: Picture the Desired Outcome

Step 3: Trust Self 2

Step 4: Nonjudgmental Observation of Change and Results

See what it feels like to ask yourself to do something and let it happen without any conscious trying.

Natural focus occurs when the mind is interested.

Few players understand the importance of concentrating attention on the feel of the racket as they are holding it.

There are two things that a player must know on every shot: where the ball is and where his racket is.

Expanding sensory knowledge of your body will greatly speed the process of developing skill.

instead of learning focus to improve his tennis, he practices tennis to improve his focus.