The Inner Game of Tennis

In W. Timothy Gallwey’s, “The Inner Game of Tennis: The Classical Guide to the Mental Side of Peak Performance,” Gailwey discusses the inner mind games we play with ourselves and how to manage changing habits. The author’s breakdown centers around the concept of two selves we have, self 1 (the teller) and self 2 (the doer). Self 1 can be seen as a defensive system that helps keep self 2 safe similar to a parent. Using this as a basis, Gallwey dives deeper into the games we play, how to lessen self 1’s impact on self 2, and mindset shifts we can make to improve our inner mental game.

This book piqued my interest tremendously over the past few books due to its concise writing and storytelling. Some of my main takeaways were how to ease into change, including exploration and challenge while making these changes, and maintaining this momentum with which thoughts to let go. Using these takeaways, I have gradually added in new habits day by day such as improving my running and my reading analysis skillset to inquire more rich, quality retention.

The book had a nice blend of stories, concepts, and anecdotes to keep the reader engaged throughout. There was never a point where I was tired of reading since the chapters were relatively short (~10-15 pages) and the subsections were just long enough to wrap up the points delivered. 

Overall, I would rate this book 5 out of 5 stars for its concise writing and storytelling. The concepts were broken down in an easy-to-understand manner and I enjoyed reading this book tremendously for its delivery. It is a book I would reread in the near future to continue maintaining peak performance in my own life as I continue creating content and coaching.

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