The Inner Game of Tennis

Most of our suffering takes place when we allow our minds to imagine the future or mull over the past.

Peak performance is a function of a still mind.

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. To my surprise, errors that I saw but didn’t mention were correcting themselves without the student ever knowing he had made them.

A less directive approach to teaching can lead to better outcomes. Tap into the natural learning processes within people. You can do this by observing and noticing what's happening.

The message of the Inner Game is simple: focus. Focus of attention in the present moment, the only one you can really live in, is at the heart of this book and at the heart of the art of doing anything well. Focus means not dwelling on the past, either on mistakes or glories; it means not being so caught up in the future, either its fears or its dreams, that my full attention is taken from the present. The ability to focus the mind is the ability to not let it run away with you. It does not mean not to think—but to be the one who directs your own thinking.

The cause of most stress can be summed up by the word attachment.

Maybe wisdom is not so much to come up with new answers as to recognize at a deeper level the profundity of the age-old answers.

Learning to welcome obstacles in competition automatically increases one’s ability to find advantage in all the difficulties one meets in the course of one’s life.

One final word of caution. It is said that all great things are achieved by great effort. Although I believe that is true, it is not necessarily true that all great effort leads to greatness.

The difference between being concerned about winning and being concerned about making the effort to win may seem subtle, but in the effect there is a great difference.

It is perplexing to wonder why we ever leave the here and now. Here and now are the only place and time when one ever enjoys himself or accomplishes anything. Most of our suffering takes place when we allow our minds to imagine the future or mull over the past.

To still the mind one must learn to put it somewhere. It cannot just be let go; it must be focused.

So I believe the best use of technical knowledge is to communicate a hint toward a desired destination.

Not assuming you already know is a powerful principle of focus.

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

Fighting the mind does not work. What works best is learning to focus it.

The ability to focus the mind is the ability to not let it run away with you. It does not mean not to think—but to be the one who directs your own thinking.

Primarily, that means not judging ourselves, but observing what happens and then trusting that Self 2 will do the best job it can

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 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. 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. In short, it is played to overcome all habits of mind which inhibit excellence in performance.

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.

Work, where rather than constantly second-guessing ourselves or worrying about what others think, we can tap into our natural abilities and instincts to perform at our best. By focusing on the task at hand and letting go of self-critical thoughts, we can be more productive, efficient, and creative.

The author argues that by building awareness and confidence in our innate abilities, we can find greater contentment, satisfaction, and success.

Focusing on the present moment and tune out distracting thoughts. This can involve paying attention to your breathing, or focusing on the sensations in your body. By doing so, you can reduce the mental chatter that accompanies Self 1.

He argues that when we listen too closely to our Self 1, we become distracted, anxious, and hesitant, which impairs our ability to access our natural abilities and perform instinctively.

Self 1 is our overly analytical, judgmental, and self-critical mind; and. Self 2 is our natural, instinctive, and intuitive mind.

THE FIRST INNER SKILL to be developed in the Inner Game is that of nonjudgmental awareness.

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 skill to learn is the art of letting go the human inclination to judge ourselves and our performance as either good or bad.

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.

By thinking too much and trying too hard, Self 1 has produced tension and muscle conflict in the body.

The mind does not act like a separate entity telling you what you should do or criticizing how you do it. It is quiet; you are 'together,' and the action flows as free as a river.

Letting go of the judging process is a basic key to the Inner Game.

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.

If the pro is pleased with one kind of performance, he will be displeased by the opposite. If he likes me for doing well, he will dislike me for not doing well.

Ending judgment means you neither add nor subtract from the facts before your eyes. Things appear as they are—undistorted.

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.

Simply let your serve begin to serve itself. Having asked for more power, just let it happen.

In your mind’s eye, picture yourself serving, filling in as much visual and tactile detail as you can.

When attention is allowed to focus, it comes to know that place.

Anxiety is fear about what may happen in the future, and it occurs only when the mind is imagining what the future may bring.

When Self 1 is absent and Self 2 is present, it always feels good, and allows a more vivid consciousness and usually great excellence in performance.

True competition is identical with true cooperation.

Perhaps the most indispensable tool for human beings in modern times is the ability to remain calm in the midst of rapid and unsettling changes.

The simple idea underpinning the book is that human beings do not actually have a single mind, they have two. They have a conscious mind and an unconscious mind, with both systems underpinned by different neural circuitry, and the interaction between these two different systems might hold the key not just to success in sport but too much else in life besides.

Every game is composed of two parts, an outer game and an inner game. The outer game is played against an external opponent to overcome external obstacles, and to reach an external goal.

Developing a non-judgmental awareness of one's thoughts and feelings, which involves observing your thoughts and feelings without judging them, and simply noticing them as they arise. This technique is often used in mindfulness meditation, where practitioners learn to observe their thoughts and emotions without getting caught up in them.

The player of the inner game comes to value the art of relaxed concentration above all other skills.