The Inner Game of Tennis
by W. Timothy Gallwey
A tennis coach's small book about the two selves: the critical one that instructs and judges, and the quiet one that actually plays. Quieting Self 1 and trusting Self 2 improved his students' games and, it turned out, their work and lives. It is the origin of modern coaching, and it reads in an afternoon.
Read it if…
you perform or practice anything and your inner critic gets in the way of your skill.
Skip it if…
you want detailed instruction; the book's whole point is to stop instructing yourself.
Three things you will actually use
- Observe, don't judge.
- Picture the outcome, then trust the body.
- Let go of trying so hard.
Do this first
During your next practice, observe one detail without judging it and notice what changes.
Our verdict
A quiet, brilliant little book; the root of a whole field.
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