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Summary: Any Page
Review: Of all the books I have read on any subject, this one is among the best. I am only a fair tennis player but the insight and wisdom of Gallwey extends far beyond tennis. I am also a student of Zen and this simplistic approach is more readily absorbed than ANY of my Eastern Philosophy books. Open to any page at any time and become slightly richer.
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Summary: use this book to play better and have more fun
Review: Tennis has been one of my favorite sports for many years, although I've never been that good at it (3.5 USTA rating, which is sorta intermediate). I had never heard about this book until it caught my eye at the library, and it intrigued me. I'm not that big on instructional books, because sports are so visual it's almost impossible to describe (for example) all the things your body needs to do to hit a decent serve. In my own game, my serve has actually deteriorated quite a bit over the years, and all my attempts at "fixing" it only seemed to make it worse. Then, I happened to watch Andy Roddick play on TV at the 2003 US Open. As you probably know, Mr. Roddick has hit the fastest serve ever recorded (150+MPH), and is one of the best tennis players in the world. What really amazed me about his serve is that his motion isn't very complicated (like Pete Sampras or John McEnroe, to date myself). What I noticed is that his main focus when serving is simply to make perfect, solid contact with the ball and send it on its way over the net. Somehow, I was able to lock in on a mental image of Roddick getting his racket, arm and shoulder into perfect position to hit a killer serve. Then, just goofing around really, I took some balls to my local park and started whacking serves the way I thought Roddick would if he was in my body. The results were immediate and impressive. My velocity went up dramatically, and I just felt so much more comfortable than I had for years. In this book, the author says he noticed that if he watched Frankie Albert play QB for the SF 49ers and then played street football with his friends (pretending he was Albert), he could throw much better than usual. I totally agree with what he's saying, and my Roddick experience above is another example. In fact, what got me started playing tennis was the total style, class, and enjoyment that was Bjorn Borg's game in the 70's-80's. So, I agree with most if not all of the author's lessons, especially finding someone to "be like" and then "being like" that person. I also agree with the importance of getting your analytical, critical mind (Self 1) to focus on things like the spin of the ball or the sound it makes when your opponent hits a shot. Where I think the author sells the reader short is by not making two points:
1. TENNIS IS NOT EASY. While keeping your Self 1 under control will definitely help, everyone has physical limitations, and tennis is a difficult hand-eye coordination exercise. In my opinion, the main reason tennis has fizzled in popularity in recent years is because it's basically a hard game to learn. The author probably skips this point to avoid scaring people off, but he could counter by mentioning that the Inner Game will make tennis less difficult and more enjoyable.
2. TENNIS REQUIRES LOTS OF PRACTICE. This book is somewhat Zen-like in its approach, but any Zen book will tell you that the most important part of your practice is, well, practice. By this I don't mean hours of boring drills and instruction, I just mean playing on a consistent basis with a variety of levels, watching matches on TV or in person, and spending some time hitting by yourself or with a friend. I still gave the book 5 stars, because I think it can help anyone's game and other aspects of life as well. I'm also reading his books on work and golf, but to me the author's forte is tennis so I'm glad I started with this one.
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Summary: Great start on mental prepardness
Review: The most readable of all the Tennis instruction manuals, bar none! It's not rocket science, but that is exactly the point! Can't locate this in books-on-tape, although I had a copy 10-12 years ago.
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Summary: If you want to play better, read this book..... I am proof
Review: This book cuts right through to what all tennis players inherantly know, your success on the court is directly related to what is going on in your mind. You realize that your body knows how to play, and needs no gratification or instructions by your inner critic. The less you interfere, the better your body will perform. When your mind is quiet and trusts your body's abilities is when it is has the freedom to perform. My game improved dramatically since my first match after I read the book, one technique is to occupy your mind into silence by focusing it on something. The thing I focused on was the spin of the ball as it came to me. When I began to concentrate on that, my mind was silent and focused on the ball. When I do this, the ball seems slower and bigger. All of my strokes improved by doing this. Another thing I got out of this book is to let go of all of your lessons and ideas of how to move your feet, how to hit the ball, how to angle your raquet head. A match is no time to ponder these things it is a time to do them. When in a match, just let your body do what it knows how to do. Don't focus on details, just focus on the goal of making a good tennis shot. All of this is wonderful, but the best thing this book has to offer, is giving the reader the understanding of how to learn in a natural way without your inner voice giving approval or disaproval. And that is a skill that will apply to all things in your life. I can't wait to read the Inner Game of Work.
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Summary: pretty good
Review: This book foolows the concept that you cannot and will not excel if you only use your intelect.
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Summary: I should have read this 20 years ago!!
Review: This book has cured me from being a head case!! Better late than
never! Thank you Tim Gallwey.
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Summary: Some lessons for a lifetime
Review: This book is great not just because of how it helps you on the tennis court, which it certainly does, but rather for the lessons imparted that are applicable to all aspects of one's life. Definitely a great book for anyone who wants to understand themselves and their motivations better.
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Summary: Universally applicable - not just for tennis
Review: This book is great. Short and to the point. Just substitute the word "Tennis" for "Life" if you do not play.
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Summary: WOW! What a great book!
Review: This book is not only good for improving your tennis game, but also for improving concentration in all aspects of life. I am both a musician and court reporting student, and I found this book to give me invaluable skills that can be applied to anything in life. I would HIGHLY recommend this book for anyone who gets nervous before any big event.
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Summary: Wonderful for musicians!
Review: This book is pretty popular in the music world, actually. I'm a pianist, and my teacher highly recommended (mandated=)) that I read it immediately after I had a memory slip or two during a performance. I was analyzing and concentrating too much on the wrong things. I put off reading it for a while because I felt I didn't have time with practicing and school. HUGE mistake! Once I read it, though, it changed my performance within DAYS, and I became really stable and won my last major competition after a terrible senior year. It answered ALL the questions I've had for years! Read it, take its insight to heart, and read between the lines again. It's one of the best psychology books I've ever read!
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