⭐⭐⭐⭐ The Inner Game of Tennis by Gallwey
| Full Title | The Inner Game of Tennis: The Classic Guide to the Mental Side of Peak Performance |
|---|---|
| Authors | W. Timothy Gallwey, Pete Carroll, Zach Kleiman |
| Year Published | 1997 |
| Date Read | February 02, 2022 |
| Rating | 4/5 stars |
Lots of really great insights here, which are applicable far more widely than just to performance in sports. I just wish I had stumbled upon this sooner, and in retrospect I find it crazy that there was absolutely zero focus on the mental side in my own organized sports experience. In particular in basketball, we did basketball-related drills, as well as separate general conditioning work, explosiveness training, and lifting. But I don’t recall ever integrating how our mentality would affect our in-game performance as part of our preparation. Gallwey convinced me this omission was a mistake.
I think my most-competitive days in sport are behind me and so my application of this content will primarily be in the interest of having the most fun while playing. What’s intriguing is that after reading this book, I actually think there’s a ton of headroom in this area for me.
I think this is a worthy read for anyone that plays sports, even if only recreationally. I’d
encourage casual readers not to be put off by the “peak performance” wording in the tagline.