The Inner Game of Tennis
by W. Timothy Gallwey · first published 1974
71% recommend27% neutral2% critical
Why HN recommends it
Short guide to the mental side of performance, using tennis to show how self-criticism and over-analysis block learning. Applies to coding, art, mentoring, and stress; suits anyone wanting to quiet the inner critic.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
Concentrates upon overcoming mental attitudes that adversely affect tennis performance, including learning to relax, effectively concentrating, and discarding bad habits.
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If you haven't read it, "The Inner Game of Tennis" by W. Timothy Gallway (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Inner-Game-Tennis-ultimate-performa...) is worth a go. Whilst it's technically a tennis coaching book, the tennis is really just an example to explain…
on “For soccer players, the less brain they use, the better for penalty kicks” ↗…this year are - Impro (1987), by Keith Johnstone, about the art of improvisation and Mask techniques, and how relations between people can help create a narrative and are fascinating to watch - The Inner Game of Tennis (1997), by W. Timothy Gallwey, which doesn't talk much about tennis and a lot about how to "let go" in order to let your true self take control (playing tennis with the right side of the brain, if you…
on “Ask HN: where do you find interesting books to read?” ↗…books I enjoyed the most and found most helpful: - Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain - Helped me better understand myself and others, highly recommend - The Inner Game of Tennis by W. Timothy Gallwey - Advice on mastering the mental part of doing anything, not just tennis - The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo - actually maybe the most important book I've read…
on “Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?” ↗The Inner Game of Tennis. My tennis coach gave me his copy, from the mid 80s, which was tattered and had clearly been read many, many times. It taught me so much about life, and how to be successful. My tennis coach was also…
on “Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?” ↗Same reason everybody loves The War of Art and The Inner Game of Tennis or Impro. The lessons you can learn from them are applicable far beyond the fields the books are technically about.
on “Watching Larry Ellison Become Larry Ellison (2014)” ↗…looking through these titles rather cynically, and wondering if it would be pretentious of me to recommend The Teachings of the Compassionate Buddha or the Discourses of Epictetus, and then I saw it: The Inner Game of Tennis, by Timothy Gallwey Yes... yes! I'll gladly recommend this over any book of philosophy. (Different philosophers click with different people.) Granted, I was thirteen and a tennis player when I first…
on “What one book could give me a new, useful superpower?” ↗Books I'm glad I've read: The Inner Game of Tennis Impro by Keith Johnstone Seeing Like a State The Timeless Way of Building Linear and Geometric Algebra by Alan Macdonald Meditations by Marcus Aurelius (read this one thrice) The Tao of Pooh Science,…
on “Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?” ↗The Inner Game of Tennis Think And Grow Rich - I based my cover letter off of some of the concepts in this book and it has worked remarkably well.
on “Ask HN: What are your favorite books?” ↗…tennis is the mind-game aspect and in elite tennis, you don't get the same person very often. The Inner Game of Tennis [0] for folks interested in learning more about this. [0] https://www.amazon.com/Inner-Game-Tennis-Classic-Performance... PS Novak's probably more clutch than Rog.
on “John Carmack: Career Advice” ↗…Walker. Helped me recover from a lot of trauma that was causing me duress - "The Wizard and the Prophet" by Charles C. Mann. Helped me recover from anxiety disorder caused by climate change. - "The Inner Game of Tennis" by W. Timothy Gallwey. As a former competitive gamer, this really helped me step back from competition and just enjoy the game. - "Neurotribes" by Steve Silberman. Great book about the history of autism.…
on “Ask HN: Any interesting books you have read lately?” ↗His advice to me: Don't be in so much of a rush. Be easier on yourself. If you connect with this idea, you may want to check out the book The Inner Game of Tennis: http://www.amazon.com/The-Inner-Game-Tennis-Performance/dp/0...
on “Does life end after 35?” ↗…To Develop Your Thinking Ability by Ken Keyes Jr. It's out of print now, but easy to find a copy. It condenses down a lot of Alfred Korzybski's General Semantics into an easy to digest format. * The Inner Game of Tennis by Timothy Gallwey. Also quite an old book, mentions a lot of similar ideas to Psychocybernetics (essentially the queen or king of all self-help books: most other ones just re-iterate the ideas in this…
on “Some popular self help books” ↗…sensorimotor system deal with the details might be more effective (and then figuring out how to observe yourself and deliberately working on correcting specific defects). You might find the book The Inner Game of Tennis useful.
on “How Boston Dynamics Taught Its Robots to Dance” ↗…conditioning, equipment, diet, coaches, etc., etc., etc. It comes down to the mental game both internally and between competitors on that particular day. A classic book to understand some of this is The Inner Game of Tennis by Timothy Gallwey [0] Source: I formerly competed at international levels for several years in alpine ski racing (mostly DH/Super-G), and studied neuroscience in college as a result of the many fascinating…
on “Talent Is Largely a Myth” ↗…really good ones here. Three more: On overcoming cognitive bias (and understanding how mindsets influence motivation, personality, and behavior): Self-Theories by Carol S. Dweck Mental peformance: The Inner Game of Tennis - The Classic Guide to the Mental Side of Peak Performance Mental Models on influence: Influencer: The Power to Change Anything
on “Ask HN: What books to read on developing mental models and increasing cognition?” ↗