The Inner Game of Tennis: The Classic Guide to the Mental Side of Peak Performan

Description: The Inner Game of Tennis: The Classic Guide to the Mental Side of Peak Performance by W. Timothy Gallwey The Inner Game of Tennis will help you: use the mind/body connection and learn to trust yourself on the court; find the state of "relaxed concentration" that allows you to play at your best; utilize the "inner game principles to make the most of traditional instruction techniques; focus your mind to overcome nervousness and self-doubt; and build skills by smart practice, then put it all together in match play. Gallwey is one of the leading innovators in sports, and this new edition refines the techniques that he has perfected over his long career. His straightforward and concise style, clear examples, and illuminating anecdotes will help tennis players of all abilities - from beginner to expert. The Inner Game of Tennis will change the way you play the game. FORMAT Paperback LANGUAGE English CONDITION Brand New Publisher Description Master your game from the inside out With more than 800,000 copies sold since it was first published thirty years ago, this phenomenally successful guide has become a touchstone for hundreds of thousands of people. Not just for tennis players, or even just for athletes in general, this handbook works for anybody who wants to improve his or her performance in any activity, from playing music to getting ahead at work. W. Timothy Gallwey, a leading innovator in sports psychology, reveals how to - focus your mind to overcome nervousness, self-doubt, and distractions - find the state of "relaxed concentration" that allows you to play at your best - build skills by smart practice, then put it all together in match play Whether youre a beginner or a pro, Gallweys engaging voice, clear examples, and illuminating anecdotes will give you the tools you need to succeed. "Introduced to The Inner Game of Tennis as a graduate student years ago, I recognized the obvious benefits of W. Timothy] Gallweys teachings. . . . Whether we are preparing for an inter-squad scrimmage or the National Championship Game, these principles lie at the foundation of our program."--from the Foreword by Pete Carroll Back Cover For almost twenty-five years, The Inner Game of Tennis has been the handbook of choice for hundreds of thousands of tennis players. W. Timothy Gallwey has now given his classic book a thorough update that includes even more benefits of the "inner game"-the game thats in the mind of each player. The Inner Game of Tennis will help you: * Use the mind/body connection and learn to trust yourself on the court * Find the state of "relaxed concentration" that allows you to play at your best * Utilize the "inner game" principles to make the most of traditional instruction techniques * Focus your mind to overcome nervousness and self-doubt * Build skills by smart practice, then put it all together in match play Gallwey is one of the leading innovators in sports, and this new edition refines the techniques that he has perfected over his long career. His straightforward and concise style, clear examples, and illuminating anecdotes will help tennis players of all abilities-from beginner to expert. The Inner Game of Tennis will change the way you play the game. Author Biography W. Timothy Gallwey has been called the catalyst for the era of sports psychology. Since the publication of Inner Game books on tennis, golf, and skiing, " inner skills are considered to be as important as technical skills by athletes and coaches. Gallwey is now a sought-after speaker and seminar designer. He lives in Agoura Hills, California. Dr. Robert Kriegel, a former all-American athlete, has coached both Olympic and professional athletes. The New York Times said his work " spurred a revolution in performance practices. He is now a commentator on ESPN for Review Quote "Groundbreaking . . . The Inner Game of Tennis is just as relevant today as it was in 1974. . . . Its the best book on tennis that I have ever read, and its profound advice applies to many other parts of life." --Bill Gates, GatesNotes ("Five of my All-Time Favorite Books") Excerpt from Book chapter one Reflections on the Mental Side of Tennis The problems which most perplex tennis players are not those dealing with the proper way to swing a racket. Books and professionals giving this information abound. Nor do most players complain excessively about physical limitations. The most common complaint of sportsmen ringing down the corridors of the ages is, "Its not that I dont know what to do, its that I dont do what I know!" Other common complaints that come constantly to the attention of the tennis pro: I play better in practice than during the match. I know exactly what Im doing wrong on my forehand, I just cant seem to break the habit. When Im really trying hard to do the stroke the way it says to in the book, I flub the shot every time. When I concentrate on one thing Im supposed to be doing, I forget something else. Every time I get near match point against a good player, I get so nervous I lose my concentration. Im my own worst enemy; I usually beat myself. Most players of any sport run into these or similar difficulties frequently, but it is not so easy to gain practical insight into how to deal with them. The player is often left with such warmed-over aphorisms as "Well, tennis is a very psychological game, and you have to develop the proper mental attitudes" or "You have to be confident and possess the will to win or else youll always be a loser." But how can one "be confident" or develop the "proper mental attitudes"? These questions are usually left unanswered. So there seems to be room for comment on the improvement of the mental processes which translate technical information about how to hit a ball into effective action. How to develop the inner skills, without which high performance is impossible, is the subject of The Inner Game of Tennis. The Typical Tennis Lesson Imagine what goes on inside the head of an eager student taking a lesson from an equally eager new tennis pro. Suppose that the student is a middle-aged businessman bent on improving his position on the club ladder. The pro is standing at the net with a large basket of balls, and being a bit uncertain whether his student is considering him worth the lesson fee, he is carefully evaluating every shot. "Thats good, but youre rolling your racket face over a little on your follow-through, Mr. Weil. Now shift your weight onto your front foot as you step into the ball . . . Now youre taking your racket back too late . . . Your backswing should be a little lower than on that last shot . . . Thats it, much better." Before long, Mr. Weils mind is churning with six thoughts about what he should be doing and sixteen thoughts about what he shouldnt be doing. Improvement seems dubious and very complex, but both he and the pro are impressed by the careful analysis of each stroke and the fee is gladly paid upon receipt of the advice to "practice all this, and eventually youll see a big improvement." 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 didnt mention were correcting themselves without the student ever knowing he had made them. How were the changes happening? Though I found this interesting, it was a little hard on my ego, which didnt quite see how it was going to get its due credit for the improvements being made. It was an even greater blow when I realized that sometimes my verbal instructions seemed to decrease the probability of the desired correction occurring. All teaching pros know what Im talking about. They all have students like one of mine named Dorothy. I would give Dorothy a gentle, low-pressured instruction like, "Why dont you try lifting the follow-through up from your waist to the level of your shoulder? The topspin will keep the ball in the court." Sure enough, Dorothy would try hard to follow my instructions. The muscles would tense around her mouth; her eyebrows would set in a determined frown; the muscles in her forearm would tighten, making fluidity impossib≤ and the follow-through would end only a few inches higher. At this point, the stock response of the patient pro is, "Thats better, Dorothy, but relax, dont try so hard!" The advice is good as far as it goes, but Dorothy does not understand how to "relax" while also trying hard to hit the ball correctly. Why should Dorothy--or you or I--experience an awkward tightening when performing a desired action which is not physically difficult? What happens inside the head between the time the instruction is given and the swing is complete? The first glimmer of an answer to this key question came to me at a moment of rare insight after a lesson with Dorothy: "Whatevers going on in her head, its too damn much! Shes trying so hard to swing the racket the way I told her that she cant focus on the ball." Then and there, I promised myself I would cut down on the quantity of verbal instructions. My next lesson that day was with a beginner named Paul who had never held a racket. I was determined to show him how to play using as few instructions as possib≤ Id try to keep his mind uncluttered and see if it made a difference. So I started by telling Paul I was trying something new: I was going to skip entirely my usual explanations to beginning players about the proper grip, stroke and footwork for the basic forehand. Instead, I was going to hit ten forehands myself, and I wanted him to watch carefully, not thinking about what I was doing, but simply trying to grasp a visual image of the forehand. He was to repeat the image in his mind several times and then just let his body imitate. After I had hit ten forehands, Paul imagined himself doing the same. Then, as I put the racket into his hand, sliding it into the correct grip, he said to me, "I noticed that the first thing you did was to move your feet." I replied with a noncommittal grunt and asked him to let his body imitate the forehand as well as it could. He dropped the ball, took a perfect backswing, swung forward, racket level, and with natural fluidity ended the swing at shoulder height, perfect for his first attempt! But wait, his feet; they hadnt moved an inch from the perfect ready position he had assumed before taking his racket back. They were nailed to the court. I pointed to them, and Paul said, "Oh yeah, I forgot about them!" The one element of the stroke Paul had tried to remember was the one thing he didnt do! Everything else had been absorbed and reproduced without a word being uttered or an instruction being given! I was beginning to learn what all good pros and students of tennis must learn: that images are better than words, showing better than telling, too much instruction worse than none, and that trying often produces negative results. One question perplexed me: Whats wrong with trying? What does it mean to try too hard? Details ISBN0679778314 Author W. Timothy Gallwey Short Title INNER GAME OF TENNIS REV/E Pages 160 Publisher Random House Trade Edition Description Revised Language English ISBN-10 0679778314 ISBN-13 9780679778318 Media Book Format Paperback DEWEY 796.342 Illustrations Yes Year 1997 Publication Date 1997-05-31 Residence Agoura Hills, CA, US Birth 1938 Imprint Random House Trade Paperbacks Subtitle The Classic Guide to the Mental Side of Peak Performance DOI 10.1604/9780679778318 Audience General/Trade UK Release Date 1997-05-27 We've got this At The Nile, if you're looking for it, we've got it. With fast shipping, low prices, friendly service and well over a million items - you're bound to find what you want, at a price you'll love! TheNile_Item_ID:141717098;

Price: 27.35 AUD

Location: Melbourne

End Time: 2024-11-30T03:30:44.000Z

Shipping Cost: 0 AUD