This book is not a technical manual on tennis; it explores something much broader. In fact, the same author has written other versions of "The Inner Game" dedicated to golf, music, work, and other fields.
It is an essay about people and how the mind too often ends up controlling and correcting the body's actions, resulting in poorer performance—in this case, in sports.
Gallwey encourages a more instinctive game, based on trusting your own body: once the movement is learned, the body already knows what to do. It doesn't need a judgmental mind, but rather a freer, lighter spirit.
The Rawrview
The book didn't turn us into better tennis players, but it showed us that the body can learn and act quickly and naturally, without passing through the analytical filter of the mind.
And it reminded us that, during a match, the toughest opponent to face isn't always the one on the other side of the net… but rather the one inside our own heads. Game, set and match!
