The past few weeks, I have been referring back to a concept I learnt as an athlete – the Inner Game. So, today I wanted to elaborate on it.
What is the Inner Game?
The “inner game” is a concept that was termed by Tim Gallwey. In his book – the Inner Game of Tennis, Gallwey writes –
“Every game is composed of two parts, an outer game and an inner game. The outer game is played against an external opponent to overcome external obstacles, and to reach an external goal. Mastering this game is the subject of many books offering instructions on how to swing a racquet, club or bat, and how to position arms, legs or torso to achieve the best results.” (p.2).
He then goes on to refer to the inner game as –
“the game that takes place in the mind of the player, and it is played against such obstacles as lapses in concentration, nervousness, self-doubt and self-condemnation. In short, it is played to overcome all habits of mind which inhibit excellence in performance.” (p.2).
In my head it looks like –
An Introduction to the Inner Game by Tim Gallwey
In the following clip, Tim Gallwey discusses more about the inner game.
Over to You…
I hope this post has given you some insight in to the inner game. Can you see how this could apply to your life, not just in sport? If so, where? Feel free to share below in the comments as well as any questions you might have.
Also – remember untangling from the interference to enhance performance is often an adventure in itself, so please make sure you take care of yourself 🙂
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Reference –
Gallwey, T. (1974). The Inner Game of Tennis: The Classic Guide to the Mental Side of Peak Performance. New York, USA: the Random House Publishing Group.