The Inner Game of Tennis: The Classic Guide to the Mental Side of Peak Performance
Purpose
This is the purpose I read this book
Expectations
Before reading these were my expectations
Results
After reading, what is my reaction to the book
Works Cited
Notes
Introduction
- 94 I have bad habits sabotaging my potential
Chapter 1 - Reflections on the mental side of tennis
- 122 Over Teaching
- 164 play out of mind
- 184 2 selves- #1 doesn't trust #2
Chapter 3
- 240 Ego-mind
- 245 D.T. Suzuki - Zen in the art of Archery
- 254 Abraham Maslow
- 263 No time to think
- 280 1st skill - Don't judge good or bad - watch faces
- 297 Good/Bad depends on perspective
- 306 judgement immediately feeds #1
- 324 Chinese medicine is preventative
- 332 Judgement -> emotions
- 374 Looking in a mirror
- 392 Teaching != Learning
- 418 Analyze things #1 doesn't know
- 426 Detachment and Interest
- 460 Positive reinforcement also bad
- 485 #1 is a glory hog
Chapter 4
- 519 Self confidence #1 trusts #2
- 548 #2 is amazing
- 615 #1 is a terrible teacher for #2
- 615 #2 learns by watching
- 633 #1 can look up to #2
- 641 3 communication strat with #2
- 658 1. Imageine where you want #2 to hit the ball and trust
- 676 2. Show #2 what you want and let it happen
- 735 3. Imaging a Role for him to play (acting)
- 744 When Role, Adopt persona different from your normal
Chapter 5 Discovering Technique
- 777 Hippo calf Trust Natural learning
- 793 #1 learning is synthetic but we've been taught to believe it superior
- 801 T.S. Eliot - The Hollow Men
- 833 Instruction is Relative to a domain, not dogma
- 842 Nudges
- 1000 New way let #2 Observe and lead
- 1034 #2 nature is to evolve
Chapter 6 Changing Habits
- 1068 tips are cheap - #2 changes are hard
- 1082 harder to break a habit with no replacement
- 1090 muscle memory
- 1107 crawl vs walk- innovation vs revision
- 1221 #2 is flow
- 1221 #1 creeps back in and tries to take credit or understand how
Chapter 7 Concentration: Learning to Focus
- 1231 Getting #1 to shut up very hard. Give him something else to do
- 1262 Look at the seams of ball
- 1278 Say "Bounce - Hit" when it happens
- 1303 Listen to the sound of the ball
- 1353 Rhythm & Feel - body awareness
- 1394 Attention can be narrow or broad
- 1394 Narrow Good for nervousness
- 1411 Attentoin in now not past/future
- 1477 Phil Jackson - Sacred Hoops
- 1495 Only way into the zone is to leave #1 behind
- 1513 Here and Now
Chapter 8 Games People Play on the Court
- 1528 Tennis has lots of drama
- 1536 Eric Berne - Games People Play
- 1545 #1 wants to prove things
- 1620 Value of self not measured by performance
- 1653 While in Navy Gallway saw bad Ed in System
- 1661 Studied Abraham Maslow, Carl Rodgers, "Learning Theory"
- 1696 Didn't want to win/lose but beat nerves
Chapter 9 The Meaning of Competition
- 1712 People for or against competition
- 1726 Those against justify - self-worth from winning is false
- 1734 Others rebel against feeling, but self sabotage
- 1734 "loss doesn't count because I didn't try"
- 1743 pro/con competition are same because both come from #1 Ego trips
- 1743 seeking #2 focused on beauty and excellence
- 1743 Became noncompetitive
- 1752 Felt wrong- no determination to win/improve
- 1761 Play for the thrill of zone
- 1761 Competitors give to one another - Rivals
- 1794 Only by playing the role of your enemy does he become your true friend
- 1811 You respect your oponent enough to challenge them fully
- 1820 distinction- concern about winning vs concern about effort to win
- 1828 3 kinds of people
- 1828 1. Obstacles insurmountable
- 1828 2. Digs in to tackle regardless
- 1828 3. Only tackles if payoff worth it
Chapter 10 The Inner Game Off The Court
- 1869 kipling
those who can keep their heads while all about are losing theirs
- 1877 #1 thrives when it is founght leads to stress
- 1894 attachment is #1 primary stress
- 1903 distinguish requirements of #2 from internalized demands of #1
- 1964 nothing to lose