The Inner Game of Tennis Quotes

″...neither mastery nor satisfaction can be found in the playing of any game without giving some attention to the relatively neglected skills of the inner game.”

“The player of the inner game comes to value the art of relaxed concentration above all other skills; he discovers a true basis for self-confidence; and he learns that the secret to winning any game lies in not trying too hard.”

“Moreover, while overcoming the common hang-ups of competition, the player of the inner game uncovers a will to win which unlocks all his energy and which is never discouraged by losing.”

“It’s not that I don’t know what to do, it’s that I don’t do what I know!”

“Clearly, to play unconsciously does not mean to play without consciousness.”

“The concentrated mind has no room for thinking how well the body is doing, much less of the how-to’s of the doing. When a player is in this state, there is little to interfere with the full expression of his potential to perform, learn and enjoy.”

“All these skills are subsidiary to the master skill, without which nothing of value is ever achieved: the art of relaxed concentration.”

“If you reflect upon your own highest moments or peak experiences, it is likely that you will recall feelings that these phrases describe. You will probably also remember them as moments of great pleasure, even ecstasy. During such experiences, the mind does not act like a separate entity telling you what you should do or criticizing how you do it. It is quiet; you are ‘together,’ and the action flows as free as a river.”

“Quieting the mind means less thinking, calculating, judging, worrying, fearing, hoping, trying, regretting, controlling, jittering or distracting.”

“Man is a thinking reed but his great works are done when he is not calculating and thinking. ‘Childlikeness’ has to be restored...”