Thursday, October 15, 2026 · 9:41 AM
The Inner Game of Tennis
An imagined conversation with Maya Chen, a fictional tennis coach.
The everyday examples and practice plan are original applications.
1 · why effort can get in the way
why do i get worse at things the second i really care about doing them well
i can explain something fine until someone important is listening
what happens in your head when they start listening?
am i talking too fast. did that make sense. why did i say it like that
then i'm halfway through a sentence and have no idea where it's going
that's a useful place to start with The Inner Game of Tennis
W. Timothy Gallwey uses tennis to explore attention, self-doubt, and the strain of trying to control yourself
1
do i need to know tennis for this
just this much: you hit a ball over a net and try to keep it inside the lines
now imagine doing that while someone gives you instructions through the whole swing
my dad has entered the chat
and imagine the voice is yours, so you can't walk away from it
Gallwey calls the instructing, judging voice Self 1
Self 2 is his name for the capacities that actually carry out and learn the action
2
so there's a competent me and an annoying me
these are Gallwey's explanatory labels. treat them as a model, rather than 2 literal brain systems
you can plan what you want to say, then interrupt every sentence to check how you're coming across
try reading a paragraph while also rating how intelligent you look reading it
where would your attention go?
probably couldn't tell you what the paragraph said
that's the problem we're working with
so i should stop thinking and trust my instincts?
you still need to think through the problem in front of you
try dropping the running assessment of yourself for a moment. keep doing the actual reasoning
what's the difference in practice
say you're explaining a delayed project
useful thought: what changed, what's blocked, what decision do we need?
extra commentary: they think i'm incompetent. i sound nervous. a better person would handle this easily
the second one feels like i'm preparing for danger tho
then ask what action it gives you
if it points to a missing fact, get the fact. if it just repeats a verdict, you can return to the explanation
i'm worried this is going to become an excuse to care less
let's keep your goal exactly as it is: explain the delay honestly and help the team decide
you can care a lot about that without grading your worth during every sentence
but being hard on myself has gotten me pretty far
you may have worked hard, prepared carefully, and corrected mistakes
we can keep all of those. try a small experiment with the insults removed and see what changes
how would i know which part helped
choose a task you repeat. keep the preparation similar. change what you do when you make a mistake
observe the work, how quickly you resume, and what you learn. give yourself more than one attempt
2 · giving attention a useful job
ok. what's the tennis version
Gallwey's famous bounce-hit exercise gives attention a concrete job
say bounce when the ball bounces, and hit at contact. you're following what's happening
3
that's enough to try. the task gives you something specific to attend to as you play
i thought concentration meant making my brain shut up
try following the ball. when you notice you've wandered off, pick it up again
you can do the exercise with a thought still hanging around
so i don't have to finish arguing with myself first
you can return before the argument is resolved
i like that. i can argue for a while
for your meeting, an equivalent focus might be the question the other person actually asked
listen through the end. answer that question. notice when you've started reviewing your performance instead
what if i genuinely don't know the answer
say what you know, identify what's missing, and arrange to check it
trusting yourself can include trusting yourself to say i don't know
that sounds better than confidently making something up
yes. we're trying to stay in contact with what's happening
3 · observation, standards, and self-judgment
but if i miss the ball, i missed. how does being nice about it help
Gallwey asks players to observe without immediately attaching a good-or-bad verdict
3for an example, compare these descriptions of a practice talk
i'm terrible at this / i spent 4 minutes on background and never stated the decision
the second one gives me something to change
right. now you can put the decision in the first sentence and try the opening again
isn't saying i spent too long on background still judging it
there are 3 steps here. first, observe: 4 minutes of background, no decision stated
then compare with your purpose: the audience needed to make a decision
then choose an adjustment: put the decision first and rehearse again
yes. let the standard guide the adjustment without turning the result into a verdict about you
for this talk: listeners should know the decision, the reason, and what happens next
and if they don't understand it, that's feedback
ask which part lost them. revise that part. you have a next attempt to make
what do i do with the embarrassment though
you might still feel it
try letting it be there while you ask the useful question: where did i lose you?
i keep waiting to feel confident before asking that
you can ask while feeling awkward. choose a person you trust for the first practice
4 · reasoning and learning to trust
ok but trust my body sounds plausible for tennis. i write code
let's treat that as an application we're testing, rather than claiming every task works like a tennis swing
take a bug you've been stuck on. what's the commentary?
i should've fixed this an hour ago
someone senior would just know
and what's happening in the program?
the screen shows old data after a save
what can you observe next?
whether the save request has the new value
good. now you've got a question the system can answer
check the request, response, and state update. let the results decide where you look next
so in this case i'm thinking pretty hard
yes. keep the analysis. when the comparison with imaginary senior engineers comes back, return to your test
what if the bug is something i don't understand at all
then make room to learn it. read the docs, build a smaller example, ask someone
you can work on a skill gap directly. try giving it a name more useful than i'm bad at this
i don't understand how this cache gets invalidated
that's a question you can investigate
this helps. i tend to use my frustration as evidence that i should already know
for this experiment, write down what you expected and what you observed
afterward, check whether that helped you locate the bug. keep the method if it's useful
where does practice fit in? i can't just observe my way into being good at something
you still need practice and instruction. the publisher describes the book's aim as relaxed concentration
1
i get the concentration part. i'm still fuzzy on trusting myself to learn
Gallwey describes a player who'd repeatedly been told his racket went back too high
seeing his swing in a reflection gave him direct awareness of what he'd only been told about
3
so he finally had something he could feel and see
yes. Gallwey then asked him to notice the racket's position. he reports that the swing changed as the player observed it
that's quite different from me yelling lower your racket at myself
that's the distinction he's exploring: giving the learner direct experience, and room to respond to it
how would i try that without assuming my body magically knows tennis
here's a small practice example. choose an easy shot and a generous target, with coaching if you need it
watch a demonstration. picture the ball reaching the target. make a few attempts and notice the flight and contact
and i let myself hit rather than reciting instructions for every body part
yes. observe what changes. give yourself a chance to learn from the attempts
but what if they all go into the net
then that happened. get help with what you're missing, or make the task easier
Self 2 can learn, but the model doesn't make it infallible or give you skills you haven't developed
ok. so trust means i allow an attempt and pay attention to its result
that's a useful way to practise it. instruction and your own experience can work together
how does that carry over to explaining something
you can watch someone explain it, try your own explanation, and listen to what a reader understood
give yourself enough room to complete an attempt before correcting every word
like a presentation i've actually prepared
yes. let's use that one all the way through
5 · a presentation, from preparation to review
mine is usually 20 slides and a quiet panic
before the talk, choose what the audience needs to understand
rehearse it aloud. check the facts. ask a colleague to tell you where they got confused
what if they tell me the whole thing is confusing
ask them to pick the first place they got lost. work from there
once you've revised, rehearse again. you need a usable explanation to return your attention to
try one intention: help them understand why we're proposing this change
look at the relevant slide, say the point, and listen to the question they ask
what about slowing down, eye contact, standing straight, not saying um
choose one small thing to practice in a rehearsal. see what happens before adding another
for the live talk, you might keep a short outline nearby so you can find your place
ok but i will definitely stumble
then let's practice that too
say a sentence awkwardly on purpose. pause. say let me try that again. continue
that feels embarrassing even alone
you can start alone anyway. see whether you can resume without restarting the whole talk
i usually restart whenever i mess up
try rehearsing the recovery once. you'll have a concrete option if it happens live
and afterward i watch the recording and hate everything?
give the review a small job
was the recommendation clear? where did a question reveal confusion? what will you change next time?
am i allowed to notice that something went well
please do. name it precisely enough that you can use it again
the example answered their question is more helpful for your next talk than i was amazing
either way, go back to the work you can actually examine
this is making me realize i review myself constantly while i'm doing things
Gallwey's broader work connects awareness, choice, and trust: see the situation, choose a direction, allow yourself to act
4let's turn that into a short exercise you can use tomorrow
please make it short enough that i remember it when stressed
before: what am i trying to do?
during: what can i pay attention to here?
after: what happened, and what's one adjustment?
what about the exact moment i notice myself spiraling
try this: notice the commentary, name one fact, take the next useful action
that's our practice prompt for this explainer. use plain words you can remember
give me an example where i'm already doing badly
you're halfway through a meeting and someone says they don't understand your proposal
commentary: i've wasted everyone's time
fact: they asked how the new process would work
action: walk through one concrete example and check whether that answered them
i'm still going to feel like i wasted their time
maybe. you can answer while that feeling is there
after the meeting, check whether the explanation needed work. you don't have to settle that mid-answer
so i can defer the review
yes. give it an actual time afterward if you're worried you'll ignore it
6 · writing, relationships, and real constraints
can we do writing too? i delete the first sentence for 40 minutes
try a small writing session with one reader in mind
write down their question. spend 10 minutes making an answer they could use, even if it's clumsy
i can already hear myself saying this is clumsy
you expected a rough attempt. keep going until there's enough on the page to examine
yes. read it and ask where the answer becomes hard to follow
move, cut, or rewrite that part. you can be demanding about the sentence in front of you
then you've got a draft that needs work. choose one problem and make another attempt
if you can't tell what's wrong, ask a reader what they understood and where they got lost
i can do that. i think i confuse being disappointed with doing useful editing
try saving both drafts so you can compare them later. see whether your changes helped the reader
how does this work with another person? like an argument at home
carefully. let's use it to notice your own attention, without treating the other person as a task to win
say they tell me i'm on my phone too much
what do you start thinking?
that's unfair. i did a bunch of stuff today. they don't notice any of it
for a first attempt, listen for what happened that bothered them
you could ask, was there a moment tonight when you wanted my attention and i missed it?
you can say so. first check that you've understood what they're describing
then explain your view, make a request, or take a break if you need one
and if i snapped at them already
you can own the specific thing you did: i interrupted and raised my voice. i'm sorry
ask if they're willing to continue. let them have their response
i tend to go straight to i'm a terrible partner
for this exercise, come back to the repair you can make and the behavior you want to practice
you may also need to change the situation, like putting the phone away during dinner
so the practical change still matters
yes. keep looking at the outside problem too
what if the outside problem is my job asking for way too much
write down the workload, deadlines, and available help
you may need to negotiate scope or say something can't be done. attention exercises can't decide that for you
i was worried every problem was about to become my mindset
use this approach on the part you can usefully observe and change. keep the other facts in view
7 · interference, focus, and ambition
what does Gallwey mean by performance equals potential minus interference
that's the Inner Game's shorthand for how internal obstacles can limit what you can do
5treat it as a prompt to investigate, rather than a calculation
what counts as interference in my day
in our examples: reviewing your voice while speaking, comparing yourself while debugging, grading each word before a draft exists
and sometimes the problem is that i haven't learned the thing
or the instructions are unclear, or you need more time. check those possibilities too
i could really use a way to tell which it is
ask: what would help me make the next attempt?
if you need knowledge, get instruction. if you need a clearer target, clarify it. if commentary keeps pulling you away, try an attention cue
choose something present and relevant to the task
for a conversation: the sentence they're saying. for debugging: what this test actually returned
what about just saying be confident
for this practice, pick something you can notice or do. see whether you can follow it without checking your confidence
you can try briefly noticing a breath, then return to the task. compare that with attending directly to the task
keep the cue simple enough that it doesn't become another thing to monitor
i can see myself checking whether i'm relaxed enough every 3 seconds
then include that in what you notice, and go back to the question or the ball
so even this can become a performance test
yes. if you catch that happening, you have another chance to return
what if it works once and then i spend the next week trying to recreate that feeling
use the same small practice, but let the next attempt have its own feel
check what you did and learned. you don't need an identical internal experience each time
i also feel pressure after doing something well. like now i have to prove it wasn't luck
choose your next task before trying to defend the previous result
you gave a clear talk. the next one still needs preparation, a specific audience, and your attention
that feels much more manageable than becoming a Person Who Is Good At Presenting
you can work on the next presentation
what about ambition? i do want to be excellent
keep that ambition. choose a skill, get useful feedback, and put time into it
you can also ask what makes the activity worth doing for you beyond other people's assessment
like enjoying getting a difficult idea across
yes. make room to notice that when it happens
i usually just feel relief that i didn't embarrass myself
after your next talk, try asking what was interesting about the idea or the discussion
see whether there's something you'd want to explore even if nobody were scoring you
i'd like that. i don't want my whole life to feel like an exam
pick one ordinary activity you enjoy and try staying with it for a few minutes
cook something familiar, draw, rally a ball, play a song. notice what you can hear, see, or feel
and don't turn it into homework about whether i'm enjoying it correctly
if you do, notice that and return to what you're doing
8 · your own week-long experiment
ok. give me an actual plan for this week
choose one recurring situation. keep the experiment small enough to repeat
let's say speaking in meetings
before the first meeting, write one contribution you want to make: a question, a fact, or a decision you need
choose your attention cue: listen to the current question before preparing your response
and when the inner commentary starts
notice it, name one fact about the meeting, and take the next useful action
you might ask for clarification, offer your fact, or keep listening
what should i write down afterward
3 short notes: what happened, where my attention went, what i'll try next
include one specific thing that helped. keep the review brief enough that you'll actually do it
how many times do i try it before deciding it's useful
try it across several ordinary meetings this week. treat that as a personal experiment, with limited conclusions
compare concrete things: did you contribute, follow the discussion, and recover when you lost your place?
include that in the notes. also check whether you could do the task while nervous
what would mean i should change the approach
if the cue makes you more preoccupied, simplify it or try another. if you keep lacking facts, prepare those
if a question keeps confusing you, rehearse answering it with someone who can give useful feedback
so i adjust from what actually happens
let me see if i have it
i prepare. choose something useful to attend to. do the thing. look at what happened
when i mess up, i try to describe it precisely enough that i can do something about it
yes. and you can make the next attempt before you feel completely settled
the part i needed was permission to continue while i'm uncomfortable
try that in a small situation tomorrow. see what you notice
one meeting. one question. i'll start there
sounds good. let me know how it goes
Sources & scope
This is an explanation of Gallwey's framework, not a claim that it works for everyone. The Self 1 / Self 2 labels and equation are teaching models. The one-week plan is a personal experiment, not a validated protocol.
Read Thu, Oct 15 · 10:02 AM