Inner Game
What’s it Like to Play Against Novak Djokovic?
Have you ever wondered what it might feel like to play the best player in the world? Last week I spoke with one of my long-term clients who happened to play him just two weeks ago in the Australian Open (I often work with players in the U.S and abroad via video). Two days after…
Read MoreTrue Grit
The longer I do this work and the more insight I get into people’s challenges, hopes, obstacles, and personal breakthroughs, I also find myself experiencing more empathy and understanding for the universal barrier we all face when it comes to success and performance. What is it? Fear with many faces. Fear of your own disappointment…
Read MoreThe Inner Game of Tennis – by W. Tim Gallwey
In the past ten years I have witnessed tremendous progress in both the acceptance of the the mental game, or inner game of tennis, and the number of conversations about it. You will be hard pressed to go 15 minutes without a commentator at any Grand Slam event not expounding on the relevance of “mental…
Read MorePlay with Gratitude
One of the best ways to replicate your best day on the court is to remember to be grateful for the moment you are in right now. We now have conclusive evidence from MRI scans of the brain and more dependable biofeedback procedures that show how a feeling of gratitude or deep appreciation can
Read MoreAre you Ready to Change?
One of my main objectives when I work with athletes is to help them deeply engage in the “process.” Most athletes understand the concept of an outcome focus vs. a process focus by now. However, actually doing it, committing to a particular process, regardless of the outcome is far from easy. There is a big
Read More5 Rules to Close the Gap Between Parents and Athletes
Nearly 35 million children and adolescents participate in organized youth sports in the United States. Thirty-five percent of these same children say they will likely quit the following year. In the United States, youth participation in organized sports has dramatically increased over the past 25+ years from approximately 18 million children in 1987 to 60
Read MoreEmbracing Uncertainty: The Hallmark of Success and Peak Performance
Today, I met with a very accomplished tennis player, who also happens to be in the world of finance. In our meeting he described how his body would go physiologically haywire right before the announcement of a companies’ earnings—nausea, constricted throat, diarrhea, even cold sweats at night. This physiological reaction was similar, he said, to
Read MoreThe Courage to be Loose
Those of you who have listened to my CD program, Fearless Tennis, or have read my book, The Best Tennis of Your Life, know that I am passionate about pushing the envelope when it comes to playing “loose.” Okay, fine. Maybe a bit obsessed. But this newsletter is not only about how to get loose.
Read MoreThe Power in a Word
I’ve spent weeks working with a player helping him to gradually shift toward a more “process-focus” where he is less influenced by who he is playing and what might happen. He seems to be getting it and demonstrates insight into how focusing on things outside his control is counterproductive. Nevertheless, a week after our last
Read MoreAny Spirit in your Game?
Today I was thinking about spirit. And, of course, as I often try to do, I wanted to apply this concept and experience of spirit into the context of sports. I know many people who find my work happen to be athletes, many of whom are tennis players, but as I am sure you know,
Read MoreCoaching the Inner Athlete
Over the past 17 years that I have been working with athletes and their families I have discovered three common characteristics that help athletes succeed. I will discuss these themes in this blog and subsequent posts. The inner game feels like a mystery a lot of the time doesn’t it? We read books on the
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