What I Learned from the Inner Game of Tennis: Part 3

In the first two articles in this series, What I Learned From the Inner Game, we focused on Gallwey’s belief in the power of imagery (Click Here) and his iconic distinction between the two selves that coexist in every tennis player. (Click Here.) Now in this article let’s turn to another major Gallwey opinion on watching the ball.

“Watch the ball!” is an admonition every player hears from every teaching pro, starting with his or her first lesson. In the Inner Game, Gallwey developed a new perspective on what that means.

Gallwey believed most players do not see the ball well, and often “think” about the ball, rather than actually paying attention. He wrote, “Watching the ball means to focus your attention on the sight of it.”

The Seams

He believed the best way to achieve this was to “notice the exact pattern made by its seams as it spins.” Focusing on the seams helped players see the ball earlier and watch it all the way to the racket.

“The ball should be watched from the time it leaves the opponent’s racket to the time it hits yours,” he wrote. But there is a question as to whether this is…