My Passion for tennis (1) - THE INNER GAME OF TENNIS - Gallwey


I was told that to create an interesting blog, I should write about things that I was passionate about, things that others would want to read or things that would raise questions in the mind of the reader. Tennis is my game of choice but yours might be golf, bowling or any other sport. The principles are the same.....you need to be "in the zone" to be a winner.

Tennis isn't just hitting a little yellow ball back and forth across a 36" high net on a green playing field. Tennis is outwitting your opponent as much as it is outhitting him. "What is he planning to do, hit a lob, a short crosscourt dropshot or will the ball come straight at me? If he does this, I will do that....if he hits crosscourt, I'll return down the line" Your mind is busy....too busy!


In 1974 W. Timothy Gallwey wrote The Inner Game of Tennis. Gallwey writes that "every game is composed of two parts, an outer game and an inner game. The outer game is played against an opponent and the inner game is the one that is taking place in the mind of the player. The player of the inner game comes to value the art of relaxed concentration and aims at the kind of spontaneous performance which occurs only when the mind is calm."


Throughout this blog, I will try to detail the lessons that I have learned as I go in quest of the inner game.


(click on the label: "My Passion for Tennis" to see the continuing articles)

Stay Away from My House

Our home is in a nice area of Omaha....at least we thought so. But crime happens everywhere. Maybe it's the economy...jobs are being lost and people need money. So, they steal it. A "you have it...I need it" mentality.

Our neighor's house was broken into last week...the thief threw a rock through their picture window and stole a purse that was sitting on a nearby table. The home owner had turned off the security system and forgot to reset the alarm. They have a dog (can YOU be sued by a thief if your dog bites him?) but it was in the basement family room with the rest of the family.

Does my liability insurance cover me if the thief was cut by the broken glass as he reached into the room to grab the purse? I suppose a "good" lawyer could say that it was "tempting" the thief because the purse was in plain sight so the homeowner was at fault. What if the thief had tripped over the water hose on his way to picking up the BIG rock....could the homeowner be sued?

He hasn't been caught yet, but his stocking cap was left behind. It caught on the broken glass as he reached into the room.....maybe his DNA is on it!