W. Timothy Gallwey, through his book “The Inner Game of Tennis” published in 1974, is the person who gave a major impulse to the world of modern coaching.
In his books — including “The Inner Game of Work,” which focuses on the business world — he clearly explains how we all risk achieving mediocre performance and, consequently, living mediocre lives if we fail to master the inner game of our mind.
According to Gallwey, as a result of our personal history and life experiences, we all have two selves.
A Self 1, which constantly judges and blames our life, our actions, and our performance, and a Self 2, which represents the true, deeper nature of who we are.
We could identify Self 1 as the rational, conscious, and reflective part of our being, and Self 2 as the instinctive part — the one that encompasses all our expressed and potential abilities, our natural capacity to learn and grow to our fullest potential.
It’s the state we often experienced as children, completely immersed in our inner worlds, learning and creating effortlessl
The interferences of Self 1 with Self 2 during the execution of a task are the root cause of distorted perception, leading to unsatisfactory results.
In the case of a tennis player, Gallwey gives the following example: if the player — through Self 1 — perceives the ball as a threat, he will be unable to respond using the full range of abilities that reside within Self 2. This is precisely what creates interference.
All of our best performances emerge when Self 1 is silent and Self 2 fully governs our actions.
In those moments, performance flows effortlessly — with precision and mastery.
Gallwey offers a model to help us master the mental game.
At the top of this triangular model lies the principle that when Self 2 takes over from Self 1, we enter a state of heightened focus or “Flow,” which Gallwey calls “Awareness” or “Active Consciousness.”
In the coaching process, the coach cannot help the client through judgment, as it would interfere with Self 2.
The key to transformation, therefore, lies in the ability to ask questions that enhance accurate perception of the situation and stimulate learning.
At this stage, Trust in one’s innate learning ability — residing within Self 2 — becomes essential.
It’s the belief that, once Self 2 perceives the situation correctly, it will naturally adapt and evolve toward the desired goals.
The element of Choice is equally crucial, as the individual must have consciously chosen to pursue goals that hold genuine meaning.
Without this meaningful choice, there can be no Active Awareness, no Trust, and the entire mental game of performance collapses due to a lack of purpose.
Mario Mason
