At the heart of it, mastering the art of tennis requires the same mental strategy that is necessary for mastering the art of golf. If you apply the techniques of playing the inner-game "successfully," you'll see that mastering the art of "relaxed concentration" is necessary above all other skills-no matter what game you're playing. Relaxed concentration is the base building block from which self-confidence and the ability to win the game, grows. "The secret to success lies in not trying so hard," says Gallwey, "spontaneous performance can only occur when the mind is calm and seems at one with the body." As we'll learn in this half-hour program, getting into the right mindspace for this demands overcoming the common hang-ups of competition. Topping the list is the need to relax to the point where you can unlock all of the energy you have, and not focus on or get discouraged by losing. "You need to harness the intuitive capabilities of the mind on both the right and left hemispheres of the brain." says Gallwey. " The good news is this process doesn't have to be learned, we already know it. All is needed is to unlearn those habit which interfere with it, and then just let it happen."
