W. Timothy Gallwey

W. Timothy Gallwey (born 1938 in San Francisco) is an author who has written a series of books in which he has set forth a methodology for coaching and the development of personal and professional excellence in various fields that he calls "the Inner Game." Since he began writing in the 1970s, his books include The Inner Game of Tennis, The Inner Game of Golf, The Inner Game of Music (with Barry Green), Inner Skiing, and The Inner Game of Work. 

Gallwey's seminal work is The Inner Game of Tennis, with over one million copies in print. Besides sports, his training methods have been applied to the fields of business, health, and education. In 1960, Gallwey was captain of the Harvard University Tennis Team. In the 1970s, he learned meditation techniques which Gallwey said enhanced his powers of concentration in a manner that improved his game.

The "inner game" is based upon certain principles in which an individual uses non-judgmental observations of critical variables with the purpose of being accurate about these observations. If the observations are accurate, the person's body will adjust and correct automatically to achieve the best performance. Gallwey was one of the first to demonstrate a comprehensive method of coaching that could be applied to many situations. He lectured more often to business leaders in the U.S. than sports people.