09/01/2026
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Book Club
Our September meeting is Sunday, September 20 at 2:00 PM at The MATS.
This month, we are reading The Inner Game of Tennis by W. Timothy Gallwey.
Do not let the tennis part fool you.
Gallwey’s real subject is what happens between knowing what to do and actually being able to do it. He explores attention, judgment, self-consciousness, overthinking, trust, and the internal commentary that can interfere with performance.
That makes the connection to jiu-jitsu pretty immediate.
Anyone who has ever known exactly what they were “supposed” to do and still watched themselves make the same mistake during a round understands the problem.
This month we are asking:
How much of our difficulty comes from the task itself, and how much comes from the way we experience it?
Alongside The Inner Game of Tennis, we will also be reading David Foster Wallace’s This Is Water as a companion piece, giving us another way to think about attention, perception, and the stories running quietly in the background of everyday life.
We have put together a September Reading Compendium PDF with the primary reading, companion material, discussion themes, questions to consider while reading, and supplemental listening.
Join the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Book Club on Bookclubs.com through the link in our bio to get the September Reading Compendium and follow along with the club.
You do not need to train at The MATS. You do not need to play tennis. You do not need to finish every page before showing up.
Read what you can. Bring a passage, a question, an objection, or simply an idea you want to explore with other thoughtful people.
Sunday, September 20th at 2:00 PM
The MATS Jiu-Jitsu Academy
Adult Open Mat follows from 3:00 to 4:30 PM.
Join the Bookclubs page through the link in our bio, download the September Reading Compendium, and come join the conversation.
