This study adopts a heuristic phenomenological approach and investigates the occurrence and effects of the Inner Game (Gallwey, 1974) from a coach’s perspective. Published research both in business and sports coaching areas is reviewed together with associated psychological theories, in order to begin to determine the coping strategies that experienced coaches use to manage their Inner Game. One of the major challenges facing practicing coaches is their ability to control and regulate their response to Inner Game interferences and maintain a professional relationship with the coachee. The study reports the personal experiences of nine practicing coaches and through a semi-structured interview technique discovers the various reactive and proactive coping strategies in use to regulate and control internal responses to the mental and emotional interferences caused by the Inner Game. The findings also show how coaches build resilience to the Inner Game and minimise their exposure to it
