Let me tell you something you might have not thoughtof…
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Great athletes don’t think!
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They are in the flow/zone/state, call it whateveryou want. They’re conditioned to let their bodydo its magic. When you’re shooting the ball andyou’re thinking is it gonna go in, should I throwit little higher, do I have enough time, are my feetor shoulders set right, you’re most likely to miss it.
What you don’t want to do is get the mind, whichis so powerful (but in this case works against you)get in the way of the “thinking muscles” of your body.
Most talented basketball players who are naturallygood with either passing, shooting, who have strongpsychology and are super confident all the time, theydon’t know why they are great. They don’t knowwhat makes them great. It takes nuts like meto de-construct what they are doing and present it.
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So, what can you do right now?
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Well, you can do rituals. That’s what great players do.That’s what Jason Kidd does right before he makesthose free throws. That’s why LeBron James throwspowder in the air. That’s why players get together andsay those affirmations.
If you’re playing one on one with someone and you’reactivating your mind, consciously thinking and askingyourself…Should I try and steal his ball…or maybe Ican just block him when he tries to shoot. Oh no!Perhaps I should just shut the hell up, get angrywith him and play dirty. You know what I mean?
Whatever you’re thinking it’s working against you.When you ask the best tennis players what do theyfocus on in a game…they don’t say…I’m repeatingwhole sentences to myself…they say stuff like..
“I’m the ball”. If you really have to talk to yourselfin a game make sure it’s 2 or 3 word phrase so thatit gets you emotionally fired up and lets your bodydo its own magic
Also…
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You’re expecting the wrong things
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Let me explain…
The state you’re in, will pretty much define your performance.What do I mean by that? It’s the same as in with every otherarea in life. If you get up there to give a public speech aboutwhatever, something that you don’t enjoy talking, you gonnabe in a pretty messed up state.
You know you gonna suck and you will. It’s a self-fulfillingprophecy. And when you’re a confident, not really worriedof the outcome, or better yet, “know”that the outcome will bepositive, you’ll be in a much better state and as a result,do so much better.
I know that you’re probably aware of this, but…
– How can we “translate” this in basketball terms? Think aboutit, when there’s a game you’re in when it’s just ON. Whenevery shot you take, the ball hits nothing but the net. I mean,you’re in state, kicking butt, having a great time, being on fire.
And your chances of doing that again will go sky high becauseyou’re being more confident and know that you gonna beawesome,
In order to do that, you need… what? You need to spendcountless hours on the floor. Drain your body everyday andimprove and constantly evolve as a player. Only when you”get there”, you can be in the state we’re talking about.
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How can you speed up the process?
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Well, how about we add a little twist to this? Because basically,the state comes from your mind. It’s that inner game thatyou have to master in order to get the outer game handled.
Here’s a rule of thumb…
What you expect it to be true, generally will.
It’s a simple concept, but when you look deeply into it, you’llrealize that you can relate to it more times than you can remember.
Point being, this is how your mind works. When you’re confident,not attached to the outcome (whether you make that shot or notfor example) so strongly, and you’re “outside your head”,expecting that every shot you take or a pass that you dish outor whatever it is, to be positive, in terms of how you like it tobe, generally it will be. Read that sentence again if you have to.
I mean, this is pure logic we’re talking here. It’s the blueprintof how your mind works when you’re in top state. And we’retrying to consciously decode that blueprint. I know I may soundlittle…pffff… unusual when I communicate in this manner, butthat’s the way I’m doing it. At least I’m trying. Guys out thereknow this stuff but can’t teach it.
And if hey, my method doesn’t work for you, I respect that.I just want you to know that I’m trying to help. Bear with me onthis. If you try to grasp the principles here and really think about them, you WILL rip the rewards of it.
These are the stuff that top people in any other areas are usingto have almost “unfair” advantage over other people.
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