Basketball: the power of symbolism in free throws
As a coach and teacher for about 40 years, I have learned a few things. Learning is a fascinating thing, and yet I think some of us take it for granted. “Life” itself is a tremendous journey filled with constant learning, to help us improve our station in life, hopefully have a good respectable life, and survive to the end in all aspects of life. Learning helps us make the decisions we take responsibility for, whether they are right or wrong.
The power of ‘thing’ is probably the greatest power we have in life. Every thing we do goes back to a thought and then a choice that ultimately leads to a destination. I don’t want to philosophize too much here, but ultimately this article is about leaving an impact through visual symbols that will possibly last a lifetime.
Charles Garfield once said, “A key to self-management is the ability to self-observe. It is important to realize that self-observation is not the same as overcriticism, critical judgment, or paralysis by analysis. It is more like constant monitoring.” “. of the performance itself.
Another reason I write about symbolism is that the greatest teacher of all, Jesus Christ, taught in parables and symbols, and if these parables and symbols left lasting impressions on my mind, I hope they have some effect on you, the reader.
Over the many years of teaching, I have found that I have used more and more images or symbols to help students see what I see. Another teaching tool such as an overhead projector that projects an image onto a screen. There is an image right there. We seem to get on the same page faster.
Here are 4 reasons why I use symbols in my training methods.
- Symbols create images that help remember important concepts.
- Symbols can represent and create feelings that we can control.
- Symbols can teach various principles depending on one’s readiness to learn or improve.
- Symbols can possibly speed up learning by clarifying images or imaginary images.
As I’ve said before, when it comes to taking excellently consistent and efficient free kicks, it takes more than just ‘being human.’ You must become a ‘human doing’. Shooters are not born. They are done. So the first key is to find your peak ability as a free throw shooter by learning what your best top-of-the-line average is. If the best in the world, namely NBA players, average around 72%, you can measure yourself against those numbers which are really very mediocre for a skill that is so simple and repetitive.
William James wrote this comment which is perfect for my message. He stated, “A mind once expanded by a great idea or new understanding will never fully return to its original dimensions.” That’s why once you hit 90% from the line, you won’t go back to 70% anymore. You will respect the changes you have made to raise your numbers through cognitive learning.
Since there are about 25 scientific principles that must be followed when shooting a free throw or 3-pointer, I have found that almost every principle carries some symbolism. Don’t forget that every principle has some scientific link and there are few or no shortcuts. Try to defy gravity. Try to drink unleaded gasoline. These are scientific principles that we all abide by, whether out of fear or knowledge is irrelevant. The result is the same and that is what we want, positive reinforcement and instant gratification.
Firing mechanism symbolism:
1. The ‘life’ of a free kick that it’s only about a second is symbolic for ‘life’ itself. The free throw takes a second and the average lifespan is about 75 years, depending on whether you are male or female. Females are injured more and average a few more years according to scientific studies. To shoot a perfect free kick you need a goal. IS the goal. It takes motivation, desire, dedication, knowledge and endless practice of perfect principles to achieve the desired result which is perfection.
Leading a nearly perfect “life” requires the same process. The goal is Heaven or eternal life. (Apologies to atheists and non-believers. I don’t mean to hurt anyone’s feelings.) Diligent search and obtaining of the appropriate knowledge, application of the principles learned, desire to follow a certain foreseen path (which can be good or bad), personal motivation, dedication, practice and application of principles and values that provide the desired result. Tell me if it is harder to master the second to shoot a free throw in the game of basketball or the 75 years to master yourself in the game of life?
two.handball ratio. Don’t just position your hand with your index finger at 90 degrees to the seams (the seams aren’t crucial here, but your index finger in the middle of the ball is). The hand should be as wide as possible to get the palm off the ball and it will be easier to maintain a level of consistency with the wide hand.
The symbolism here is that of writing with a pen or pencil. Don’t you place your fingers the same way each time on the writing utensil and don’t you write with your fingers and not with your arm and the larger muscles of your body? The fingers do the walking. The yellow pages ad can ring a bell.
3. the guiding hand. This is the support hand that stabilizes the ball during the pick up or catch.
The symbolism here is the image of the space shuttle ready to take off into space. Moments after the rockets fired, spewing megatons of fire and smoke into the ground and atmosphere, the supporting metal scaffolding is seen slowly peeling away to allow liftoff.
Same as the left guide hand which, after stabilizing the ball in the “shot pocket”, stands back a couple of inches to allow the shot to be fired unhindered just before the right hand trigger is pulled. (Opposite for left-handed shooters).
Four.The ‘shot pocket’ it is the area of the body near where the ball stops briefly after picking up the ball just before it is released. Depending on the size and strength of the shooter, this is where the shooting pocket may be. It can be near the belly, chest, or right side of the face, or even behind the top of the head.
The symbolism here is the trigger being cocked, before the trigger is pulled.
If there is no pause before the trigger is pulled, then the shot can be called a “chuck” or thrust. A shot is disciplined and a chuck or lunge is undisciplined. This pause usually separates the males from the females simply due to lack of strength.
5. the shooting arm includes the part of the anatomy from the shoulder joint to the wrist joint. When you straighten or ‘lock’ your elbow during the shot to give the entire arm a straight appearance, you are actually symbolizing the barrel of a rifle with the bullet in the chamber just before you fire.
6. monitoring which is the final stage of the shot and is simply the open hand starting palms up facing the ceiling (holding the ball) ending with the open hand palm down facing the ground.
The symbolism here is like closing the (hinged) lid of a cookie jar instead of sticking your whole hand into the cookie jar. The hand remains somewhat curved with no bending at the joints except the wrist.
7. Finger wide extended before and after the shot. It ensures consistency in throwing the ball by limiting any excess movement by keeping all finger joints in locked mode. The only joint that bends in the hand during a shot is the wrist.
The symbolism here is like the webbed feet of ducks that are always kept wide for maximum traction while paddling. Imagine rowing a boat with a broom handle instead of an oar. Same principle. No steering or power with thin tracking.
8. the arc is usually the same as the launch angle which is also equal to the angle of entry of the ball into the basket.
The symbolism here for the bow is to imagine shooting from the top of an old red British telephone box. You definitely don’t want your tracking to be at the level of your forehead or near your ear.
9. The ‘complete follow-up’ it’s the holding pattern during the shot at least until the ball hits the rim. This is full arm extended with the wrist bent and the hand parallel to the ground and no bent joints.
The symbolism here is the Statue of Liberty holding the lit torch proudly and high and for quite some time. (Hold follow through for the life of the shot or until it hits the rim.)
10. The inner edge of the shooting wrist. If you have the perfect shot pocket just a couple of inches above your forehead and the inside edge of your shot wrist will be in line with the front center of the rim.
The symbolism here is the inside edge of the shooting wrist compared to the peephole on the nose of a rifle or shotgun. So when you have the perfect line, you’ll have the center front of the rim, the inside edge of your shooting wrist, and your eyes forming a perfectly straight line like the barrel of a long rifle.
Frank Andrews gave a nice final statement to all of the above symbolism when he said, “Mindfulness is the practice of directing your attention, moment by moment, in the direction of your purpose. It’s called mindfulness because you have to keep your purpose in mind.” “. mind while watching your attention. Then, whenever you notice your target has drifted, you calmly realign it.” Absolutely perfect.
Copyright 2009, Ed Palubinskas. All rights reserved.