You have to at least enjoy basketball to some degree, right? Athletes competing in an arena with screaming fans can be fun. And, it seems over the years, the basketball players have gotten bigger, faster, and stronger. Seems to me that it would make sense that the art of free throw shooting would have improved too, doesn’t it?
Well – it hasn’t improved. Like golf scores or batting averages – there has been no improvement. A story in the “New York Times” on 3/4/2009 says, “statistically free throw shooting (which is a free shot from 15 feet performed from in front of the basket) success has not changed much in over 50 years.”
HOW can this be possible? No improvement? Why is it still the same?
I believe it is the same because of the belief system. The “New York Times” article says “Widespread improvement over time in any sport, depends on a combination of four factors: physiology (the size and fitness of athletes, perhaps aided by performance-enhancing drugs), technology or innovation (things like the advent of rowing machines to train rowers, and the Fosbury Flop in high jumping), coaching (changes in strategy) and equipment (like the clap skate in speedskating or fiberglass poles in pole vaulting).” Leaders in the field of sport believe this. And, this understanding is missing the BIGGEST factor in potential excellence in the field of athletic competition – THE BRAIN.
This is easy to prove. Take a few athletes. Train their brains to balance and harmony. And, like magic, their performance improves. Keep training their brain and their performance would likely set new peaks for the sport they participate in. So, for a basketball player with free throws, for a batter in baseball, for a golfer, for someone depending on strength (weight lifter for example), endurance (long distance runner or cyclist), form (dancer or diver), intuition (games of chance), or speed (sprinter or swimmer) – ALL of these can hugely benefit from the balance and harmony of their brain. Early adopters – those who train their brain before this is generally known and adopted as a meaningful way to improve in the field of competition – will excel quickly.
So, get an athlete in the chair and balance and harmonize. Not a different process except that imaging should include examples in the competitive field when training the temporal or parietal lobes especially. Balance and harmony is a beautiful thing.
