hoops
I'll be sleeping well tonight, I'm absolutely knackered. Just got back from a boot camp style basketball training session. Normally when I play, I'm by myself or with friends, so it was good to be coached for a change. Getting pushed further than I'd like to go really brings my limitations into focus, shortcomings in my game are highlighted and made all the more clear when I'm physically tired.
To me, basketball involves working towards personal improvement in the way in which I play, and when I'm actually playing a game against other people, the prime objective is to win. I think that working towards these objectives gives the process of playing and being involved in basketball real value. Basketball is an unusual part of my life... unlike something like practicing meditation, taking part in basketball is in itself almost a worthless persuit to me. Sure, I suppose that there's no reason why playing basketball couldn't become a Zen in the Art of Archery type activity. I seem to recall seeing a book by Bill Walton called "the Tao of the Jumpshot" in a bookstore (I havn't read it so I will refrain from making any comment on the book, though I would encourage you to take a look at the photo of Bill Walton that I've posted a link to). However, for me personally, putting a ball in a hoop in itself does little to change my life. In fact, playing the game can even have significant negative consequences for me. Being injured is an obvious one, but the game can also help to create an abundance of jabbering thoughts that can potentially cloud my whole outlook of things. During the week when I played in my grand-finals, I was constantly thinking of the games, tactics, the opposition, how I would play... my brain was running amuck. So why do I continue to invest so much time in playing the game?
For one thing, loath that I am to admit it, it gives me a certain sense of identity. Being passionate about something with some sort of a niche value to it does that, and helps to take care of my ego's need to feel unique and to gain respect amongst a bit of an exclusive peer group. That's the ignoble side of things. The game also keeps me fit, I've met plenty of new friends and it's a fun way spend time. But more importantly, I think that the game has the ability to strip your personality raw when you're in a competitive situation, and the results of the work and discipline (or lack thereof) involved in improving your personal play are starkly evident when you're playing against other people. There's little time for good manners in the midst of a game, and when you've got the prime objective of winning, foibles in how you react to situations and the actions of other people very clearly rear their heads. You see a lot of yourself that you wouldn't normally see. As for seeing the benefits of the work that goes into imroving personal performance, it would be easy to question the worth of putting in so much work to see an improved performance in doing an essentially useless task. Why not spend ages learning how to effectively crack watermelons open with your head? (By the way, anyone see that Guiness World Records show the other day?) To answer that, like I've said, the discipline you put in to become a better basketball player is very visibly evident when you're playing against other people. I'd like to think that so clearly being able to see the results of hard work has given me a great degree of confidence in my ability to improve myself, and at the same time, it is humbling to see players who are better than I am, and to see a work ethic and discipline that I have not reached. This confidence and this humility in my work ethic carry on into the rest of my life, which I'm sure is a good thing.
So, yeah, though I devote hours to the game every week, ultimately basketball isn't a necessary part of my life. I could live without it, but if I did live without it, I think that I'd be missing something worthwhile.
To me, basketball involves working towards personal improvement in the way in which I play, and when I'm actually playing a game against other people, the prime objective is to win. I think that working towards these objectives gives the process of playing and being involved in basketball real value. Basketball is an unusual part of my life... unlike something like practicing meditation, taking part in basketball is in itself almost a worthless persuit to me. Sure, I suppose that there's no reason why playing basketball couldn't become a Zen in the Art of Archery type activity. I seem to recall seeing a book by Bill Walton called "the Tao of the Jumpshot" in a bookstore (I havn't read it so I will refrain from making any comment on the book, though I would encourage you to take a look at the photo of Bill Walton that I've posted a link to). However, for me personally, putting a ball in a hoop in itself does little to change my life. In fact, playing the game can even have significant negative consequences for me. Being injured is an obvious one, but the game can also help to create an abundance of jabbering thoughts that can potentially cloud my whole outlook of things. During the week when I played in my grand-finals, I was constantly thinking of the games, tactics, the opposition, how I would play... my brain was running amuck. So why do I continue to invest so much time in playing the game?
For one thing, loath that I am to admit it, it gives me a certain sense of identity. Being passionate about something with some sort of a niche value to it does that, and helps to take care of my ego's need to feel unique and to gain respect amongst a bit of an exclusive peer group. That's the ignoble side of things. The game also keeps me fit, I've met plenty of new friends and it's a fun way spend time. But more importantly, I think that the game has the ability to strip your personality raw when you're in a competitive situation, and the results of the work and discipline (or lack thereof) involved in improving your personal play are starkly evident when you're playing against other people. There's little time for good manners in the midst of a game, and when you've got the prime objective of winning, foibles in how you react to situations and the actions of other people very clearly rear their heads. You see a lot of yourself that you wouldn't normally see. As for seeing the benefits of the work that goes into imroving personal performance, it would be easy to question the worth of putting in so much work to see an improved performance in doing an essentially useless task. Why not spend ages learning how to effectively crack watermelons open with your head? (By the way, anyone see that Guiness World Records show the other day?) To answer that, like I've said, the discipline you put in to become a better basketball player is very visibly evident when you're playing against other people. I'd like to think that so clearly being able to see the results of hard work has given me a great degree of confidence in my ability to improve myself, and at the same time, it is humbling to see players who are better than I am, and to see a work ethic and discipline that I have not reached. This confidence and this humility in my work ethic carry on into the rest of my life, which I'm sure is a good thing.
So, yeah, though I devote hours to the game every week, ultimately basketball isn't a necessary part of my life. I could live without it, but if I did live without it, I think that I'd be missing something worthwhile.
posted by Gene at 10:55 pm
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