Photo by: nilsbyte
I have three primary passions in life: surfing, martial arts, and basketball. I’ve accepted that basketball is number one on the totem poll. Considering the profound love I have for the other two — this shocks me.
There is still much development left for me in this game…
Basketball is in my blood. When I was younger I used to average 1 to 4 hours a day. Maybe more. Truth is, I made every effort to play as much as I could possibly muster. My goal was simple, I wanted to be the best.
I went to basketball camp every summer. I played in leagues. I played in as many pick up games as I could find. Alas, I only played one year of High School basketball, and that was my senior year.
Running is great and I love to run. Running is even inspiring. But, it is not basketball. Running can be likened to the ascetic living outside of the city who spends countless hours in the cave meditating. This certainly comes with its own challenges. But basketball–to its credit–is a social game. Though the ascetic meditating in the cave encounters challenges from various directions, these challenges come from far fewer directions than the man living in the city who strives for a life of decency and moral wisdom — from this place difficulties and challenges come from every which possible direction. This in a nutshell paints a picture of how the challenges of running do not compare to the challenges of playing the game of basketball.
Basketball is entirely competitive. When running, one can be competitive with one’s self. (Of course, there are exceptions). But, go to any gym in the United States, and watch pick up games; you will quickly see how much the thirst for winning really is.
In basketball — it is not only the individual who wants to win — the team does too. This reality lays the framework for personal responsibility. Every teammate is expected to push themselves, creating relentless pressure to produce.
In addition, basketball is a supremely mental game. If the mind is weak, one’s skills will travel less of a distance. When the mind is strong: one’s skills will come closest to their pinnacle. For example, a player misses four consecutive shots. If the individual becomes discouraged from missing these shots, every subsequent attempt will have a significantly less likelihood of being made (Even worst than this, a player may stop taking shots altogether). However, if the player has a strong mind, then he/she will unwaveringly continue to shoot the ball and believe with conviction the next one will be good. The former will not produce the best results. The latter is what makes good players great.
Finally, it’s so very easy to flip your lid playing this game. Events happen that make you simply annoyed. For example, you’re guarding someone, and you know you didn’t foul them yet they call it. The list could go on and on, and it’s particularly frustrating when it is towards the final stretch of a game–quite critical– and the score is tied for example. It is here that the balancing act must be made. On the one hand you have to make your case and appropriately stick up for what you know. On the other hand, losing your cool is never cool. And so, this game becomes much more meaningful. On the stage where confrontation is prone one is given the opportunity to build their character consistency. In the midst of confrontation and provocation it is so easy to lose it. Yet, to see and hear the moment of challenge and yet to navigate it wisely; this very act contributes to making the game of basketball so much more than just a game.
-Bamboo Forest
No sport beats basketball.