Many basketball games are decided on whether a team will win or lose by how well they perform at the free throw line. A free throw is the only time where the game is being play and the clock is stopped, players stop, and the ball is in an individual’s hand, with them and the basket. Since there are no defenders trying to block or alter their shot most coaches and spectators wonder what makes someone miss a free throw. Research literature shows that both psychological and physical factors play a role. Many athletes have a different way of approaching the line, but believe that accuracy can vary depending on the situation. A person may perform well on free throws during a game where their performance doesn’t determine the outcome of the game, but when the outcome is decided on their performance they tend to not perform well. There have been a lot of studies on what makes a person “choke” when shooting a free throw at the end of game situations, but there are not a lot of studies on whether the use of imagery can help a player feel less pressure at the line.
Literature Review
Most of the studies conducted show after 20-30 years of research that using imagery could help improve free throw performance. So why aren’t more coaches and players implementing these into their practice or free throw routine before taking the shot? Some may certainly use imagery before they perform their free throw (i.e. taking a deep breathe and exhaling while saying a positive word to themselves), but spectators, players, and coaches are still seeing players miss free throws every game when they know that they can make them perfectly fine in practice. So researchers have looked into why players miss free throws, especially when the game is on the line.
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...use of single-case research design to investigate the efficacy of imagery training. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 8(1), 27-43.
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Wang, J., Marchant, D. B., Morris, T., & Gibbs, P. (2004). Self-consciousness and trait anxiety as predictors of choking in sport. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 7(2), 174-185.
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Worthy, D. A., Markman, A. B., & Maddox, W. T. (2009). Choking and Excelling at the Free Throw Line. The International Journal of Creativity and Problem Solving, 19(1), 53-58.
Ziegler, Susan G. (1987). Comparison of imagery styles and past experience in skills performance. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 64, 579-586.
Behavior modification in athletics requires the development of goals. It needs one overall goal as well as small step goals. Goal setting is one of the strongest motivational tools. Studies have shown that goals should be broken down into short-term or intermediate goals to help attain the ultimate goals; goals must be accepted by the individual; challenging goals are better than easy ones; tracking progress is useful to remain committed to goals; and a plan of action facilitates goal attainment (Annesi, 2004). With the addition of a written contract binding the athlete to their goals it acts as another enforcer to accomplish their desired behavior.
While excelling as an inexperience basketball player, I was taught the improper mechanics and incorrect techniques on learning to shoot an appropriate jump shot. Following in my basketball career I developed as a shooting guard, leading to me being criticized for being a two-handed shooter. While blooming as an athlete and player, my college coach pointed out my distant actions and from then I grew interested in learning the research behind the mechanics I do when performing a jump shot. Because I got the opportunity...
Walker, N., Thatcher, J., & Lavallee, D. (2007). Psychological responses to injury in competitive sport: a critical review. The Journal of The Royal Society for the Promotion of Health, 174-180.
“The odds of a high school basketball player making it to the “next level” to play college basketball (DI, II, or III) is slim. In fact, only 3.4% of high school players go on to play college basketball. Taking it even further, only 1.2% of college basketball players go on to get drafted in the NBA” (Winters, 2016). There are two types of players in the game. There are the kids who play basketball because they are athletic, and all they are seeking to gain is the recognition and awards. They want to be known. Those players are self-centered, they do not play for the team, and generally don’t play because they love the game. These are the types of players who don’t usually go on to play at the next level. On the other hand, there are the players that absolutely dedicate their life to the game of basketball just because they love the game. That is what coaches are looking for in a player, and that is the kind of player I am striving to be.
Beck, A. T., & Steer, R. (1993). Beck Anxiety Inventory 1993 Edition. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
...t many people think all that many things go into shooting free throws, but without any of these key ways to shoot free throws, you will probably be inaccurate or will miss the shot.
Anxiety results from the athlete’s perception that he/ she is not good enough for the particular situation, which will cause stress (Edward and Hardy). An early model that attempted to explain the relationship between arousal and performance was the ‘inverted- U hypothesis.’ It stated that when an athlete would become aroused he/ she would do well in the event of competition, but if the athlete became too aroused then performance would deteriorate.... ... middle of paper ... ...
Sports Psychology Today. Mental Edge Athletics, 4 Sept. 2012. Web. 28 Oct. 2013. Forde, Pat.
My long and strenuous journey to be like Michael Jordan became an obsession, plaguing me from the second grade to high school. Like many children, I grew up idolizing “His Airness.” Emulating his intensity and competitiveness, I devoted myself to basketball, sacrificing weekend after weekend to the court. Before I knew it, my teammates had dubbed me “Mr. Automatic.”
Visualisation is the most common and effective technique used within mental imagery in sport (Harmison, 2011). To do this you envision yourself executing physical sequences of the sport (Harmison, 2011). It has been shown that visualization helps the athlete to perform at a higher level, through increasing traits of the ‘ideal mentality’. In the process of visualization your must imagine correctly and successfully all aspect of the motion, going through frame-by-frame and using all senses. Studies looking into visualization have shown that mental practice can increase real strength and performance creating an almost virtual iron aspect. This study by ( ) has also proven that visualization activates the same neural circuits that actual seeing does, visual imagery activates the brains visual cortex therefore through the imagining of movement it actives the motor ...
Sports are often identified to have positive influences on many individuals. The sports industry is growing worldwide, especially the basketball industry, which is regarded in second place behind football. The global prevalence of basketball is unquestionable, especially among the young. Basketball is a dynamic team sport that involves a pattern of alternating, active, and skilled movement activities. There are compound demands that require a mixture of individual skills, team plays, strategies, and motivational aspects.
Passing is perhaps one of the most important components of the sport. A game would be impossible without the assistance of passing and team work. To successfully carryout a pass, many factors have to be taken into account. In order to begin a pass, first a player must exert a force on the basketball. Once the ball leaves the hands of the player, it becomes a projectile. A projectile is acted upon by two independent forces: the x and y components. The x component is the force exerted on the ball by the player while the y component is pulled by the force of gravity, -9.8m/s². As a result of the independent components, the ball will travel in a downward parabolic path, or trajectory. Since the ball travels a downward path, the player throws the ball towards a target located a little higher than where the player wishes the ball would go in order to compensate for the downward path. Another factor that affects the successfulnes...
Sports psychology continues to evolve in order to ensure that comprehensive and evidence-based psychological services are available for athletes and teams. Giving athletes an understanding of their psychological functioning, and building the ability to implement a range of psychological strategies in competition enables athletes to both execute their skills and thrive under pressure as they strive to reach their performance potential.
In my final season of baseball, the coaches had hired a sports psychologist to help with the mental aspect of the game. The psychologist had us work on imagery and envisioning success, and naturally I doubted that it would help. About half way through the season I finally attempted this imagery practice before I pitched. I held a baseball and closed my eyes. While holding the correct grip for each of my pitches, I envisioned myself successfully throwing all of my pitches to every location of the plate. When finally stepped on the rubber, I found that I had a lot more confidence in commanding each of my pitches because I had already seen them. I felt that this had a significant impact on my performance, so I continued this practice for the remainder of my career. This was an example of personal mastery for me, because it helped me envision what I needed to do in order to achieve my
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