Comments on: Free throws should be easy

By: Neovictorian

Neovictorian — Thu, 27 Jun 2019 19:14:16 +0000

I played a lot of basketball–not mentioned in the article, perhaps it’s in the book, but shooting free throws during a game, with the body activated and breathing harder, slightly impairs the “consistent speed” that comes from “smooth, coordinated movement of multiple limbs and joints, from their knees, elbows, and wrists to the tiny points of articulation in their fingers and toes.”

Some of the free throw practice should come from running the court a few times, shooting two free throws, running the court again, etc.

By: Graham

Graham — Thu, 27 Jun 2019 15:05:15 +0000

Probably also related to the academic phenomenon of “test anxiety”.

I reached a point where I had anxiety about whether I would be able to overcome test anxiety. Fortunately for me, that’s when the conceptual bubble overinflated and burst and I mostly had a healthier level of preparatory stress after that.

Still, put me in a formal test taking situation today, after many years of not being constantly exposed to it, and I might have lowered performance even on familiar material.

By: R

Thu, 27 Jun 2019 10:12:39 +0000

It seems what Beilock calls ‘paralysis by analysis’ is what I know as perceived expectation of performance. An example of lowered performance would be the condition where one is exposed to a practical test in a highly regimented environment.

For me that would be flight training. Ordinarily I was fully competent, in fact having received recognition for my skill development. But put into test mode I would flail and performance would drop significantly. The problem is my knowing the examiner is watching my every move therefore I would tend towards doubting if my movements were correct.

To resolve the problem I acquired a thought process where I just didn’t care what anyone thought, the result would not matter one iota. This took the self-induced pressure off and my performance would be back to my typical.