"I go up there expecting to make every shot," Ahearn said. "You put doubt in your mind, you've already lost, your chances have already dropped. I've never missed my next shot, ever, in my entire life. That one's always gone in for me."He paused, smiled and added, "At least in my head it has."
This quote is from NBA player Blake Ahearn. Ahearns' incredible story was recently documented on former NBA coach, Eric Musselman's blog. Ahearn apparently has taken 1,200 shots everyday for the last 10 years. His work ethic is so detailed that he can tell you how many shots he made on a particular date. He documents all of his workout in a notebook. Even though his work ethic is amazing, his earlier quote reflects a common trait of great shooters that is often overlooked. Simply put, Where the mind goes the body will follow.
Whether its Biblical(Calling those things that are not as tho they were. Romans 4:17),Cybernetics or The Secret, the practice of mental imagery is important to many in the happenings of life. Some would argue that Mental Imagery is just as important as all the other skills needed in becoming an elite basketball player.
Current NBA asst coach, Paul Westhead, is one of the biggest proponents of Mental Imagery.
He writes, " In order to be a good shooter, you must have the proper mental image....Your physical situation does not determine your status-your self image does. You act and feel and perform according to what you imagine to be true about yourself." He goes on to say,"The muscle memory becomes even greater the more you groove the activity in your mind...The saying "Practice makes perfect" is only half true, for so does "mental practice make perfect".
Westhead was known for making his players practice free throws with their eyes closed. He believes that this "Mental Practice" was just as important as the "Physical Practice" of shooting. He claims that with this practice, he had players making 4 out of 5 free throws on a consistent basis. (His results of his"Mental Practice" captivated the basketball world in the 1990 NCAA tournament. Westheads' high scoring but low seeded Loyola Marymount team made an improbable run to the Elite Eight. The run was unlikely do to the untimely death of LMU's leading scorer and co-captain, Hank Gathers. Gathers collapsed during a game in early March of 1990 due to a heart attack. LMU's co-captain and Gathers best fried , Bo Kimble, took the team upon his shoulders. The lasting memory of his performance was when Kimble shot his first free throw. The right-handed Kimble shot his free throw with his left hand in tribute to the southpaw, Gathers. The result was nothing but net.)
Westhead goes on to say" What mental practice is doing is conditioning us to win. We have every reason to believe things will go well because of our great capacity. There is so much energy and excellence within our body if we only learn to call upon it."
