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  • In the mid-70’s, author Timothy Gallwey wrote what would be known in the coaching and playing world as a “groundbreaking book.” This book is the favorite of Warrior’s Head Coach Steve Kerr, former Seahawks Head Coach Pete Carroll, as well as thousands of other coaches and players.

    From the outside looking in, Gallwey’s book appears to be about the sport of tennis, but when you read a little bit of it, you quickly realize it’s a book on confidence.

    The book is titled “The Inner Game of Tennis” and even Former CEO of Microsoft, Bill Gates, had this to say about it: “The Inner Game of Tennis is the best book on tennis I’ve ever read and its profound advice applies to many other parts of life. I still give it to friends today.”

    Warriors Head Coach Steve Kerr swears by this book, calling it the one he ‘re-reads every offseason, and it’s a book an OKC Thunder coach views the book as ‘akin to a cheat code not just for athletics, but life.’

    The book’s basic concept, which draws on Zen Buddhist principles, is simple: Our brains often screw up what our bodies are perfectly capable of doing on their own or- POTENTIAL minus (-) interference equals (=) performance.

    As a basketball player, just like so many other walks of life, players do not operate at max capacity because they are extremely hard on themselves and are losing the ‘inner game.’ As the book notes, every person has two selves…

    Self 1 is the conscious mind, what we use to think, decide and talk to ourselves. Think back to how often you see basketball players even at the highest levels getting verbally angry with themselves after a turnover or a missed opportunity.

    Self 2 is the subconscious mind, or the performer’s body doing the activity, which you access best when you are in ‘flow.’ Flow is the calm/relaxed state where things come naturally and you are not judging yourself, you are not forcing the action, you are letting things happen.

    These two ‘selves’- Self 1 the thinker and Self 2 the doer – are often in inner conflict with each other… and how this conflict ends usually determines how you perform on the outside.

    Here’s how players and coaches can win the “inner game.”

    They must quiet Self 1, being ever disciplined to not judge themselves when things go wrong. As a player or coach, that which gets praised gets repeated. And without thinking about it, when you talk negatively to yourself or think poorly of your performance you are repeating that bad behavior. Eventually, that becomes a habit and then even worse, it becomes ‘expected behavior’ until it is your identity. This usually leads to players saying things to themselves like ‘I’m not a shooter’ or ‘I suck at this game.’

    What players and coaches can do to resolve this inner conflict, is to quiet Self 1 and trust Self 2.

    That means not judging yourself, but observing what happens and then trusting that Self 2 will do the best job it can… basically, trusting your work has trained you and this moment isn’t anything but simple fundamentals. When you judge and scold yourself, you’re making Self 1 stronger and more present. When you play judge-free and see things as they are, you are more calm, alert and overall in the moment.

    If you’d like to learn more of the uncommon skills, habits, and mindset that can lead to championship performance on and off the court, find a PGC Basketball Summer Camp near you today!

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    About PGC

    PGC Basketball provides intense, no-nonsense basketball training for players and coaches. Our basketball camps are designed to teach players of all positions to play smart basketball, be coaches on the court, and be leaders in practices, games and in everyday life.

    We combine our unique PGC culture with a variety of teaching methods and learning environments to maximize the learning potential of those that attend our sessions. In addition to spending 6-7 hours on the court each day, lessons will be reinforced through classroom sessions and video analysis.

    Our goal at PGC is to empower you with the tools to fulfill your basketball dreams, while also assisting you in experiencing the joy of the journey.

    To learn more about PGC Basketball, including additional basketball training tips and videos, visit our YouTube Channel or find us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

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