Ola, followers! My two
posts this week will be from Sao Paulo, Brazil! Although I am very busy vacationing,
I still have managed to make time to practice my Globetrotting.
This week, I have decided that I have gotten about as
good as I can get at spinning the basketball on my finger. So I have focused
mostly on the inner and outer rolls this week. I have taken some pretty big
strides this week. I was very nervous last week, because I wasn’t improving
with my skills very much. But this week, I have gotten back on the path I
envisioned.
As
I have said before, I practiced the inner and outer rolls more this week. I
have found through practice that, just like the outer roll, if I spin the ball
in the direction I want it to go, I have more control over the ball in the
inner roll. I spin the ball up in the air along a vertical axis before I roll
it along my arms. With this new tactic, I am able to perform the trick more
fluidly. Since I learned to do this, I have been experimenting with going
directly from spinning the ball on my finger into the inner roll.
With
the outer roll, I can’t say that I have had as much success. This trick has
been the most difficult of the three. With the other two, I am at the point
where I can casually pull of the trick. I can spin the ball on my finger while
walking with my eyes closed. I can’t do that with the inner roll, but I don’t
need much focus. But with the outer roll, I have to focus very hard on the
trick. I still can’t consistently pull it off. I can probably get it all the
way across both arms about 1 in 5 tries.
I
have found that there is also a mental approach I must have when I perform my
tricks. I have found that with self-confidence comes a much greater success. It
can be just as simple as telling myself, “You got this.” Also, if I picture
myself pulling off the trick in my head, I am more successful as well. This has
helped me with the outer roll and the sub-tricks of spinning the ball on my
finger.
My
biggest strides have come in this area. I have greatly improved in spinning the
ball on my left hand. I can do it for a maximum of 5 seconds, and my
consistency has improved as well. For the first time, I successfully preformed a
sub-trick similar to an “around the world” in soccer. I flick the ball off of
my finger, pull my left arm in between the ball and my right hand, and keep
spinning the ball on my right finger. I am close to doing this with my left leg
also! I can also transfer the spinning ball in between my fingers now; however
I can’t keep it spinning long once I transfer. I am confident that I will be able
to pull of these three sub-tricks in my presentation and possibly others!
Adeus!
2 comments:
Jeremy, what better way to practice Globetrotting than on another continent? It seemed to me that when you originally started this project, it might be a little too much to do a whole load of tricks, but it seems like you have found the three that you will perform, thus making your work a little easier. I also thought that it was really interesting that you have begun to incorporate a mental approach to practicing these tricks. Since they are part of a Globetrotter routine, they are obviously complicated, but with confidence and reassurance, it seems like they are a lot easier to do.
It seems like you are really starting to take off with this project and your practice is starting to pay off big time! Globetrotting from Brazil huh? Sounds like fun. I know that I really wouldn't want to practice while on vacation, but you are obviously motivated and you really want to perfect this. Congrats on your progress!
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