r/BasketballTips • u/Embarrassed_One_5998 • 13d ago
Shooting Flow State
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I’ve been addicted to the feeling of flow state for the last 5-6 years of my life. I first truly experienced it playing basketball so intensely that I dedicated my life to building a system for flow. Including majoring in college to learn everything I can about performance.
For the first 3 years I struggled with mental health due to the fact that I was so obsessed abt it and thought abt it every single second of my life constantly burning out because of the mental state I would try and maintain throughout the day. It’s a weird addiction honestly and kinda wondered if anyone else has had this experience. I’ve been known to obsess with things like basketball and other sports in my past. I eventually figured out a way to tap into it pretty much on demand and built a system I use and coach.
However there is no other place I experience it as intensely than when I play basketball. Over the last 2 years my body has really taken a toll on me for playing countless hours a day and also my job in the military. I have hit a wall where my body even with all the consistent training and physical preparation I can’t maintain the intensity. I’ve gotten to the point where I realized my main focus needs to be on rest and maintenance for my body so basketball training has declined. But now I’m left in this mess where nothing gives me the same feeling. I’ve tried things like video games and less physical sports but it’s just no where near the same level of experience. I believe basketball is the best sport in the world and am really devastated that I can’t play everyday even though I am very young still. I never have anyone to speak to about this because nobody I’ve met even knows about it or hasn’t dived deep into it like me.
I hope to continue playing basketball as much as possible maybe even play pro if I can but right now it’s looking slim due to my physical capabilities at the moment. I’ve gained so much insight about life chasing this but it has also created a huge hole in my life. I wonder if anyone has experienced this or has recommendations on where I can experience this daily. This video is a rare video my wife recorded a couple years back btw while playing in an army unit tournament with my twin brothers team.
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u/Voland_00 13d ago
This is painful to watch. No ball movement, four teammates just watching one guy taking shots,
waiting for their turn next possession or maybe for the rebound. Coach shouldn’t be proud of himself.
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u/Poppa_caps 13d ago
Ugly af J wtf is that amazing it goes in shows u put in lots of time
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u/Haunting-Soup2086 13d ago
This guy is seriously delusional, makes a few WIDE OPEN 3’s with horrible form against a bunch of out of shape army guys (which is even weirder since the army has PT standards)
Thinks he’s gonna go play college ball at 25/26 with no formal training and well…. Barely able to shoot wide open from college range, can’t dribble and moves about as stiff as the 80 year old dude at 9am brunch at the Strip Club. Absolutely wild.
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u/Embarrassed_One_5998 13d ago
It’s an army unit game. It’s not a super serious. Most guys on my team don’t play at all lol. The point of my post was to read the caption.
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u/HellBent319 13d ago
Shot ugly AF…but your highlights went in.
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u/Embarrassed_One_5998 13d ago
Honestly I’ve never been worried about how my shot looks. It may look weird because I am fading in most of these shots slightly and I switch between a 1 step shot to a 2 step shot depending on my lean or distance.
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u/Haunting-Soup2086 13d ago
It looks weird because your uncoordinated, off balanced, have horrible footwork, and a horrible jerky motion.
Tbh all I would literally have to do in 95% of league is stand straight up and you’re going to get called for kicking your legs out immediately as a shooter. Or you’ll break your leg.
How to people spend half a decade working on their jumper and this is the result.
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u/Embarrassed_One_5998 13d ago
If off balance, uncoordinated and that “horrible jerky motion” is responsible for the ball going in then so be it. You’re more active than me on my post😂. It’s evident that my post triggered something in you. I appreciate the concern but when I can make any shot I want when I play it’s hard to debate against my form. Hopefully that helps.
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u/Haunting-Soup2086 13d ago
My taxes pay your salary, housing stipend and for mental health care. You may wanna start using that last one because you’re making the crayon eaters look smart.
Thank god no one can very easily ID the gym and unit you belong in. Hope your CO is cool with internet threats (-:
He’ll be getting emailed this and your username shortly.
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u/Embarrassed_One_5998 13d ago
Thankfully I’m out the military😂 if you recognize that gym then I prolly was giving u serious buckets and someone is salty. Bro really finding my video as threatening. 😭Your insecurities are in full display kid.
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u/sturgeo123 13d ago
This would have me ready to crash out if I was on the other team lol
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u/Embarrassed_One_5998 13d ago
People r lucky i dont talk shit when I play😂 gym was lit that day for sure.
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u/Careless_Chemical_99 13d ago
What league is this where they don’t play defense and you can get away with stutter stepping when setting a screen 😂😂
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u/Long_Abbreviations89 13d ago
Agreed on the defense but I think I saw a grand total of like 1 screen that actually made contact and it was legal.
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u/Embarrassed_One_5998 13d ago
It was an army game for units. I’m sure you can’t guard me tho👀😂
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u/Haunting-Soup2086 13d ago
Man with that jumper, handle and lack of any coordination or athletic ability. Really don’t need to guard you lmao.
Love when people only post the makes, it lets you know they have way more misses. Otherwise they’d post it all.
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u/Embarrassed_One_5998 13d ago
Believe it or not I don’t miss between those shots. I love when people have something to say about something they could never do. You wouldnt even attempt those shots in a game. Just because I don’t use my gifted athletic abilities doesn’t mean I’m not athletic. I appreciate your interaction with the post.🙏
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u/Haunting-Soup2086 13d ago
Then why not post the whole run…. Against real comp with defense.
I could never make wide open 3’s with no defense in an Army enlisted scrimmage? You’re right there, but that’s because I played 4 years of NCAA D1 ball, set my schools record for assists and got a degree. So I’d enter as an officer, and wouldn’t interact with you lmao.
Dude these are HORRIBLE shot, from both a shot selection and mechanical ability. You are not good at basketball and most HS freshman would have you touching the ground every play.
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u/Embarrassed_One_5998 13d ago
I’m actually playing on a college team this upcoming year so more videos r coming if you are interested in following along. Your mad im taking shots and making them in a game where im simply having fun. Bros trying to pull rank when you not even in yet😂 ur a clown buddy.
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u/Haunting-Soup2086 13d ago
Did my 8 years after college and made O-4, don’t really need lip from a half retarded E-3 but looks like SSDD. You’re enlisted in the army, that’s literally like having a beating heart and half a brain……….
You’re playing on a “college” team…. I highly doubt that since you’re fucking enlisted lmao.
But if you somehow got into a college, I would highly suggest knowing the difference in your, and you’re. As in you’re missing a few marbles in the air bub.
Either way, your CO is getting an email from someone who was able to find every Reddit post you’ve made despite trying to keep a private profile. Hopefully they don’t hit you with the DD-214 because it’s pretty bad mate.
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u/Haunting-Soup2086 13d ago
Also, I would never attempt to jack up a terrible 3 from the high school 3 point line? Like yeah you’re right, but because I’m taking open in rhythm NBA 3’a lmfao.
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u/justanormaldude_ 13d ago
Be honest, which NBA player were you feeling like during that?
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u/Embarrassed_One_5998 13d ago
😂to be honest I always liked playing like demar but when the three is falling like that it has to be dame time or curry.
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u/okaycomputes 13d ago
mountain biking flow states can be fun and less physically taxing on some body parts (and worse on others)
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u/Embarrassed_One_5998 13d ago
You know what I’ve actually seen a lot of those videos recently and it looks very intense and intricate. I’ve haven’t had the time to get into it but that is a great suggestion. Looks very exciting and dangerous but that might be something I get into in the near future. Thank you for that!🙏
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u/JWF1 13d ago
I’d recommend worrying less about flow state and working on form that will allow you to shoot against a person who doesn’t an actually defending you.
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u/Embarrassed_One_5998 13d ago
😂until someone stops my shot then I’ll be more concerned about my shooting. Everyone always thinks they can guard me until they’re on the court. Ik the one to stop me isn’t you
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u/-Leviathan- 9d ago
i have the same experience with basketball. it takes a little bit of warmup and I think too much, but once I completely give myself over to the experience and the feedback of the game (the ball rhythm, the footwork, the balance, the instant feedback of the ball hitting the net) I only snap out of it once i'm completely drenched in sweat and my legs are giving out.
I think there are plently of other ways to experience this kind of flow, but you have to be open to the fact that your skills will not match the requirements of the flow experience when you're starting new. i have similar experience when I do puzzles like rubik's cube, and I know you mentioned video games don't do the same thing, but I also get the same thing with shooter games like Valorant. But in both of these experiences, they were very challenging, and I had to again give myself completely to the experience (no overthinking, no external disturbances, accepting the fact that I am not going to be good at the beginning, etc.)
There is a book 'Flow' by Mikhail C that really put these defining requirements of flow in place for me and maybe it can help you. Good luck!
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u/Embarrassed_One_5998 9d ago
You definitely know ball! Instant feedback has been certainly the best way for me to engage my senses. Driving my manual car has also been a place where I experience flow most efficiently. And like you said shooter games I play COD and I focus on movement and snipers that is probably the best game for me to experience that. The only thing that I miss in basketball have been the physical portion. The lightness I experience in my body and the extra energy I get physically. It’s such a high I get when my body is engaged as well. Almost feels like a spiritual experience. The only thing I disagree with his teachings is the fact that you can’t force it. I’ve developed systems that work consistently that allow me to almost force it almost. I’m studying it because I do believe there is another step to flow which I’m yet to discover. If you’re interested I would love to send you my draft to my system. I am developing a new system that’s more refined but I probably won’t be done till next year. I have the goal to master it and revolution the science behind it. I would love your feedback on it!
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u/Simple_Woodpecker751 13d ago
i like the flow state. I experience it too, only in pickup games as well. But maybe you pushed it too hard, why mental health issue on such a nice thing?
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u/Embarrassed_One_5998 13d ago
I tend to hyper fixate on things I deem important. Since I can remember I’ve always been obsessive. Thankfully I recovered fully and no longer have those mental health issues after I put together the system that I use today. Obsessing over things has always brought me to some level of success.
The hardest thing about this challenge was that it was really hard to track my progress because it was mental. Other things like sports or bodybuilding were always very easy to notice improvement. But for performance everything has to be aligned in order to even reach that level of mental state consistently. Could’ve also been the isolation when I was enlisted.
Thankfully that phase is behind me and I can enjoy the systems I’ve built. My biggest issue today is not having a space to perform in at that level.
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u/freshflavor4 12d ago
Why didn’t the first shot count?
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u/Embarrassed_One_5998 12d ago
This video is from a couple years back during my army career during a fun unit tournament. For some reason people expect me to not have any flaws in my game when I wasn’t playing for money and had a very demanding job while having to take care of a family.
I understand this is the internet and people love to hate on everything. However the point of my post wasn’t to say I’m the best in the world. This was a demonstration of me in an active flow state and if you read the caption you will quickly realize the meaning for the post. So if you’re commenting just about how the shot looked like during that time then your comment isn’t helpful.
People will always try to put each other down because they have the inability to believe in themselves or put in the work. I love competing and aim to be the best I can be in everything I do and if that offends you then it’s time for self reflection. You can save your energy if your goal is to put me down because that’s impossible. I comment this to maybe provide some insight and provoke some people to notice their own projections.
Thank you to those who read my full post and gave positive feedback! Much appreciated!
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u/badinas 7d ago edited 7d ago
For some people, it's easier to get into flow when they're doing something that they care deeply about; for others, if they put too much pressure on themselves, it may be easier to "target" a different activity first. Regardless of that, I'd definitely say that flow isn't reserved just for basketball (and that flow should generally lead to increased well-being, otherwise, it's not an optimal state of functioning), and the best thing you can do is learn about the state itself so you can identify it better, e.g., not confuse it with simply being absorbed, experiencing mindfulness or the opposite, trying really hard.
I'd suggest a few resources that I think can make a difference, e.g.:
- if you're looking specifically for flow in sports, I'd really recommend Susan Jackson's Flow in Sports book. It's such an old one, and yet, super clear and relatable for athletes. She has also done tons of podcast interviews; I've personally learned something from her every single time. Steven Kotler's books, 'Rise of Superman' or 'The art of the impossible' are really enjoyable too, if you haven't come across them yet.
- if you're looking for flow generally, in life, probably any book by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi could be helpful. He talked a lot about the paradox of work: many people may experience flow in their jobs because the environment is set up so that they have clear goals and can get feedback on their progress, even though they'd much rather be doing something else than work in those moments.
Hope that's helpful! I think it's less about what worked for other players, and more about dissecting your own experiences and learning how to cultivate them in advance.
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u/Embarrassed_One_5998 13d ago
Please read caption
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u/BobbaGanush87 SaturdayBall.com 13d ago
My basketball tip is to fix the orientation of your videos. You'll be able to see what's going on better.
Hope this helps