How the "King" of Professional Hoops Stays Calm

Lebron James employs mindfulness to elevate performance, health and wellness.  (Photo Source: LA Times)

The world’s best and most famous basketball player places as much emphasis on his mental fitness as he does on physical well-being.  That’s why Lebron James has narrated a series of scripts entitled “Train Your Mind” on the health and wellness app Calm.  

“As an athlete, there’s a lot of focus on physical fitness. This partnership with Calm is all about mental fitness. It’s something I’ve always prioritized, and it’s just as important to my game, my career, and my life than anything I can do physically,” said LeBron James in a press release Calm issued in December.

On this blog I have written extensively about athletes at all levels (professional, collegiate, high school) employ hypnosis and visualization as a tool for performance and injury recovery.  Here are links to a few of the more popular articles I have published.

Hypnosis Helps Mary Lou Retton Vault to Olympic Gold

Visualize Success:  How the Seattle Mariners Prepare Players

Hypnosis Sharpens an Athlete’s Mind for Recovery

CrossFit Competitor Gives Hypnosis a Try

How the Lady Terps Achieve Zen

Story of Hope & Perseverance

The crowd stood mesmerized as the ball soared through the night sky.  It arrived gently in the hands of a Newtown High School wide receiver who scored as time expired to deliver a stunning state football championship for a town still deeply wounded.

   

The holiday season remains a solemn time for the 28,000 residents of Newtown, Connecticut.  It has been seven years since the horrific and unimaginable shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School.   

Many of the players on the Newtown High School football team attended Sandy Hook.  The brother of the team’s star linebacker was a victim.

This championship – the school’s first in more than 25 years – ignited a sense of pride and perseverance in the Newtown community.  Riley Ward, the player who caught the touchdown pass, told the Hartford Courant, “I couldn’t have asked for anything more.  I love this town.  I love everybody.  I’m at a loss for words.”

For me, the story of Newtown High School’s victory is a reminder of hope.  That even in such divisive times it is our ability to rise, to love everybody, that defines who we are.      

The Hausman family wishes you a wonderful holiday.

WNBA's Delle Donne Gets Mental to Improve Her Game

“I’m so much more calm. I don’t let the moment get away from me or something be too big or something bother me for too long."  (Photo source:  NY Times)

In the women’s game, the Washington Mystics’ Elena Delle Donne is the best basketball player in the world.  If not the best, she is in the top three.

The now two-time MVP of the WNBA, Delle Donne has taken her game to even higher level through a focus on mental performance and enhancement.  At first suspect of the practice of mindfulness, Delle Donne is now 100 percent committed to strengthening her mind in the same way she improves her physicality and skill set.

Here is a link to an article in the September 19, 2019 issue of the Washington Post that shares Delle Donne’s journey:  

    

Elena Delle Donne Freed Her Mind, and a Historic Season Followed

(Delle Donne) gave regular meditation an earnest shot starting in the middle of the 2018 season, and eventually, she felt calmer. Then she started feeling more in control on the basketball court. Then she became a devotee, practicing 10 minutes a day, as if she was staying after practice to swish a few free throws.

Of the myriad tiny tweaks Delle Donne makes to continue pushing her game forward in her seventh year in the league, it turns out that tending to the mental side of the game paid the biggest dividends.

  

Check out these articles on blog for more insight into how hypnosis, mindfulness and meditation help athletes excel.

Hypnosis Helps Mary Lou Retton Vault to Olympic Gold

Visualize Success:  How the Seattle Mariners Prepare Players

Hypnosis for Athletic Success, Capitals Style