Shooting for Lower Scores

Add another item to the list of mental techniques PGA players are trying in the quest for better scores - consultation with an Olympic champion shooter. Lanny Bassham, who took gold in Montreal's 1976 Olympics for shooting, claims there are many parallels between shooting and golf. Bassham elaborates: "There, [in golf], it’s just you and the golf club; I’ve got a rifle. He has a target; I have a target. He has to consider the wind, which is what we do. I think golf is a lot closer to rifle shooting than it is to football.”
One of the points which Bassham stresses the most is the importance of being focused on the process and execution of the motion, be it shooting or golf, rather than the desired result or goal. This is gained from his experience at the 1972 Olympics, in which he took silver. During his defeat in the gold medal round, Bassham "was trying as hard as I could on every shot to get it in the 10 ring." He feels this led to his defeat; after consulting with other gold medal winners, they all agreed on the conclusion that "the process is more important than the outcome.”
Some of Bassham's clients include Fred Funk, Justin Leonard, and Ben Crane.

To read the whole New York Times story, including detailed reactions from professional sport psychologists, click here.

NBA Playoffs: The Psychology of the Home Court Advantage

Playing with 20,000 screaming fans supporting the teams' every move has long been considered one of the NBA's most significant advantages, and this year's NBA Playoffs have proven to be no different. Especially when a team is playing with a younger roster, the home fans can prove to be a huge motivating factor. Take the eight-seed Warriors first-round upset of the 67 win, one-seed Mavericks as an example. Backed by a packed house sporting "We Believe" promotional t-shirts, the Warriors defeated the Mavs by 18 and made them "look nervous and disjointed" for a 2-1 series lead, according to April 28ths New York Times. Despite their subsequent defeat at the hands of the Utah Jazz in the second round, the Warriors home court proved to be a distinct advantage, even rattling the soon-to-be MVP Dirk Nowitzki.
Furthermore, this years Eastern Conference Finals proves the power of the home court even further, with both the Pistons and Cavs holding serve on their home floor. The question is now posed to both teams - who can win on the other team's home floor? LeBron James supposedly answered questions regarding his clutch ability in the 4th quarter in game 4 in Cleveland with 13 points on 5-5 shooting from the line, while Rasheed Wallace lost his cool with a technical foul. Will fortunes reverse in game 5 in Detroit?
Statistically speaking, there is a distinct home court advantage - in the 2005-2006 NBA season, home teams finished with a .604 winning percentage, according to NBC sports. How will the rest of this years NBA playoffs pan out? Will the psychological advantage of playing with the support of the crowd help the eventual champion claim their title, or will visiting teams find a way to overcome the challenge? Keep checking with SPINw for more updates on the NBA playoffs.

To see more NBC home court advantage stats, click here.