The Joy of Fearless Play

Those who fear losing the most are most apt to lose. Fear of failure hinders success. The player who isn’t afraid to fail is the most dangerous player on the court. The team who isn’t afraid to lose has a much greater chance of enjoying victory. Freedom without fear is the best way to live and the best way to play.

Take, for example, shooting the basketball. It’s a fine art. And fine arts are not done well when accompanied by tension. And fear of failure inevitably brings tension. If you are afraid of the consequences of missing a particular shot, you cannot shoot wholeheartedly. You don’t have a clear ‘shooting conscience’ so to speak. Something is holding you back. If, in your mind, you think, “But what if I miss?” you have already missed. Or at least brought down your percentage.

So if you fear missing the shot, you are best not to take the shot. Pass it up. Give it to one who isn’t afraid to miss. For he (or she) can at least shoot the ball relaxed. With confidence. Without fear of consequence. Indeed, if I were a coach, I would choose a fade-away with confidence rather than an open shot with fear. For fear usually means failure. Or at least a good chance of failure.

Tension, nervousness, fear of losing. All these things hinder victory. I can’t tell you how many times my team has lost because we were playing not to lose. Or how often I have played poorly, because I was afraid of playing poorly. Sure, other factors were invovled. But this was certainly a big factor, indeed, maybe the biggest factor. It’s the attitude at the root of the tree. And it usually leads to poor fruit.

Teams never fair well when the play not to lose. Successful teams play to win. They play with a certain attitude, a certain fearlessness, a certain edge. They don’t forget the prospect of losing. They just don’t fear the prospect of losing. Sure, they don’t want to lose. But they don’t focus so much on the prospect of losing that they forget how to win. They go for it. They lay themselves on the line. They are the aggressor. And more times than not, they win.

As it is in team play, so it is for the individual player. The best players are not the players who are ignorant of the consequences, but who either don’t care or, usually (and better, in my opinion), are willing to deal with the consequences. They are willing to embrace the consequences, even to learn from the consequences.

These players can play without fear of failure. Sure, the fans might be angry with you. The coach might take you out. You might not make the team. But then again, they might be happy with you. You might stay in the game. You might end up the star. And, if you lose, at least you can learn. But none of those things cannot take place if you are afraid to fail.

Few people find success by playing it safe. No child learns to walk without every falling. No person learns to live well apart from lessons learned after poor decisions. So also no basketball player learns to play well and with utmost joy apart from periodic difficulty and struggle.

But if you don’t embrace the struggle as an opportunity to learn, you will inevitably fear failure and hinder your own success. If you don’t embrace a missed shot as an opportunity to fine-tune your skills for the next one, you’ll end up missing more shots. You are always best to practice well and, when performance time comes, to simply clear your mind and shoot the ball with freedom. If you miss. Fine. Take a few notes and when the next shot comes, let the ball loose with freedom. Relax. Don’t fear. Just shoot.

And though I am using shooting an example (b/c I am a shooter myself), it applies to the entirety of the game. You won’t be happy or successful playing the game of basketball if you are afraid to fail. You’ll be a step slow on defense. You’ll be a second late with the pass. You’ll be short on the jump-shot. You’ll be somewhat hesitant throughout and miss the great joy found in freely playing the game.

You might be a freshman trying to make the team. Or a professional trying to take the next step in his career. Or on a team in a battle for the championship. Whatever your situation may be, you are best to play without fear. You are best to lay yourself on the line, faults and all. If you fail, you are always best to fail with a whole heart. No regrets. Just play. Go for it. Be the aggressor. For even if you lose in the end, you will know the joy of fearless play.

Enjoying fearless play with you,

Joe