There’s a common bit of sports psychology that tells athletes to visualize themselves making a goal before they take a shot. On this episode I recall learning this lesson on my childhood basketball team, then explain how this advice is similar to saying affirmations.
Show Notes
Want to read more (for adults) about visualization in sports? Start here:
Visualization: The power of the movie theater in your mind
How Imagery and Visualization Can Improve Athletic Performance
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Like You is a production of Perpetual Motion. The show is written and produced by Noah Glenn. The show’s artwork was illustrated by Mia Saine. Episode art is created by Lindsey Glenn.
This episode features original music by Noah Glenn.
This episode’s affirmations were read by Noah Glenn and Mia Saine.
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Transcript
Noah: Hey everyone! I want to start with a shout out to our supporters on Patreon who help make each episode possible! You can also be a part of helping us produce new episodes by making a small monthly donation at Patreon.com/likeyoupodcast. And don’t forget to subscribe to Like You on your favorite podcast app, so you never miss an episode. While you’re at it, you can leave a 5 star review to help other listeners find us. Now let’s start the show!
[intro music]
Hello! I’m Noah and this is Like You, a mindfulness podcast for kids. I’m so glad you’re here! Today we’ll take a lesson from basketball that could help you visualize your own goals. So listeners of all ages, find a place to listen where you feel comfortable and safe. As I ask questions and invite you to say affirmations, you’re welcome to speak out loud, or as always, you can just think your responses quietly in your mind.
Let’s get started with a breathing exercise to help us relax and focus our minds. We’ll imagine being an air pump – the kind you might use to air up a ball or a bicycle tire. Have you ever seen or used a pump like that? There are different types, from small handheld ones, to tall ones that take your whole body to use, to electric pumps you can plug in or add batteries to, that work at the push of a button. For our breathing exercise we’ll imagine a tall pump. Stand up if you’re able to. When you breathe in, lift both arms up like you’re pulling the pump up, and when you breathe out, lower your arms as you imagine lowering the pump, pushing air into the ball. I’ll imagine a basketball, but you can pick your favorite kind of ball – a basketball, a football, a soccer ball, a dodge ball, or any kind of ball with air inside it.
Let’s try it now. Take a deep breath in as you lift your hands up. Now blow your breath out as you lower the pump, blowing up your basketball. Take another deep breath in as you lift the pump up. And then breathe a long breath out as you lower your arms to air up the basketball. One last deep breath in, raising your hands up. And a long breath out lowering your arms to air up the basketball. Good. Now imagine bouncing your ball a few times on the floor. Then imagine tossing it in the air and catching it again.
Now on the count of three, we’ll all say I like me. 1-2-3. I like me.
I like you too. You are a capable problem solver, and you bring wonderful energy to the podcast.
I wanted to share a memory with you from when I was a kid. When I was a kid I played on a basketball team in our local YMCA basketball league. I may not have been the best player on the team, but I had a lot of fun doing it. Do you play any sort of sports?
There is one piece of advice I got from a basketball coach that I still think about often, even though I haven’t played on a basketball team in many years.
I was practicing free-throws, standing at the line and tossing shot after shot toward the basket. My coach told me that before I took a shot, I should stop, take a breath, look at the basket, and visualize the ball going through the hoop. He said before you even take a shot, you should believe that you will make the shot. And a great way to do this is to visualize it happening.
When I say “visualize” that just another way of saying “imagine.” Use your mind to picture the ball going through the hoop before you even take the shot.
And believe it or not, this really worked for me! I got better at making free throws just by imagining the ball going in before I took a shot.
It turns out that this idea is used often in all kinds of sports. So if you’ve played sports any kind, it’s possible you’ve had a coach give you similar advice. Visualize the soccer ball going into the goal. Visualize yourself making the perfect tennis serve. Visualize yourself crossing the finish line in a race. And there have been studies conducted to show how visualizing success can boost your confidence and actually improve your abilities. If you haven’t been playing very well lately, you may start to feel discouraged, and begin to think you can’t do it. But remember before you can make a goal you have to believe that you can do it.
Let’s try a basketball visualization together right now. Again, if there’s another sport you’re more familiar with, feel free to think about that sport instead, even though I will be talking about basketball. You can just as easily imagine a baseball or a football or a volleyball.
Start by just imagining you are holding a basketball in your hands. Imagine what it feels like, how heavy it, what it smells like. Maybe imagine tossing it back and forth between your hands a few times. Now picture the goal in your mind, and take a deep breath to relax your nerves. Now imagine taking a shot and watching the ball glide through the air before dropping through the hoop. Swish! The more you picture these positive results, the better you’ll get.
So why do I still think about this advice even though I haven’t played basketball recently? I think it is great advice for any goal you may have in life to picture yourself being successful. Even when you feel like you can’t do something or you’re not very good at something, you can still imagine yourself doing it well. Because in your mind, you are in complete control. You get to picture things going the way you would like them to.
I actually believe that affirmations work the same way as visualizing a basketball going through the hoop. You have to believe it can happen before it happens. The more you say positive words about yourself, the better you will feel about being you. And even when you aren’t feeling very good about yourself, but you can still say affirmations to to help yourself remember how wonderful you are.
When you’re feeling scared, you could say “I am brave and strong” over and over until you start to feel brave.
When you feel lonely, you can say an affirmation like “I have people who love and respect me” and that could help you remember all the people who care about you.
When you are feeling frustrated or having trouble solving a problem, you can say the affirmation “All of my problems have solutions.” Then take a breath and say it again until you start to believe that you can solve your problem.
When you are trying something new and having a really hard time, you can say “I can do hard things.” And maybe you’ll feel a little better about the hard thing you’re trying to do.
If you’ve just had an all around bad day where nothing went your way, you can repeat the affirmation “Every day is a fresh start.”
When you feel jealous of what someone else has, you can repeat the affirmation “There’s no one better to be than myself.”
The more you say positive affirmations to yourself, the more you will be able to believe good things about yourself, and the more you’ll be able to share these positive feelings with others too.
Let’s say all of those affirmations together now. I’ll be joined by my friend Mia, and we will take turns saying affirmations. We’ll say each affirmation twice. You can listen the first time, then say it with us the second time.
Noah: I am brave and strong.
Mia: I have people who love and respect me.
Noah: All of my problems have solutions.
Mia: I can do hard things.
Noah: Every day is a fresh start.
Mia: There’s no one better to be than myself.
Noah: Now let’s smile and take a few slow, deep breaths as we wind down our time together. If any of those affirmations stood out to you, feel free to write them down, or just store them safely in your mind to say when you need it. If you have an affirmation that is special to you, I would love to hear it! You can have a grownup check our website or show notes for ways to get in touch and share your affirmations.
Right now, I want to end with a song about thinking positive thoughts and taking deep breaths.
Close your eyes
Clear your mind
Think a thought that fills you up inside
Deep breath in
Long breath out
Breathing in
Fills your chest
Breathing out
Helps you rest
Deep breath in
Long breath out
Think of peace
Think of love
Think of sunlight shining from above
Deep breath in
Long breath out
Deep breath in
Long breath out
I can’t wait to spend some time together again soon. Until then, I like you, I’m proud of you, and I’m glad we are friends. Have a happy and peaceful day.
Like You is a production of Perpetual Motion. It is made possible by our supporters on Patreon. Become a supporter by visiting Patreon.com/likeyoupodcast. Like You is written and hosted by me, Noah Glenn. I also composed and performed the Like You theme music and other music that appeared in the episode. Our podcast cover art was illustrated by Mia Saine, who also helped with today’s affirmations. Our episode art is created by Lindsey Glenn. If you’ve enjoyed the podcast, I hope you’ll tell your friends, and leave a 5 star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. You can send us voice memos, drawings, and pictures by having a grownup send an email to hello@likeyoupodcast.com or if they follow us on instagram, they can send us a direct message there. Visit our website at likeyoupodcast.com to find show notes, transcripts for each episode, an online shop, and other info about the show. Be sure to follow us on instagram, Facebook, and twitter @likeyoupod. Thanks for listening!
