Customer Reviews

The Tao of the Jump Shot: An Eastern Approach to Life and Basketball

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well thought-out and well written...the author merely designates the jump shot but it is really an implicit comparison to a way of life. with the aid of cohesive metaphors and illuminating paradoxes the book allows the western mind to comprehend the art of "letting go". a concept which is not only difficult to learn, but also it is all too often misinterpreted as a form of inactivity. the author explains the shooter should be absorbed in what he (she) is doing, and not how he (she) is doing. the book serves to counterbalance our culture often relies solely on rational thinking. i'm buying a second book because i highlighted so many things in the first. i own a dozen or so books on taoism this one is by far the best at communicated to the western mind that inherent in everything is the natural tendency to act harmoniously with the rest of the universe. this is one introspective and intelligent author that just happens to also coach basketball. my only wish is that he would coach my son.

Now, I have to admit I have a pretty poor jump shot. Additionally, I consider myself a follower of the Tao - a walker who attempts to find the Way. Thus, this book seemed like a good fit for me.

It has some good ideas: The idea of centering oneself in the flow of a game, the practice of mechanics to the effect that you can do it without knowing your doing it. Finally the idea that effort is a thief in disguise (almost any basketball player over 30 will attest to this fact).

The problem stems from two things. Mahoney is not a very good writer and he tries to pack too much information into this slim volume. You may say that its longer the Tao Te Ching, which effectively provides larger amounts of information; but, Lao Tzu, Mahoney is not! At times he then tries to further connect the Tao and the jump shot with modern physics but comes off sounding like those John Gribbin grumbles about in "In Search of Schrodinger's Cat": "Fritjof Capra's `Tao of Physics' having spawned imitators who understood neither the physics nor the Tao."

If you are looking for a work to help you learn to shoot or understand Eastern philosophy, this isn't it! But, if you are looking for an easy read that can give you some information on either, this might be it. And, for better or worse, I played basketball yesterday and shot around 40%.