The Art of Momentum

I'm a huge basketball fan, and I absolutely love the Dallas Mavericks. The thing that I enjoy about basketball is how quickly the momentum changes, especially in the last two minutes of a close game. Watching great coaches like Don Nelson, Avery Johnson, Pat Riley, or Phil Jackson; provides valuable insight into how to shift momentum.

A couple of years ago, I noticed that Don Nelson, the 2nd-winningest coach in NBA history, would inevitably receive a technical foul when things were going bad for the Mavericks. This always irritated me until I understood more about momentum. At first, I thought, why can't this guy control his emotions?

I wasn't getting it. What he understood is that to shift momentum, you have to break the pattern. One of the techniques that he used was to throw a fit, which almost invariably shifted the momentum to his favor. Short of throwing a fit next time the momentum is against you, try breaking the pattern this way. Very loudly say, "I can do all things through Christ who loves me!" or "I'm more than a Conqueror through Christ Jesus!"

Another technique that works well is jumping up quickly and doing some jumping jacks. (You may want to make sure you are alone when you do this). The key is to enter a different mental state.