Long Article on Azzi

[MilfordHusky]

Maggie Vanoni has an excellent article on Azzi. She spent the summer reading and working on the mental approach to the game. Azzi is maturing and becoming more confident. Azzi is an interesting combination of highly skilled and successful, while being a quiet, thoughtful introvert.

When I saw her play in high school, I could see that she was the girlie-girl with the pink slippers and pink water bottle, whom her coach's mother called a sweetheart. At the same time, she willed her team to wins consistently in a very tough and physical league. She torched Visitation in the City Championship game with 38 points, still the record for the arena where the Mystics play. I really wanted Azzi to play at UConn because playing with Paige and for Geno would help Azzi to reach her incredible potential.

How UConn women's basketball star Azzi Fudd learned to stop chasing perfection: 'Playing without thinking'

UConn women's basketball star Azzi Fudd has learned how to manage overthinking her shots and to play more freely.

www.ctinsider.com

 

[my2cents]

There is a scene in the movie "The Last Samurai" where the Tom Cruise character gets a sword fighting tip, NO MIND...as thinking gets in the way and slows you down.
Azzi is a great shooter , but she just needs to let it fly before any negative thoughts enters her head.
She also has an amazing sounding speaking voice, lol.

 

[Bigboote]

There is a scene in the movie "The Last Samurai" where the Tom Cruise character gets a sword fighting tip, NO MIND...as thinking gets in the way and slows you down.

That's a very insightful remark. I hadn't connected an idea like that with Geno's remark, "We don't practice it till we get it right, we practice it till we can't get it wrong."

His view is the equivalent of practicing till you don't have to think about what to do. I'm amazed when I see musicians talking to each other while they're playing. I could never do that, but then I don't practice 4 or more hours a day. Oh, and I play the flute.

 

[Boreifs]

That's a very insightful remark. I hadn't connected an idea like that with Geno's remark, "We don't practice it till we get it right, we practice it till we can't get it wrong."

His view is the equivalent of practicing till you don't have to think about what to do. I'm amazed when I see musicians talking to each other while they're playing. I could never do that, but then I don't practice 4 or more hours a day. Oh, and I play the flute.

Brass players practice 3-4 hours a day because of the physical limitations. Pianists practice 8-10. Of course I’m talking serious musicians at major schools; that’s not normal.

 

[Bigboote]

Brass players practice 3-4 hours a day because of the physical limitations. Pianists practice 8-10. Of course I’m talking serious musicians at major schools; that’s not normal.

There was a time when I occasionally played the flute for 3-4 hours at a time, but alas arthritis limits me to 15 or so minutes now when I'm able to play it. The mountain dulcimer was my instrument for almost 3 decades -- no playing that at all with arthritic hands -- but since I discovered the whistle then the flute, the dulcimers are all decorative.

John Myung, bassist for Dream Theater, is well-known for his work ethic. In high school he insisted on practicing with a John Petrucci (guitarist and another founding member of Dream Theater) at least 6 hours a day. Myung still warms down after every session including shows.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Maggie Vanoni has an excellent article on Azzi. She spent the summer reading and working on the mental approach to the game. Azzi is maturing and becoming more confident. Azzi is an interesting combination of highly skilled and successful, while being a quiet, thoughtful introvert.

When I saw her play in high school, I could see that she was the girlie-girl with the pink slippers and pink water bottle, whom her coach's mother called a sweetheart. At the same time, she willed her team to wins consistently in a very tough and physical league. She torched Visitation in the City Championship game with 38 points, still the record for the arena where the Mystics play. I really wanted Azzi to play at UConn because playing with Paige and for Geno would help Azzi to reach her incredible potential.

How UConn women's basketball star Azzi Fudd learned to stop chasing perfection: 'Playing without thinking'

UConn women's basketball star Azzi Fudd has learned how to manage overthinking her shots and to play more freely.

www.ctinsider.com

I've been pondering on what will unleash Azzi for quite a while. "Introvert" does seem to fit and it doesn't make me happy, because it suggests Azzi's engine may never accept supercharging. And that's fine, but perfection is what we want to see.

 

[my2cents]

There was a time when I occasionally played the flute for 3-4 hours at a time, but alas arthritis limits me to 15 or so minutes now when I'm able to play it. The mountain dulcimer was my instrument for almost 3 decades -- no playing that at all with arthritic hands -- but since I discovered the whistle then the flute, the dulcimers are all decorative.

John Myung, bassist for Dream Theater, is well-known for his work ethic. In high school he insisted on practicing with a John Petrucci (guitarist and another founding member of Dream Theater) at least 6 hours a day. Myung still warms down after every session including shows.

Your musical take is exactly the same thing, ff you had to think what the next note that needs to be played, you would miss it.

 

[Huskee11]

The baseball expression that is relevant to this conversation is “a full mind makes for an empty bat”.

Try thinking your way through hitting a 99 mph fastball. That will work real well.

Not that I could do that on my best day.

 

[Next 12]

Maggie Vanoni has an excellent article on Azzi. She spent the summer reading and working on the mental approach to the game. Azzi is maturing and becoming more confident. Azzi is an interesting combination of highly skilled and successful, while being a quiet, thoughtful introvert.

When I saw her play in high school, I could see that she was the girlie-girl with the pink slippers and pink water bottle, whom her coach's mother called a sweetheart. At the same time, she willed her team to wins consistently in a very tough and physical league. She torched Visitation in the City Championship game with 38 points, still the record for the arena where the Mystics play. I really wanted Azzi to play at UConn because playing with Paige and for Geno would help Azzi to reach her incredible potential.

How UConn women's basketball star Azzi Fudd learned to stop chasing perfection: 'Playing without thinking'

UConn women's basketball star Azzi Fudd has learned how to manage overthinking her shots and to play more freely.

www.ctinsider.com

Great article on Azzi. I believe this team is so good, that we have 2 starting 5's and a great bench to lead Uconn to it's customary place at NO.1 in the polls. This year is going to be a REAL fun year. GO HUSKIES!!!!!

 

[PacoSwede]

I've been pondering on what will unleash Azzi for quite a while. "Introvert" does seem to fit and it doesn't make me happy, because it suggests Azzi's engine may never accept supercharging. And that's fine, but perfection is what we want to see.

i doubt that being an introvert has anything to do with it; the more likely issue is confidence. introverts can perform as well as anyone, if they believe in themselves.

and that is not a 'mental' problem that can be resolved by reasoning, by thinking 'right.' it's a matter of emotions, which are a whole lot more complicated and hard to figure out.

once 'fixed' -- and some issues never are -- a life can change, but reaching that point can be very frustrating. there is no straightforward path.

 

[AzzisBraids]

Once Azzi gets confident, she is going to shoot no matter what is happening around her. What I have seen so far is a player who will only take the best shot available and if it's hers, she'll do it. Bueckers shares this tendency but has a takeover gene. Caitlin will shoot from anywhere, anyday anytime.

Azzi is a perfectionist and she doesn't want to be that player that takes all the shots and but when she realizes that her shot is often times the best shot, she'll be unstoppable.

 

[cometjo]

I think Azzi had all that at the beginning of last year when she got injured. She looked like she still had it when she came back the first time then she got injured again right away and that's got to be super hard to come back from, at least she never looked quite the same last year. But I think with the summer and a bunch of playing time to get over the fear she be right where she was at the beginning of last year. I remember in one of those game the announcer (I don't remember who it was) just kept saying over and over "Azzi Fudd is a superstar!"

 

[Rowdy831]

Some players are superstars but don't have the ability to be the dagger too. I think Azzi is a great shooter who happens to miss once in while regardless of the situation. Players like Paige miss once in a while too, just not when the game is on the line. Last year it was an issue because she was asked to be the player that Paige is and that isn't in her personality. At the same time at the beginning of the year she was amazing because she was able to do more within the framework of the game not the situation.

I really feel like Azzi will have an amazing year because she can play to her strengths which are many and leave the Paige stuff to Paige. Like I have said before, I don't think UConn will lose a game this year and Azzi is a huge part of that thought.