Nuts Like Brains: Basketball, Repetition and Nervous System Training

Walnuts have always reminded me of brains, with all their folds. They are divided into two separate halves joined in the middle. Just as our brains are protected by our skulls, the inside of a walnut is protected by its shell. On the outside of the brain is the neocortex, which seems to correspond to the higher abilities of the human mind. 

When people train to play basketball, they usually think that the important part of the equation is the muscle itself, but the most important thing is to create a thicker communication pathway between neurons by repeating the same move over and over, possibly through changes in their connections and myelin. So the main thing is not the muscle but the brain. You have to create the right communication between neurons. The basal ganglia are associated with voluntary movements that become automatic through repetition. At the same time, muscle grows when you exercise and break muscle fibres. Then, during the following days, the muscle fibres heal and grow thicker. Communication between the muscles and the brain takes place through the nervous system.

A walnut looks like a brain, with little veins running across its surface. Click the walnut to see a fun animation.

Jose Romani, author of this blog

More on basketball training

For examples of moves we practise repeatedly on court, see Llull’s and Dončić’s moves we practise for Rías Baixas.

For the physical side of training, including strength and recovery, read my review of Complete Conditioning for Basketball.

Also on my YouTube channel: a video about photon mass.

I’m going nuts for basketball!