jm2

原始標題:Sharpen the Arrow
文章連結:http://www.theplayerstribune.com/jamal-murray-kentucky-nba-draft/

譯者引言:
Jamal Murray,2016年NBA選秀待選球員,就讀Kentucky大學,擁有出色籃球智商的控球後衛,普遍認為會在前五順位被挑中。由於熱門狀元人選Ben Simmons高姿態拒絕擁有狀元籤的七六人隊試訓,Murray有可能成為大黑馬,為後場殘破不堪的七六人帶來一點活力。
本文是Murray發表在《The Players' Tribune》網站,自傳式的描述他的籃球歷程著重在心靈層面的描述。

以下為全文:
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The first martial arts movie I ever watched was this old Chinese film called Five Deadly Venoms. I was seven years old. My dad and I were sitting in front of the TV on the floor in our living room.
It starts out with this old kung fu master and his student. They’re in a temple or a cave somewhere in China and there’s smoke rising from a fire. The student is heating water for the master’s bath. The master is old and dying. He has one last wish. He instructs his student to go on a mission to defeat the master’s five former pupils, who have turned evil. Each of the bad guys has a unique fighting style named for an animal: the Centipede, the Lizard, the Scorpion, the Snake, and the Toad. To take down each one, the master explains, the student will have to learn all five styles.

我人生中第一次接觸的武術電影是一部很老的中國片《五毒》(譯按1),當時我只有七歲,我父親總和我一起在客廳席地而坐,一起看著電視。
電影開始於一個飄著白煙的中國破廟,一個學生正在為他垂死的武功師傅準備熱水要洗澡。武功大師將他的宿願託付給他的弟子,要他去剷除五名作惡多端的師兄。他們五人各自持有一種絕學,分別是以五種極毒的動物來命名:蜈蚣、蜥蜴、蠍子、蛇、蟾蜍。要擊敗他們,必須先將五種武功都先學齊…

Five Deadly Venoms

As a kid, a lot of these movies went over my head. I couldn’t really follow the dialogue all the time. But that didn’t matter. I just loved them. Even the fact that they were dubbed was cool to me. I wanted to know more about this foreign world, where guys knew how to run up the sides of walls and break down wooden doors with their foreheads. I’d never seen anything like it. They just had so much … control.

許多兒時看過的電影掠過我的腦海,當時我還不太跟得上那些台詞。不過那不太重要,我就是很愛,即使是配音的我也覺得很酷。我很想多了解這個外國文化,那裡的人好像都會飛簷走壁或是用頭撞破木門,我從沒看過這樣的東西,這太吸引我了。

I grew up in a kung fu house. It wasn’t until I got older that I discovered that most families didn’t talk about the Shaolin Temple or Jackie Chan at the dinner table.

我在一個「功夫」家庭長大,其實我也是年紀比較大了之後才知道,不是每個家庭的餐桌上都會討論少林武功或是成龍的電影。

The best part of watching kung fu movies with my dad was the conversations they sparked. We never watched them just for fun.
“Do you see how good his balance is?” My dad would always zero in on really specific stuff like that. Everything had a potential lesson.
I liked the fighting scenes the best. We would talk about Bruce Lee a lot. I would ask my dad to rewind a Bruce Lee scene so we could watch it again in slo-mo. Bruce would twirl two nunchakus like they were literally an extension of his body.

跟老爸一起看功夫電影最棒的部分,就是我們討論時激起的火花,我們從不僅僅是為了娛樂而看。
「你看到他那個平衡感有多好嗎?」老爸總是沒來由地起了這種相當細節的話題,所有的事物都可能衍伸出一些可學習的道理。
我則是最喜歡打鬥的場景,我們經常可以大聊特聊李小龍。我會叫老爸倒轉他的片段,然後看慢動作重播,李小龍耍弄雙截棍的技巧幾乎可說是把它當成是四肢的延伸。

My dad encouraged me to notice more than just the fighting.
“Look at his footwork,” he would say. “Look at his patience.”
He would get up really close to the TV, pointing at Bruce Lee on the screen.
“Watch how he uses his mind to defeat his enemy.”
My dad liked to point out that Bruce Lee was small. He was strong, for sure, but he didn’t overpower people with muscle. The mental side of martial arts is what got my dad fired up.

老爸會鼓勵我不要光看打架,而是多注意一些細節。
「看看他的腳步、還有耐心。」
他會起身到電視旁,明確指著螢幕上的動作。
「看看他怎麼用腦袋擊敗對手。」
他常說,李小龍當然很壯,卻算是小隻,他不太使用壓倒性的肌肉來擊倒對方。他武術中的精神層面總是能讓老爸燃起他的熱情。

Learning to meditate is one of my earliest memories. I started when I was maybe three or four. I mean, I didn’t know I was meditating. I just thought it was a weird game my dad had invented. I would sit on the couch and try to remain as still as possible. That wasn’t too hard. Then my dad would try to make me laugh. He’d make funny faces and think of all kinds of ways to distract me. I was supposed to stay in control and not react — to pretend he wasn’t there. But the goal wasn’t to pretend he wasn’t there. It was to clear my mind and notice everything that was going on around me.

學習沉思是我最早的記憶之一。大概從三四歲開始,我的意思是,我那時並不懂我是在沉思,只是覺得那是老爸發明的一個怪遊戲。我會坐在椅子上,越久越好,這並不難,然後我爸會開始逗我笑,扮鬼臉或是各式各樣的方法讓我分心。我必須保持冷靜不受影響,假裝他人不在那。當然這目的不是要假裝他不在,而是要學習沉澱心靈,並且留意周遭正在發生的事情。

As I got older, I got better at it. We would increase the difficulty by meditating in public, on a park bench or in a busy restaurant. Even if I was just quieting my mind for two minutes, I felt like I was building a special muscle that no one could see. Without really knowing it, I was training.

隨著年齡增長,我越來越善長了,我們開始增加難度,把地點改到公共場所,像是公園長椅上,或是在喧鬧的餐廳裡。即使我只能靜下心兩分鐘,都能感受到無形的成長。潛移默化中,我訓練著自己。

Basketball is my first love. I grew up in Kitchener, Ont., a small town about an hour’s drive from Toronto. Some people know Kitchener as the home of former heavyweight champ Lennox Lewis. And of course, hockey is big there. It’s Canada. I could never really skate, but I used to offer to play goalie when we played hockey in school. (I was pretty good.) But for me, it was always basketball that called my name. I became known for being the kid who always had a ball in his hands. In grade school I used to take a ball with me to the school and bounce it between my legs the whole way. Then I’d do it all the way home. I even slept with a ball at times. I remember when I learned to spin a ball on my finger — my mom loves this story — because I broke several glasses in our kitchen in the process.

籃球是我第一個最愛。我從小在基奇納長大,距離多倫多大約一小時車程。大多數人只知道基奇納是前重量級摔角冠軍Lennox Lewis的故鄉。而且這是在加拿大,冰球才是主流運動。我溜冰從未溜得很好,不過我在學校打冰球的時候,當守門員當得還不賴。不過在我內心深處,籃球才能真正代表我,我變成那個手上總是拿著籃球的孩子。國小時我常拿著籃球一路從家裡跨下運球去學校,放學回家時也是如此,我甚至帶著一個籃球睡覺。我記得我學會轉球的過程中,打破了好幾片廚房的玻璃!

My dad would always put a little kung fu into our basketball workouts. “Put on this blindfold,” my dad would say. We’d be out on the outdoor court in our backyard.
The court was really just a patch of grass with a hoop. I played out there so much that it became hard dirt. I even made my own three-point line, measuring it out and marking it with sticks. I loved that court.

老爸總會在我們的籃球訓練中加入一些功夫元素,像是「戴上這眼罩」之類的,然後到我家後院的球場,那球場其實就只是片草地加一個籃框而已。我在那邊打球的量非常大,到最後草地都變成泥地了。我甚至用一些小工具畫了條三分線,我真的很愛那個球場。

At first, I really didn’t like the blindfold drill.
“Why are we doing this, Dad?” I’d complain. No one else had to do these drills with their dad, I would tell him.
“This is what it feels like when you aren’t in control,” he would respond. “You’re playing blind.” It sounded like a kung fu movie. I couldn’t see how this drill was better than just taking a lot of shots.
So I’d shoot these blind free throws while my dad rebounded. One after another. My dad would get right in my ear, doing his best to get in my head.
“Maybe you’re not ready!”
“Time to quit!”
“You’ve gone fishin’. You’re done.”
Sometimes I’d airball it, but most of the time I’d hit rim. Not very many went in.
Clank. Clank. Clank.

一開始,我真的很不喜歡蒙眼的訓練。
「老爸,我們為什麼要這麼做?」我抱怨著,也沒聽說有誰跟他老爸做這種奇怪的訓練。(譯按2)
「你現在蒙著眼打球,這感覺就好比你在失控的狀態下打球一樣。」他這樣回答。這聽起來很像功夫電影,我實在不懂這樣的訓練會比多幾次的投籃練習要好。總之,我就這樣帶著眼罩進行罰球練習,老爸幫我撿籃板,一次又一次。
他的叮嚀不斷進入我的耳朵,他也盡可能的讓他的話印在我腦海。
「你還沒準備好!時間到囉!你結束了,你玩完了!」
有些時候我會投麵包球,但大多數是打到籃框,進球實在不多。
噹、噹、噹!(譯按3)

Sometimes my dad would hold the ball for a minute at a time, making me wait.
He’d tell me to take off the blindfold and shoot a few with my eyes open. Then he’d have me put the blindfold back on, and again it would feel weird. I tried to feel all the muscles that went into the mechanics of my shot. The more we did it, the more comfortable it was to not have to rely on my eyes. By high school, we had done the blindfold drill hundreds of times. By that time, when my dad tried to distract me, he was just wasting his time. I could see the hoop in my head.
Swish. Swish. Swish.

有時候我爸會把籃板握在手上幾分鐘,讓我等他。
他會叫我拿掉眼罩,然後正常的投個幾球,之後再讓我戴回眼罩,再次體驗奇怪的感受。我嘗試感受所有關連到我投籃機制的每條肌肉,這樣的訓練越多,我越能拋開對眼睛的依賴。在讀高中前,我們已經做這種盲眼訓練不下百次,在這之前,老爸總會用浪費時間來轉移我的注意力,不過我已經可以在腦海中看到籃框的樣子了。
咻、咻、咻!(譯按4)

As I got older, my dad’s ideas about mental discipline seemed less and less weird. I remember driving to my city semifinal game in Grade 10. My dad was driving a sprinter van full of my teammates, and I was in the backseat. Music was blasting and guys were fooling around, making jokes and all of that. Our nerves were bouncing off the walls inside that van.
About halfway there, my dad turned around and gave me a stare.
“Settle down and focus.” 
He said it loud enough so only I heard him.

當我又長更大了之後,老爸在精神訓練的方法就不再那麼奇怪了。我記得在我高一的時候,一次在前往整個城市的高中籃球準決賽路途中,老爸開著載滿隊友的小巴,我就坐在他後面。車上音樂開超級大聲,隊友們在車上晃來晃去,聊天打屁之類的,我們的亢奮的神經快把車頂掀翻。
大約到一半路途的時候,我把轉過頭瞪了我一眼。
「冷靜下來,找回專注。」他的音量只足夠讓我聽到。

I closed my eyes. The van was bumping along the road. My teammates were still singing, yelling, doing their thing. I tried my best to concentrate. I thought about lacing my shoes, putting on my uniform, listening to my coach’s pregame speech. I imagined walking out onto the court and how bright the lights would be. I imagined someone yelling at me from the crowd. I tried to envision how the ball would feel on my first jump shot. I could see their best player, a guy we had scouted, and I went over his go-to moves in my head.

我閉上雙眼,小巴繼續在路上顛簸,我的隊友們依舊大聲唱歌、吼叫、做自己的事。我盡力集中精神,想到了繫上鞋帶,換上球衣,聽教練的賽前指導,我想像走進場館看見那閃耀的燈光,我想像有人在觀眾席為我吶喊,我嘗試模擬自己第一個跳投的感覺。我能看見他們最好的球員,一個我們曾情蒐的傢伙,我在腦中臨摹破解他的打法的畫面。

When the van jolted to a stop, I realized we were at the arena. I was ready to go.
It was a close game all the way. With about 40 seconds left, I tied it with a three. The other team came down and missed two free throws. But on our next trip down, we missed and they got the ball back. They called a timeout with five seconds left. Tie game.
Looking back, I think about how calm I was. My mind wasn’t racing. I felt focused. When they took the ball out, I got a jump on the passing lane and stole the ball. With just a few seconds left, I had to pull up from half court. Somehow, some way, the ball went in at the buzzer. We went on to the city finals.

當小巴不再顛簸,我知道我們到達體育館了,我也準備好了。
整場比賽分數都很接近,大約剩下四十秒的時候,我用一個三分球追平比數。下一波進攻對方製造我們的犯規卻兩罰落空,只是我們也沒有好好利用這個機會得分,並把球權還給對方。他們在平手,時間剩下五秒的時候叫了暫停。
從現在看來,我當時真是出奇的冷靜。我的精神不是在比賽,我只感受到專注。當他們把球發進來時,我一躍到傳球路徑上,成功把球抄走,在僅僅剩下幾秒的情況下,我在半場起跳投籃,那是個絕殺球,我們進了決賽。

The reason I think of that game isn’t really because of my game-winning shot. Making the shot was nice, but I was more proud of the steal. I was locked in at just the right time.
I used to quiet my mind before games at Rupp Arena. I wanted to savor everything: The crazy student section, the alumni, the season ticket holders, blue and white everywhere. Kentucky fans are next level. Basketball is getting popular in Canada, but there’s a special type of Wildcat blue running through the veins of Kentucky fans. It’s not always easy quieting your mind with all that going on.
Coach Cal and Coach Payne are big reasons why I came to Kentucky. Their openness made it really easy to communicate with the coaching staff. A lot of people only know the guys they see on TV. As coaches, they can be fun and serious at the same time. They’re upbeat and animated, but also all business when they need to be. Above everything else, they treated us as family.

我想起這場比賽並不是因為那個致勝球,投進那個球當然很美好,但是我更為那個抄截感到驕傲,我在對的時間鎖定對的位置。
在拉普體育場(譯按5)的比賽,我習慣賽前靜下心來,細細品嘗一切:瘋狂的學生區、校友們、季票擁有者,到處都是白色跟藍色。肯塔基的球迷們是完全不同的層級,籃球在加拿大逐漸變得熱門,但在野貓隊(譯按6)球迷的血液裡,有一種完全不同的精神。在這樣的氛圍下,有時候要沉澱心靈並不是那麼容易。
John Calipari總教練和Kenny Payne助理教練是我來到肯塔基的極大原因,他們開放的風格使得跟教練團溝通變得非常容易。很多人只認識他們在電視上看得到的人,其實教練是可以嚴肅與風趣並存的。他們樂觀且充滿熱情,但是在需要的時候,他們也能變得非常實際。總而言之,他們把我們當成家人。

coaches

Lexington became my second home this year. The program is great about making us all feel part of the same family. To all the Kentucky fans that supported me, I loved playing in front of you. I fed off of your energy. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

今年,萊星頓(譯按7)成了我第二個家,他的規劃之好,讓我們覺得是這個家的一份子。我要跟所有支持我的肯塔基球迷說,我很愛在你們面前打球,你們的能量填滿了我,我打從心底感謝你們。

jm1

I’m really going to miss my teammates and our traditions. During the Ohio State game this year, I hit a three and I was running back on D. I looked over at the bench and my teammate EJ was pretending to shoot a bow and arrow. The next time I hit a three, I copied what he did. You wind your right arm back like you’re pulling back an arrow, then you let it go. Our whole bench started to do it whenever we hit a three. A tradition, and a new nickname, had been born.
Next year I’ll definitely be watching the team and following their success. I know they’ll do big things and create new traditions of their own.

我絕對會開始想念隊友以及我們的傳統,在今年一場我們對上俄亥俄州大的比賽中,我投中一個三分並回防時,我看到板凳上的隊友EJ拿了一副空氣弓箭作勢要射,下一次我又進三分時,我學了他的動作。你們往後揮動右臂,就好像拉滿了弓要將箭射出,我們所有板凳群後來只要有三分命中,都開始做這個慶祝手勢。一項傳統、一個新的綽號,如此誕生。

As I move on to the NBA draft, it’s a big unknown out there. I know I can’t control everything, but I will remain just as focused on my mental game as on my physical game. In crunch time, I want to guard the other team’s best player. I want the ball for the last shot.
I’m looking forward to seeing what bullseye I can hit next, blindfolded or not.

現在我將前往NBA選秀,那一切都還是未知。我知道我不能控制任何事,不過我會像往常一樣,身心靈都保持專注,在關鍵時刻防守對方最好的球員,我想得到最後一擊的機會。
我正期待著我下次能射中什麼靶心,無論眼罩是否戴上。

Jamal Murray

全文完
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譯按1:事實上是香港知名電影公司「邵氏兄弟」於1978年出版的作品。
譯按2:EPSN曾在2015做過實驗,在無光的情況下,射手能否憑肌肉記憶完成投籃,影片如下:

譯按3:Clank,狀聲詞,形容球與籃框狀即時產生的聲音,引申為投籃不中。
譯按4:Swish,狀聲詞,形容籃球破網的聲音,引申為空心球。
譯按5:Rupp Arena,Kentucky大學的體育場,以該校傳奇教練Adolph Rupp命名。
譯按6:Wildcats,野貓隊,是Kentucky大學球隊的象徵。
譯按7:Lexington,Kentucky大學的所在地。

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