ok so lets say that you have to shoot a baksetball into a hoop for a prize or for someone…if you dont make it something bad happens. ok so you get one practice shot but if you make it then you have to make it again but if you chose not to shoot the practice shot then you would have won…so i ask you…would you use the practice shot or not?
Sorry, i don’t get it.
I get 1 shot, if i fail something bad happens.
I can do a practice shot. If i don’t do a practice shot, i win and nothing bad happens?
I get it…but it makes no sense.
OK, you have a practice shot…you shoot, you score…but you would have won if you chose not to use your practice shot…so, if it wasn’t a practice shot, you would have won…
But that doesn’t make sense 'cause you would have to shoot again…'cause it was a practice shot.
This maybe confused you…
No it makes sense- its just very strange
And this kind of reminded me of the book the million dollar shot that I read 5 years ago. But he didnt have a practice shot then…
It’s a thing of the mind, mostly. You think you should make a practice shot to increase your aim, but what if you get the first shot right? Then you have to make it again, and this means you had to get two shots right! So let’s do the first shot the good one, but then you haven’t got any aid…
There is no real reason to prefer either, because of the way the mind works. Personally, a training shot would be nice nevertheless.
Basicly tosxyChor is right.
The shot could also depend on your emotions, perspective, and self-confidence. The shot could depend on so many other things. And it also at the same time depends on nothing. It’s your perspective.
Take the practice shot. If you get it, use muscle memory to do the EXACT same thing again. Don’t think about anything like probability of getting 2 in a row, cause any statistics will be skewed anyway. That’s my philosophy on a lot of things really, and it’s served me well. (And the muscle memory things really does work so long as you don’t take too long in between shots)
Then why shoot the practice shoot ??
Very well said. That’s basically my view on this particular scenario.
Agreed, using muscle memory is the key, although even when you have that in mind, its hard to score again, and thats when practice practice practice comes in 
If you get it in the practice, then you know how to do it next time. No immediate reward.
If you don’t get it, you know how /not/ to do it. No immediate punishment.
The rewards and punishments are the same whether you take the practice shot or not. I agree with the idea of muscle memory. You get the feel for the ball’s weight, possibly how well the backboard works, etc. Let’s just say the practice shot gives you a 10% increased chance of a “hit” when an isolated throw is 50/50 hit or miss (of course, not knowing the situation, these are just convenient numbers).
no practice: 0.5 hit 0.5 miss
practice: 0.6 hit 0.4 miss
If the anxiety of repeating a successful shot sabotages you, the numbers would be reversed, favoring the choice against a practice shot.
Ultimately, I don’t think there’s a best answer. Individually, though, one would approach it as it fits him. Are you more likely to be nervous or does taking a practice shot give you more confidence?
It matters how much you hate or love yourself. How attached you are to the prize. What the prize is. If you are familiar with shooting basketballs in hoops or not. There is a lot to consider. A lot matters.
If this were a lucid dreaming scenario, I would go shoot with no practice shot knowing no doubt that I will make. Nothing but net!
I would use the practice shot, because if I make it then all I have to do on the next shot is mimic my previous moves, if I don’t make it then I still have one chance to correct what I did wrong.