Basketball mindset strategies that push you towards your athletic goals
But the first step to mastering your mind and improving your on-court play is removing the obstacles, challenges that will stop you from performing at your peak level.
Basketball Sports Psychology
“Sports psychology and mental training have been around for a long period of time, but now athletes, trainers, head coaches, and organizations realize the positive impact mental training can have on sports performance. ”
The difference between great basketball athletes and the rest of the pack is the mindset. Mentally tough basketball athletes can take their game to another level.
When basketball players address the mindset aspects of their game, the difference can be limitless, when an athlete fails to make it in Div. 1, or professional basketball. It is usually because someone with equal or lesser ability can take their game to a level that others cannot. Mindset is the key to consistent preparation, and preparation is the necessary component for all success.
In Basketball Mindset Is The Key To Shooting Well
Mindset is everything. For a young basketball high school athlete, this is the difference in receiving an athletic scholarship or struggling in your high school basketball program. With Souletics® coaching, you will learn to take authority over your challenges, obstacles, and environment.
A healthy basketball mindset training program will be the difference between winning and losing.
Mindset separates the average and the basketball greats!
Mental toughness training is a must if you desire to reach the elite levels of basketball.
Basketball greatness requires perfecting your mindset outlook on multiple levels.
Basketball Mindset Training
How to Train your Brain for Focus and better Decision Making
5 Simple Ways to Improve You Basketball Mindset
1. Proper Diet – This is critical to giving your brain the nutrients it needs. Increasing your omega-3 fat intake. Reducing damaged omega-6 fats like processed vegetable oils.
Fresh vegetables, healthy fats, and no sugar will be a great start to training your brain. Examples of the types of foods that improve your mind include broccoli, cauliflower, and walnuts, which have antioxidants and other ingredients that protect your brain and inspire new cellular growth (neurogenesis). Coconut oil is great!
2. Brain Mindset and Fitness Program – Exercisesupports your brain health to work at a peak state. Additionally, it promotes nerve cell growth and stronger neuro connections.
During exercise, nerve cells release good proteins like neurotrophic factors. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), can support better cognitive abilities.
This blood flow increase is a benefit the researchers believe would hold for people as well.
I personally move my body in some way every day. I recommend a high-intensity interval exercise, strength training, and stretching.
3. Focus on one thing at a time!
Multitasking can slow you down, make you prone to errors as well as make you forgetful. Research has shown basketball athletes need about 8 seconds to log information into memory if you are all over the place, you are literally making yourself more confused.
Be mindful, which is being intentional with your physical, mental, and spiritual energy.
4. Get Sleep
Research from Harvard indicates that sleep is known to enhance your memory and help you “practice” and improve your performance of challenging skills. Sleeping less than 6 hours can negatively impact your ability to think clearly.
Brain growth, or neuroplasticity, is at the root of your mind’s ability to control behavior, including learning and memory. Plasticity occurs when events within the environment stimulate neurons.
Sleep loss inhibits brain health. Get sleep, and I will too. Lack of sleep would inhibit that ability!
5. Write Poetry, Play Games or Master Something New
Engaging in new, positive, and meaningful activities stimulates your neurological system and reduces the risk of dementia, not to mention enhances overall health and well-being.
Play Brain Games: Great brain training websites include a program called Brain HQ. The site has many different exercises designed to improve brain function. You can also track yourself over time to see how you are progressing.
Poetry or Rhymes stimulate that brain and assist in memorization.
Learning Basketball Mindset from Kobe Bean Bryant.
This article was authored back in 2011, so when reading this, try to understand the climate at the time while considering the current news about Kobe’s passing. Kobe Bryant in 2011 t passed Shaquille O’Neal on the NBA’s all-time scoring list. You wonder, what was it that drove Kobe to greatness? He has five NBA championships, multiple NBA finals Most Valuable Player Awards, scoring titles, and respect the respect players that came before him and current players.
Kobe, as all of us, was not immune to life’s troubles. The well-covered obstacles he faced and personal challenges are enough to deter most men and athletes in their pursuit of greatness, yet Kobe kept moving forward.
I wrote the first of many books back in 2004 titled, Don’t Stop the Swagger. In this mental toughness book, I shed light on certain intangibles that elite athletes and high performers have and how to nurture them. After learning more about Kobe, I am assured that Kobe’s most significant characteristic was his mental game and mental toughness.
A TIme To Celebrate Basketball Greatness
Sadly Kobe Bryant just passed. My hope is all people impacted and saddened by this tragedy find peace and renewal during this time.
I wrote my original article about Kobe Bryant’s mental makeup back in 2007. This is something that I have studied and also what I know by experience and personal athletic success. Kobe Bryants Basketball Mindset was rare.
Being mentally tough is more than looking calm or being likable. It is not arrogance based on comfort. It is a swagger that is not based on external opinion or bling. It is a person that is determined committed and willing to show up and show out under the most difficult circumstances. It is being able to fail and coming back to jump in the ring again with a belief and confidence that you will prevail.
You may have to walk your walk alone, and then return to be an inspiration to those you had to leave behind.
Mindset and Perseverance
The times when I’ve thought mental perseverance was my worst trait when I was in the midst of persevering. The mental part is probably the toughest part of all. Not only will your friends and family question you, but you will challenge yourself. You will doubt your ability.
You might even have days when you think you’ve become “enlightened” with a new path that calls for you to quit this problematic pursuit. Don’t fall for those tricks! It’s during those times when you have to push a little harder, and you’ll likely find a breakthrough on the other side. Just enough to tell you it’s still worth the fight.
And I’m here to confirm to you that it indeed is worth the fight. Keep going, and you can do it, don’t give up… we can win.
Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. 1 Corinthians 9:24
21 Keys to Basketball Mindset Mastery
Now that you have the right mindset, you must now work on your game consistently. Every day you must be willing to improve your game in all areas. You must first accept that you must work on always areas of basketball development.
21 Focus Areas for Elite Basketball Mindset
- 3 Point Shooting – The Championship Golden State Warriors are a great example of how the three-point shot can completely change the outcome of games. Klay Thompson and Steph Curry have proven that teams can win and win abundantly while shooting the three-point shot at a high attempt rate. At the same time, several other teams like the Houston Rockets have also decided to win and lose with the three-point shot. So much so that they have implemented a small strategy; starting line with know over 6’6″. Who would have ever thought that the three-ball would become such a staple in, not the staple mark shot in basketball? In 2015 several teams decided to use the three as a large part of there offense, each side taking a ton of threes during the regular and postseason. You, as a player, must develop all areas of offense while accepting that the three-point shot is part of the basketball mindset for the foreseeable future. To some, this may feel like a bad shot, but the numbers do make sense. The key is taking a high percentage of 3 point shots.
- Mid Range Shooting – They say 3 point shooting has taken over. But a basketball mindset will require you to have all parts of the shooting weaponry in your game. You must still work on the mid-range game if teams are overplaying you on the 3. You must be able to take two dribbles and pull up. The midrange game, when developed, is a formidable offensive strategy at high percentages. Micheal Jordan made a living with the mid-range game shooting well over 50% on most occasions. The mid-range game, if not used, will most likely be needed in game-winning situations when you are down by 1 or 2 and unable to get a three.
- Dribbling – An exquisite basketball mindset realizes the importance of inclusive development. One of the most necessary components of basketball is dribbling. Everyone and mean everyone must be able to handle the ball, including big men.
In today’s positionless game, an interchangeable player is a necessity. Dribbling is an important fundamental skill of offensive basketball. Offensively it is used to move, delay, and advance the ball in the backcourt, frontcourt, drive the ball to the basket, and to separate yourself from the defender. - Passing – You must work on the four fundamental types of passing.
Your mindset must be one the is determined to develop all areas of passing. Passes must be delivered accurately and crisp. Your placement must be in the perfect position for the basketball player that is going to shoot, dribble, or make another pass. The four areas of focus are:
Chest Pass
The technique for the chest pass starts from the center of the chest out. The player positions the ball in front of their chest.
Bounce Pass
The technique for the bounce pass is the same as the chest pass. The player lifts the basketball in front of their chest muscles and flicks the pass forward in a natural motion. Just like the chest pass, they will step forward and drive the ball into the ground, bouncing the ball off the floor and into the receiving player. I
Overhead Pass
The overhead pass starts above the basketball player’s head. The basketball player steps into the pass and throws the able at the player. The overhead pass is used in an inbound pass, after a score, after a rebound or outlet passes.
One Arm Baseball throw Bounce Pass or Football Throw
The one basketball throw gives you more power and maneuvering ability. One arm throws can be done as a bounce pass or football pass, which ads a great skill to a point guards game. Lonzo Ball is very, very good at this. - Free Throw Shooting
Free throw shooting is a fundamental skill. It is the only skill that everyone must be proficient at. A fouled basketball player is only as good as his ability to convert free throws into points—no excuse for failure. Identify proper form, implement this form into your free shooting routine and shoot 100 free throws per day, and log how many you make. 80% is the goal. - Defensive Footwork
- Off The Ball Offensive Movement
- Screen and Roll Ballhandler
- Screen & Roll Screen Setter
- S and R Defense
- Post Play
- Mental Approach Before,
- Mental Approach During and
- Basketball Mindset after the Game
- Nutrition
- Basketball Combine Drills
- Handling MEdia obligations
- Understanding of NCAA Eligibility Rules
- Understanding of NBA expectations
- Managing Social Media
- Managing Family Expectations and Responsibilities
Great Books on Mindset
Don’t Stop The Swagger
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