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MENTAL CONDITIONING #2
“Concentration and mental toughness are the margins of victory.” - Bill Russell
You know how to play the game. You’re worked hard in practice. You show how to attack the basket and how to play great defense. You’re strong, your skills are sharp, and you know what you’re capable of. You’ve dreamed about rising above the defense to make the big shot, throwing that perfect pass and winning the league championship. But instead, when the pressure is on, you miss the key lay-up, give up a 3-point play or drop the ball. Too many times you’ve ended up walking off the court feeling disappointed and dejected, knowing you could’ve played a better game; you wonder why you didn’t have your best game when you needed it the most. You wonder what’s missing. You wonder how you can take it to the next level. Answer: It’s time to learn how to compete mentally.
Games are entirely unlike practice. The excitement, the strange environment, the players you’ve never faced before, freaked out teammates, and the tremendous pressure to win will require mental skills which must be developed, just like dribbling, passing, jumping and shooting. Physically, most athletes train their butts off, but mentally they do very little to prepare for competition. Mental Conditioning focuses on the mental skills clutch players use, in pressure situations to perform consistently at a high level.
Why is mental conditioning important?
How do I currently mentally prepare to compete?
How can I better prepare myself to compete?