From performance to form, from achievements to accomplishments, everything in an athlete’s life revolves around their health and fitness. For sports like basketball, mental toughness is as essential is physical fitness. In fact, most coaches and trainers of today understand the mental game basketball has become and place special emphasis on sports psychology for basketball.
Needless to say, an injury is perhaps the worst fear of every professional athlete. Scores of athletes and professional sportspersons have witnessed their fledgling and promising careers take a downward tumble as a result of injury. An injury brings a lot more than just physical pain and discomfort to an athlete. It is accompanied by self-doubt, fear and a subconscious feeling of failure as well as the frustration of not being able to compete. These traits are not physical but psychological in nature, and hence, need to be dealt with psychologically only. In a physical sport like basketball, psychology and mental toughness can play a huge role in helping the athlete recover.
Sports psychologists say that in this day and time of cut-throat competition, staying physically and mentally fit has become equally important for professional athletes. Most psychologists say that an athlete’s mental toughness is as important as his/her physical strength. With an increase in the use of sports psychology for basketball, coaches and psychologists have said that athletes can stay motivated and mentally strong during an injury to aid their recovery. Motivation from within is the key to fighting self-doubt and the fear of not being able to play the sport one loves ever again.
For an athlete, the sport that they play is not just their life but provides them with a sense of identity, is a major source of self-esteem for them as well as serves as a constructive way to cope with stress. Staying mentally strong is the only way to cope with the enormous amount of emotional pressure an athlete feels during this time. Kobe Bryant is a name that needs no introduction. His battles with various injuries throughout his career have been talked about a lot in the sporting circles. The Lakers legend himself said that the “mental toughness just comes from all the battles that you’ve had and the obstacles that you’ve had to overcome.” This implies that mental toughness needs to be harnessed from within.
On needs to be in touch with how they feel; trying to act all ‘macho’ and dismissing fears won’t work. If you feel that the injury will not let you reach your former levels of excellence again, set newer and more realistic goals for yourself instead of living in denial. An athlete needs to understand the mental and psychological aspects of injury and his sport in order to recover. For instance, an injured NBA star must maintain a positive attitude and understand that mental game basketball has become in order to mentally overcome his hurdles. Perhaps more than most other sports; in basketball, psychology is absolutely crucial.
Players like Dwayne Wade and Bryant have always stressed that in basketball, mental toughness is the key to staying motivated after a career-threatening injury. With an increased use of sports psychology for basketball, more athletes will understand the essence and importance of mental toughness in the game, particularly in the road to recovery from any injury.
