Confidence is defined as “a sureness about your abilities and the expectation that those abilities will lead you to a positive outcome.”

This is a great definition of confidence. It encompasses both a belief in yourself and your abilities as well as a belief in your future success. These two factors put together with basketball mental toughness will lead any athlete to tremendous success in a reaching peak performance.

A boost in confidence can absolutely lead to success. Without strong confidence, success may come but not to the full extent that is possible. Now of course one must  take into account the talent, confidence and basketball mental toughness of the teammates in determining the success of the team, but in regards to your own confidence for success, which is all you can control, there are ways you can  improve them.

Tips to boost Confidence for Success:

Develop a Winning Mind Set – Having a strong basketball mind is important. Remember sports are 90% mental, so being mentally tough is essential. To become mentally tough you must learn how to let things go. Don’t let bad performance affect present or future  performance. Learn to focus on the present and refocus quickly when you get distracted. By focusing on the present you become more confident and ready to perform. Stay positive. Make a conscience effort to be upbeat, energetic and optimistic about yourself and the games. Use rituals. Rituals will help you stay calm in the midst of a game when the pressure and tension is on you to perform well for the team. It will also help you prepare your mind for any and all situations prior to it occurring.

Body Language – The way you carry yourself in regards to your body language has a tremendous effect on your confidence. The simplest way to describe the best way to exude confidence is to stand and walk tall. Have you ever noticed how professional athletes carries themselves on and off the court? The guys walk with a swagger and the girls walk as if the world revolves around them. Even if you don’t feel that level of confidence still carry yourself in that manner. It not only speaks to the other players and fans, it speaks to you and assist you in developing a swag or an air, in other words, it helps develop your confidence, which will also lead to basketball mental toughness. As the old saying goes, “Fake it till you make it” because eventually the confidence will come.

In the same vein the way you dress is important. Dress for success. Make sure your uniform is neat and clean. Make sure your shirt is neatly tucked in your shorts and you have matching socks and shoes. This is your positive body language speaking externally to you, your opponents and fans.

Practice and Preparation Make Perfect – This statement like the above encompasses many components. In the most condensed way it means to not just physically practice and prepare for a game but mentally practice as well. Visualize the game before it happens. Visualize your team winning and you having a fantastic game. Visualize that you brought your A game and you were  mentally tough throughout the entire game. Talk positively to yourself, before, during and after the game..

If you are not as good in one area but better in another area then focus on the area that you are successful in while in the game and plan to put in extra time during team and individual practice to improve the other areas.

Stay away from Negative People and Situations – This statement pretty much explains itself. You don’t want to be around people that will put you down, get into trouble or talk negative about you and your game. Instead surround yourself with positive people, great players and coaches that can help point out your talents, build you up and help take your game to the next level. Additionally don’t complain, talk back and not listen when these great people are trying to give you constructive feedback and advice. Instead do the opposite, listen, be appreciative, be proactive in individual practice, be a leader of your team, find and live in the solutions.

If you fall, always get back up – If you are in the slump and feel you just can’t get “it” and seem to be making mistakes all the time, do not give up, don’t beat yourself up, instead take a deep breath and breathe. Listen to your coach and that positive voice within.

Confidence grows as you keep trying. As you keep trying you will get better. The better you get, guess what? Confidence grows and your basketball mental toughness get stronger.  So no matter how hard it is, pick yourself up and continue on the path towards success. Never give up – practice, practice and practice both mentally and physically.

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