Basketball mental toughness is critical when performing under pressure. It’s a well-known fact that many players perform better under pressure. It’s a strange phenomenon but very true and well documented. It’s as if they thrive on a challenge and then somehow rise to the occasion and play exceptionally well, even above their capabilities at times.
A great deal of the players find it difficult to perform well under pressure. When you are playing in a big game or in front of a large crowd it can be extremely intimidating and cause you to lose your focus and concentration. This is the exact moment you want to maintain your mental toughness and do what you and your team have practiced and prepared for.
The best way to play under pressure is to treat the big game just like any other game. Sports psychology for basketball encourages not letting the overwhelming nature of a big game upset your mental balance or goals you have set individually as well as collectively as a team. Emotions play a huge part in performing under pressure and this can be both good and bad. If you let your emotions dictate your play as opposed to your mind then you probably will not perform your best.
Coaches like to get their players emotionally pumped up for a big game and that is good however, players must not let their emotions take over their mental game. Playing with emotions is certainly not bad but if your emotions run rampant then they most definitely will interfere with you reaching peak performance.
When addressing the issues of performing under pressure it is a good idea to discuss the barriers with the players and the team on going. If they are playing in a big game that they have set as a goal to win all season, then they will be less likely to fold under the pressure. Why? Because it was a goal that they have mentally and physically prepared for. This means their mental game in basketball is strong, they have practiced individually as well as a team consistently and they have planned for and seen the desired outcome over and over again in their minds; thus the pressure is not as overwhelming because their basketball mental toughness is at its peak.
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