Mental toughness is to physical as four is to one.
Coach Bobby Knight

Everyone knows in basketball there are three seasons; the regular season, post season, and the offseason. Winning games and tournament titles most assuredly occur during the regular and post season, but the true growth of an athlete happens during the offseason.

Is the time wisely spent on growing stronger and developing mental toughness, or is it seen as a time to lay-off and take a break? The offseason certainly allows for injury and fatigue recovery, but if an athlete wants to genuinely progress in their game, then they must commit to train, gaining both physical and mental strength all months of the year. Incorporating a basketball mental game plan for improvement truly elevates a good player to an elite one.

Just as a strength and conditioning coach offers assistance to reach peak physical condition, a mental game coach utilizes methods to sharpen mental focus and build basketball confidence. Training to increase the mind’s performance is much different than seeing a psychologist for a clinical reason such as a disorder, or depression. There is no stigma to feel “crazy” for seeking a mental game coach, but rather wanting to achieve maximum performance on the court by harnessing the infinite potential of the mind.

Since physical fitness is not gained by sporadic exercising, but rather a sustained approach with milestone goals set along the way, mental toughness is also a facet of a player’s game that requires consistent and deliberate attention. A mental game coach provides guidance to maintaining and solidifying mental toughness.

The use of sports psychology to achieve elite physical performance is popular in many different areas. Nick Saban, coach of 3 time college National Champions Alabama, employs a permanent mental coach Trevor Moawad who works with players as a team and individually. Most elite PGA golfers retain a personal mental coach to analyze their play, decisions, and thinking process both on and off the tour.

Basketball coach Phil Jackson of the Los Angeles Lakers (and previously the Chicago Bulls) is known for his attention on player’s mental focus and basketball confidence. Jackson stresses the importance of mental imagery and visualization in every practice and game. A stronger mind empowers an elevated performance both in the athletic arena and in life.

Using a trained professional gives the athlete an ability to see mental barriers that they may be unable to understand or even imagine on their own. The use of a mental game coach allows for an unbiased analysis of performance and mental focus without the effects of personal invested emotion.

Allowing a mental game coach or sports psychologist to assist also involves creating a plan for improvement, and guided evaluation of progress. This process inevitably allows the athlete to regain a sense of power over their thoughts and emotions both in life and on the basketball court.

The offseason provides the perfect opportunity to advance mental focus and uplift confidence for the next season. The elite athletes push themselves to achieve greatness year round, and it shows in their performance.