“Let’s face it, we’re all imperfect and we’re going to fall short on occasion. But we must learn from failure and that will enable us to avoid repeating our mistakes. Through adversity, we learn, grow stronger, and become better people.”- John Wooden

We have all heard the saying that “practice makes perfect”, to some extent this is true. Of course, some athletes’ interpret the word “perfect” literally and therein lays the potential root to a whole bunch of unwanted basketball psychology issues like fear of failure.

The mental game in basketball is much like a double edged sword. In the right hand (or should I say head) basketball mental toughness can be wielded to “devastating” effect against the opposition. However, an athlete with a weak mental game can only potentially inflict “devastation” upon them self or, inadvertently, to their team.

The quest for perfectionism has always been a noble one. That is, if the athlete possesses the mental awareness and has accepted that there is no such thing as ever actually reaching perfection. Most modern day athletes are now aware of the advantages of working on their mental game. Basketball coaches, players and even the parents of younger athletes have seen the benefits gained by working on an athletes’ mental game, both on and off the court.

Chasing literal perfection often results in a reduction in an athlete’s chances of being successful in their chosen sport. This is because when an athlete is trying too hard to achieve the impossible the, usual, end result is that of the manifestation of fear and anxiety. Inevitably, these emotions hinder the athlete’s ability to perform freely and with full confidence in their own ability.

With some assistance from a mental game coach, athletes who are predisposed to perfectionism can be shown that their own high expectations are unrealistic and that their goals are actually unobtainable most of the time. With some time an athlete will understand that it is their mind-set that is holding them back from reaching their own peak performance.

The notion of being perfect means that any mistakes made during a game, even a minor occurrence such as a missed open shot, can end up negatively impacting their overall performance during the rest of the game. An athlete with basketball mental toughness is aware that lapses in judgement and missed shots are part of every athlete’s experience on the court and they have already learned to let go of missed opportunities and instead they choose to focus on the next opportunity that comes their way.

However, being a perfectionist is not all bad. Athletes that are perfectionists tend to be the hardest workers when it comes to practice, as they are more willing to put in the extra effort and time required in honing their skills. They also tend to be a coach’s dream, as they are receptive and eager to take on board any advice about improving their fundamentals, technique or in adopting different gameplay strategies.

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