“Discipline is doing what has to be done, when it has to be done, as well as it can be done, and doing it that way all the time” – Bob Knight

Mental Toughness involves more than just willpower; it requires hard work and commitment.

It’s about establishing healthy habits and choosing to devote your time and energy to self-improvement.

Although it’s easier to feel mentally strong when life seems simple however, true mental toughness becomes most apparent in the midst of tragedy.

Choosing to develop skills that increase your basketball mental toughness is the best way to prepare for the inevitable obstacles in the game.

Many exercises exist that can help you develop your mental game in basketball.

Before you start working on improving your mental toughness, it’s important to know how mentally tough you are right now.

You can do it in two effective ways, the first and the most challenging is to look inward to assess your current mental toughness.

The other step is to ask others to provide feedback about your mental toughness.

Does feedback from your football coaches, sport psychologists, family and friends improve your basketball mental toughness? A recent study from the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research says it does. In fact, feedback can increase your mental toughness immediately – on the very next rep after the feedback is delivered.

A good way to gather feedback is to ask directly, a faster way is by sending emails to many people. You can also form questions based on these characteristics, to see your progress in these areas. But before asking others, you need to ask those questions to yourself first. Make sure your respondents know what basketball mental toughness is.

Before asking others, think about the meaning of mental toughness to you.

What behaviors you want to improve or change? Identify situations or areas that are important for you.

Some can be more honest and give you more feedback if you interview them directly, but most people need to be anonymous to feel freer with their opinions.

After you understand your present basketball mental toughness, find ways to improve it. Of course, achieving excellence takes commitment and dedication.

An unbreakable commitment is needed to improve your mental toughness. Think of it as a long term and gradual project; with effective and proper focus on certain objectives.

*Download the free mental game assessment and get started on Improving your Mental Game in Football