“You can’t always be the most talented person in the room. But you can be the most competitive” – Pat Summitt

Being competitive is a requirement to survive and be successful in basketball.

In order to succeed, you must embrace your competitive nature, challenge yourselves, and overcome the obstacles that keep you away from your dream.

Much has changed in today’s competitive environment. To succeed today you must be in a constant state of adaptation – learn, grow and improve. That requires continually working on your existing skills, adding new skills, and tweaking your basketball mental game skills

Adjusting your techniques continually will be a master tool in most situations. Most champions are armed with 2-3 tactics prior to an game. These tactics have been practiced on a continual basis and are ready to be deployed at a seconds notice.

The great champions in basketball and life have two things in common.

They evaluate and they adjust.

When the conditions, circumstances and situations change, the champion achieves a mental toughness that boost them by adapting and adjusting. This process occurs swiftly without much conscious thought.

Re-adjust doesn’t mean that you have to start all over. What it means is that you have to try different approaches until you find yourself getting closer and closer to your basketball goals.

That’s why constant evaluation on a daily basis is so important. If you don’t evaluate you can’t measure your progress.

Every great basketball players has faced constant challenges and obstacles that had threaten their success. Sometimes, you can receive the best advice simply by listening to someone who has been exactly where you are now.

Mentors or sports psychologist can be a valuable way to continue your journey as they can provide you practical advice and guidance and teach you what you need to know since they have been in the same position that you are in now.

They are not only valuable adviser, but they can also act as an unbiased accountability partner to your new goals, and trusted confident to your worst fears and new ideas.

Great players have learned hard lessons that have brought them to the pinnacles of their careers as professional basketball athletes. Learn from their mistakes, learn from their movements, and most importantly model their mindset.

It is after all their mindset that has kept them at such a high level of achievement over an extended period of time. Without it they would not be successful.

Taking steps to actively develop and embrace a passion for learning offers the prospect of enormous rewards for your basketball career!

With so many options available to help everyone to pursue their own goals, the only one that can stop you from improving your basketball mental toughness that you need to succeed, is, You!

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