“Success is never final; failure is never fatal. It’s courage and confidence that counts.” John Wooden

Attaining the state of basketball mental toughness means you have to add a combination of discipline and confidence to your basketball game.

Developing self-confidence has to do with maintaining a positive mental game and attitude that keeps an athlete 100 % focused irrespective of whether they fail or not.

An individual who is an average athlete and has mental toughness will be more successful than an individual who has natural talent but who is not mentally tough. A team or player that lacks self-confidence will always play below par.

Basketball psychology explains that basketball mental toughness is based on a quality known as the hardiness. Hardiness is the ability to control whatever happens to you during the game, either positive or negative. It is also the ability to commit yourself to playing ball and coping with change.

For your basketball mental game to improve, you must learn to control your thoughts.

The ability to control your thoughts allows you to get focused and develop self-confidence which helps you bring your thoughts to reality on the court.

Sports psychology for basketball stresses the need to get rid of the negative thoughts and disbelief in your head as they can significantly hinder your ability to perform on the court.

This is one of the major mental barriers to building your self-confidence. Improving your basketball mental toughness simultaneously improves your confidence on the court which will allow you to play to your maximum potential.

Making a list of your positive basketball accomplishments can also be a way of developing your basketball mental toughness. Make sure that you reflect each day on your accomplishments. Realising the many things you have succeeded in will allow you to carry over those successful thoughts and memories into building your confidence.

Importance of Mental Toughness

In basketball, having basketball mental toughness is just as important for players as physical fitness.

Mental toughness is a skill and it can be developed alongside with physical skills.
Players with high levels of mental toughness do way better and increase their chances of a successful career than their colleagues who don’t train mentally.

Developing mental toughness gives players the motivation and tenacity to make sure they complete the goals they have set.

Irrespective of the physical attributes that athletes may possess, the athlete that is ‘tougher’ mentally will most times succeed.

Psychological factors like mental strength are usually the determining factor between success and failure. The difference between the best and the good athlete is the quality and extent of their psychological preparation and how well these athletes apply their skills during high-pressure game situations.

Mental Toughness differentiates the best from the rest when physical, technical and tactical skills are equal.

Coaches, as well as the athletes themselves, should combine the two elements of mental training and technical training so they will enhance the chances of establishing a consistent peak performance in every game.

Therefore, it is imperative to include mental skills training in practice so that talented players can give their best performance at all time no matter what.

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