“Obstacles don’t have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don’t turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it.” Michael Jordan

To compete at your highest level of performance in basketball, you have to have a composed mind.

Everyone is called to be a mentally tough defender, a strong rebounder, an intense competitor, and to play with hustle and heart.

Without composure, you will hold yourself back with self-sabotaging feelings of inadequacy, worry, doubt and fear.

What is Composure?

Composure is the ability to play at the highest level under the highest pressure without fear of failure and with consistently high-level results.

Composure on the basketball court means, how calm and stable you are under pressure, especially in the biggest games.
Top basketball players like Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant are known for being able to maintain composure when the pressure comes on.

When it comes to developing athlete’s mental game skills like composure, most sports psychologist for basketball focus on harnessing the championship mindset.

Being able to perform at a relaxed and poised level when an essential moment of the game occur is when it matters the most.

Composure Tips

Composure is the direct result of practice, navigating failure, growth mindset and learning how to engage success when the chips are down.

Here are some tips to develop your composure.

Learn from the past: Think of a time when you did lose your composure. How did you respond? Did you lose your temper or your confidence? Notice the patterns and put some proper plans in place to help hold you together the next time you lose your composure.

Beware of anger and overthinking: Decision making is an important aspect of basketball. Anger and overthinking make your decision-making skills impaired and send you in fight or flight reaction mode. When you start taking the game too personal, your mind begins to flood with overthinking. Try to keep the game from getting personal, and focus in the moment rather than outcome.

Regroup: When you make a mistake, stop your mind from dwelling on negative thoughts and refocus your mind on the current play. Create mantra and repeat it to yourself. Focus on your breathing and visualizing the positives.

Don’t think about the mistake again until you are in a space to process and learn.

Try to create “final moments” scenarios during the practice. Athletes who practice “final moments” scenarios during the season will be much more composed when faced with an actual game situation.

The more you practice composure, the more composure you will have.

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