“I think mentally; we have to become a tougher basketball team. I think mental toughness is going to be the thing that makes us champions.” Isiah Thomas

Being a mentally tough athlete requires many aspects.

From the game plan to the trust of yourself and your teammates.

The ability to control the mental aspect of your game is critical in developing the skills to be an elite athlete.

Mental toughness is the difference between good and great.

Building Confidence

Confidence is another essential part of being a mentally tough basketball player.

Confidence can affect every part of your game.

Confidence is how much you believe in yourself to complete the tasks in a game. Whether it’s passing the ball to an open teammate game or shooting a last-second shot for the win, confidence is crucial to whether you succeed at any play in the game.

Ultimately, when it comes down to it, confidence is key.

When you’re playing a game, and you have an important play at hand, if you’re not confident in your ability to complete the play, more often than not, you will not succeed.

Players at some time in their career will have a bad game. Even Lebron James, arguably the best player in the NBA, has bad games.

Staying confident when you’re not performing well is vital.

If a player gets down on him or herself when playing bad, it’s only going to make the game worse. Knowing the level of your game and keeping your confidence up will set you up for success.

The main way to stay confident is to know what you have to do, which is to win the game and focus on the process of getting it done – one play at the time.

Going into a game uncertain of your goal can be devastating.

You need to know ahead of time what you are going to do, so when it comes time to do it, you do it with certainty, and you are not tentative about any moves.

Let Go of Mistakes

Players also need to refrain from beating themselves up over mistakes.

If you make a mistake, let it go. Don’t kick yourself for the rest of the game. Just let it go!

The best way to be confident is to take practice time seriously. Practice like it is the championship game every time. Practice every shot and every move until you can do it effortlessly without thinking.

Once you succeed with your action in practice, you will be confident enough to execute it on the court.  

Being Confident Can Hurt

Being overly confident can significantly affect your game as well. Understandably, every player wants to have a good game. A player needs to understand that being too confident can hurt their game as well as their teammates.

Being overconfident often stems from fear of failure and pressure from other players. It’s good to know your limits and to stay level headed and realistic about what you can and can not do.

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