If you don’t know where you are going,
you’ll end up someplace else.
Yogi Berra

Developing a strong mental game in basketball involves the ability to establish many goals on your road to improvement and growth. Understanding what you want to accomplish is the first step, but afterwards it is imperative to establish realistic and periodic goals along the journey. The athlete with a solid basketball IQ appreciates the importance of developing their mental toughness alongside their physical strength and speed. Sports psychology for basketball plays a critical role for both the coach as well as the athlete in reaching both individual goals and team wins.

The first task an athlete must complete for their basketball mental preparation is deciding what some long term goals they desire. This could be playing on the professional level, or being the best player on the level you are currently playing. After looking at long term goals, it is important to break down several milestones along the way to assist with the achievement of the first initial long term goal. Continue to break down each goal into a smaller, more attainable, short term goal.

Basketball psychology states the athlete must see achievement along the journey to maintain interest and excitement, as well as a positive frame of mind. The short term goals must be challenging, but must also be attainable or you will be overwhelmed, bored and lose interest. Determining your long term goals, and then breaking then down into shorter more attainable goals and allowing time for reflection is the foundation. This is not a short activity to complete and then forget. It is an exercise of your inner beliefs, thoughts and dreams, and then stating those dreams aloud and on paper, and it should build your basketball mind and confidence throughout the process. The practice of goal setting is powerful to the success of achievement.

You should seek the advice of others such as trainers and coaches when determining if your goal is realistic. Your confidence grows with each goal attained, but if you do not set goals that are realistic, then you suffer from the negative energy and feelings of failure. The physical and mental preparation in basketball allows for greater success on game day. Achieving goals also strengthens your mind and motivates you to accomplish more the next day.

Lou Holtz stated, “If you’re bored with life—you don’t get up every morning with a burning desire to do things—you don’t have enough goals.”

Basketball mental toughness shows greater results from athletes who set attainable goals, and feel the strengthening of their confidence from the achievement of these goals. Using a realistic timeline also allows the mind to feel confidence from advancement, and not failure from unrealistic expectations. Growth does not appear overnight, but is accomplished from consistent and deliberate work. When effort is directly focused on a specific goal, then energy is not wasted. It allows for goal achievement on a faster timeframe. The practice of goal setting gives the player a concentrated effort at improvement, which greatly affects their performance and future.

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Improving your Mental Game in Basketball.