“Be led by your dreams, not your problems” – John Wooden

If ever there was a mental game, basketball is it. With pace, strategy, emotions, scenarios, pressures, physical and mental demands all being thrown into the melting pot things can relentlessly boil over on the court for athletes of all ages and at levels. Basketball mental toughness is what separates the elite from the rest of the pack when all else is equal.

Some athletes have already experienced and overcome enough challenges on and off the court and have walked away from their experiences with knowledge and self-awareness that could have been derived from them having done so. Another of the by-products, which comes from experience, knowledge and self-awareness, is the nurturing and strengthening of an athlete’s mental game in basketball.

The point is that most athletes are not born with a pre-primed basketball mind, and as with most things in life, it has to be acquired over time through trial and error. The normally laborious process can be sped up significantly with the aid of a mental game coach.

Athletes’ needs and motives are generally guided by two basic and determining factors. They are, the hope of success and the fear of failure. Every athlete has their own personal dream. Here, the “camp” of athletes is typically split into two types.

The first type is the highly motivated athlete that actively pursues their dreams and has reasonable expectations in achieving them through a series of consistent hard work and dedication. The mindset of this type of athlete processes challenges and setbacks as a means to an end which calls for more effort to improve until they have overcome the obstacle. Their desire to succeed is so powerful because it comes from within.

The other type of athlete, who may be just as talented and physically gifted, tends to fall behind due to a lack of self-belief in achieving their dreams, are burdened with a fear of failure or they are simply unwilling to put in the necessary time needed to overcome the obstacles placed before them.

Both type of athlete can become frustrated and even bored if they do not perceive themselves as meeting their goals or in keeping their performances up to their expected standards.

These thoughts cause athletes to feel pressure, anxiety and tension. Certain behaviors can also be used to identify if athlete are holding themselves back from reaching peak performance, such as over excitement.

An able body is always better aided and served when a relaxed mind is behind the steering wheel and calling the shots. The toughest but most significant step on the path to being relaxed is awareness.

Once awareness has been achieved another step an athlete can take is to learn how to promote relaxation. This can be done by developing personal strategies to help alleviate stress. This could include, performing the same pre-game routine to assist in focusing on the things that are controllable and that matter, instead of letting their minds wonder until stress and anxiety become all consuming.

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