“Talent wins games, but Teamwork and intelligence wins Championship.” Michael Jordan

Basketball is a team game where individual performance alone cannot bring victory to the team.

Winning games requires commitment from each player. Winning championships over and over again requires putting your individual differences aside and functioning as one unit – The Team.

Everyone requires support and directions to play up to the team’s expectations. Having a strong mental game in basketball is one way to support each player while building a team.

Having a good team mental game can help each player remain positive, manage criticism and build confidence which in turn builds the team.

When individuals have personal conflict it affects the team’s performance on the court. Mental toughness if not well developed will allow these negative emotions/conflicts to settle into the player’s mind and reduce the team’s potential for peak performance.

Building confidence as a team is the basic measure to take while preparing for games. This should include both individual and team exercises along with some well-directed pep talks and team goals.

Words can do wonders to the confidence of a team. When a player goes out on the court and has to deal with the pressure of competition and negative comments from the crowd, it is his or her confidence that will get him or her over the mental hurdles. Emotional setbacks can affect confidence on the court if the player is not mentally tough.

Mental training is needed to develop a good mental game for all teams. In addition to a good team leadership and coach; a mental game coach can help take the team to the next level. A mental game coach can sort out problems that impart the team and create a renewed sense of togetherness.

Sometimes it is hard to stay positive in the mist of conflict. This is where implementing the strategies of the mental game will help the individual player stay focus which in turn will help the team win.

Individual performance is important because each player must perform to his or her optimum skill level in order for the team to have a good game; however, keep in mind, teamwork wins championships over and over again.

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