“Never give up! Failure and rejection are only the first step to succeeding.” — Jim Valvano

Success is measured in different ways by different people.

Success can mean a variety of things, from something as small as getting a solid and effective free throw routine down, to winning a championship at the local to international level.

Mental game coaching focuses on this theme, and with the proper training, good basketball mental toughness can be developed to strengthen the drive to succeed, and be confident in the eyes of failure.

Many developing athletes suffer from a fear of failure that can translate onto the court if not properly addressed.

This fear can grow from a few areas, and can be detrimental to a player’s on-court performance when viewed in the wrong light.

Fear grows from within, as a player internally reflects on past performances, and how they perceived their performance. If they focus on the idea they did not perform well, similar performances will follow.

Fear grows from within as well as when a player assumes that others disliked their performance, whether they are teammates, opponents, or onlookers. When a player focuses on other’s perceptions of their physical and mental basketball game, they lose sight of the task at hand, leading to cautious or removed play.

This fear can also stem from a fear of injury or pain, which leads to shying away from contact and playing scared. Using a good mental game in basketball, a player can evolve and overcome fear of failure and instead be driven to succeed and be mentally tough.

Being a success driven athlete should be a goal of each basketball player, and is a clear key to success, particularly with basketball.

Being success driven is defined as not caving in to negativity or to self-defeat but to continue to strive to improve in our own eyes, and to share this with the world.

Mental Game Coaches have studied this theme over the years, and have shown the huge impact that having a strong mental basketball game and being success driven can have on a player’s performance.

Each basketball player, can develop strong mental game and become a success driven athlete.

On step is perspective; in feeling accomplished in knowing that you gave it your all, and left it all on the court, and not as much on the final stat line.

Another is in filtering noise, in focusing on those voices that encourage you to keep going, that celebrate your successes, and paying no mind to those looking to magnify what could be perceived as a failure.

Finally, knowing that success is evaluated for you, by you, and having the confidence to rely on your own skills to perform your best, you will feel successful, and the cycle will continue. It is on focusing on the successes that are ahead of us and remain to be achieved, a player is motivated to train, play, and be their best.

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