“The will to succeed is important, but what’s more important is the will to prepare”—- Bobby Knight
If you asked almost any middle school, high school, collegiate and professional coach to name the one basketball skill or character trait that is the most important to the future success of a player, and most benefits the team that the player is on, many coaches (if not most) will tell you “the most valuable attribute a basketball player can have is Basketball Mental Toughness.”
Having mental toughness does not guarantee a team a championship, but a lack of mental toughness is guaranteed to cost a team a championship or an opportunity to compete for a championship.
Mental toughness is arguably the one attribute that most often determines the outcome of games, particularly in the critical pressure-filled crucible of post-season play. Yet despite all of the discussion about how important mental toughness is in the mental game of basketball, mental toughness often means so many different things to coaches and athletes.
Whether you aim to become an elite athlete, or you aspire to become an elite coach, basketball mental toughness is one of the keys to long-term success. After all, you need fierce determination and tenacity to reach your greatest potential.
The road to success is often filled with emotional highs and lows. If you lack adequate skills to regulate your emotions, you’ll struggle to resist temptation, delay gratification and take calculated risks.
Mental strength is the key to controlling your emotions, so your feelings don’t cloud your judgment or lead you astray.
Creating this awareness is what separates an NBA superstar from other talented players. They always get back to the process and not worry about the outcome. Don’t be overly concerned about the results! Focus on perfecting the process and the desire results will come.
Former UCLA men’s basketball coach John Wooden said, “Emotionalism destroys consistency.”
Mental toughness lives in the gap between stimulus and reaction. Instead of being ruled by emotions, you must learn to interrupt the stimulus–reaction process, and instead respond in such a way that is productive and beneficial to performing well. It’s not easy to do this especially when there is a lack of mental discipline.
John Wooden was famous for NEVER talking about winning. All he talked about was the characteristics needed to be successful in the basketball mental game. In his case, the winning (obviously) took care of itself.
There will always be obstacles and challenges that threaten to derail your road to success. building basketball mental toughness will help you develop resilience to life’s inevitable obstacles so you can overcome setbacks with confidence.
Just remember, the next step is always the most important step… focus on each and every possession. Play present. Think – what’s important now? The only thing that should be important now is the play that is right in front of you.
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