“Basketball is like photography, if you don’t focus all you have is the negative”. Dan Frisby
Practicing and having a plan is the key to developing a strong mental toughness in basketball.

Practicing and having a plan is the key to developing a strong mental toughness in basketball.

Practicing and having a plan is the key to developing a strong mental toughness in basketball.

A player’s basketball mental game can be improved if the player is ready to sacrifice time and effort to improve their ability to focus on their goals.

Basketball psychology stresses that setting goals allow the path to increased focus and enhanced productivity/performance to be very easy.

Studies have shown that goal setting enhance performance levels by between 11% and 25%.

There are 3 Major Types of Goals:

Process goals deal with the strategies under your control, required to execute the desired performance goal.

Process goals are used to improve the execution of a skill.

Process goals help to strengthen a player’s mental focus which is necessary for an optimum performance on the court.

Irrespective of the outcome of the previous game, sports psychology for basketball preaches process goals as a tool required to keep a basketball player focused at all times whenever he or she is on the court.

• Examples of process goals are: Train 4 days per week or eat fewer than 1,800 calories per day

Difference between Performance Goals and Mental Goals

Performance goals have to do with using statistics to improve an athlete’s individual performance.

• For example, increase a basketball player’s scoring average in a game from 21 to 22.

The athlete has much better control here. These are the performance levels that you need to be able to achieve if you are to reach the outcome.

Performance goals are what you are trying to achieve and can be reached with the help of process goals.

Mental Goals are goals that have to do with having the right focus before going into a game and also maintaining that focus no matter what happens in the game.

Mental Goals empower you with the ability to remove distractions of any sort during the game.

The mental focus of a basketball player is just as important as the physical abilities.

The essence of the mental goals is to instil confidence into the players enabling them to play with the right attitude, giving a top performance.

How to stay Focus on the Process instead of the Outcome

If you pay attention to the process, it is quite certain that you will achieve the outcome that you desire.

If you keep yourself focused on the outcome, you limit yourself in trying new things and putting your best effort forward.

You can stay focused on the process by setting goals.

By setting goals do not be focused on the goal itself instead be focused in the present moment, doing your very best to follow through.

Position your thoughts on how and what to do in achieving the goals you have set rather than the end goal.

The Importance of using Performance Goals and Mental Goals

Developing both performance and process goals have to do with setting realistic goals.

Setting goals creates a path for athletes to follow. It is an effective motivational technique that boosts skill learning as well as competitive performance.

Basketball players tend to be more focused and committed to training when goals are set.

When these goals are set, read and done every time they are on the court, it becomes a part of them.

The essence of setting these goals is to build a positive basketball mental toughness and as well improving the player’s ability on the court.

The level of performance goals to mental goals should be balanced in order to achieve zone like focus.

Basketball psychology tells us that players with a high mental focus perform better than those with a low mental focus on the court.

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