October 18, 2020 | Tagged Coaching,
Play Your Best in the Big Basketball Games
Learning to play well when it matters most is a crucial skillset of great basketball players.
An outstanding Division One basketball player asked me, “Why do I play my worst basketball in the big tournament each year. I prepare, I work on my game and I always feel ready to play well but I never play my best.? What can I do, Coach Crowell?"
This is what I told this player.
First: Be physically ready to play.
Make sure you are ready to play at your maximum physical best. Make sure you have quality individual practice sessions reviewing important basketball fundaments. Games alone will not get you ready to play your best.
Second: Be mentally ready to play.
The next step is MIND CONTROL; be ready to play with mental toughness. Too many coaches and players think playing hard, diving for loose basketballs and intensity is playing with mental toughness. This is not what I mean. Mind Control to me is playing with relaxed confidence, playing with courage totally void of fear of missing a shot or making a mistake. It is the mental toughness not to allow thoughts of self-doubt, fear of failure, comparison, or other negative thinking interrupt your focus.
Third: Develop the discipline to relax
The major enemy of playing with confidence and courage is WANTING TO WIN TOO MUCH not too little. “We didn’t want it bad enough" is often not the correct reason. More often the losing team in a big game wanted it too badly; they tightened up. They missed key shots because the WANTED IT TOO MUCH.
Letting go, releasing tension in the hands, breathing easily and most importantly having a “let go, let fly attitude"creates inner peace.
Relaxed confidence and freedom to play are the products of precise basketball skill practice coupled with an "I play for the love of the game not the victory of the game" attitude. The amazing thing is when you don’t have to win you win more often.
We call this "developing the discipline to relax " because it is not a natural habit to become calm, clear-headed and relaxed intense situations. The more pressure, the more fear affects us physically by driving up our heart rate, removing blood from the brain and extremities, fingers become less sensitive, and creative reasoning becomes impaired.
Fourth: Visualize
Learn how to control your body during tense situations. Practice visualization, place yourself in pressure situations-- the more you do it, the less fearful you will become, practice breathing and mental focus, get the blood flowing to your fingers by warming them up, don't place extra pressure on yourself and have fun.
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