How to be better at basketball : Mental Conditioning

Knowing your Basketball Philosophy 

Before ever playing it is important to set a basketball philosophy that the team can look to and will follow throughout the season . In the book " How to be better at Basketball "it says " every basketball team in the world is led by a philosophy that reflects core ideas that lay at the heart of its foundation. This philosophy guides your decision making as a team ( Wilson, James Basketball ) ". The Kentridge Basketball program includes a packet for all the players before the playing season begins " The plan of a champion ". It includes : Athletic Attitude , Roles of the Coach, Player and Parent. The team commandments and life lessons for players , and in the back the most important section " My Plan of a Champion ". This plan helps me create a motto and goals to set , and a philosophy to follow throughout the season. With this it will help me have a better mindset and dedication while playing basketball. 

DO YOU have to do any mental conditioning before sports or extra-curricular activities?
DO YOU have a philosophy that you apply to your life ?

Mentally Resilient

It is known that in many sports, players are needed to be physically tough. But not only do they have to be physically tough, they also have to be mentally tough. There are many people who are not mentally tough. It is hard for people to have mental toughness if they are focusing on their mistakes or the negative things that could happen, rather than being resilient and doing their best. Mental toughness is a mental habit that becomes a part of your pride and identity. Having mental toughness is a must-have for encounters in everyone's daily lives (DeVenzio 164). 

In Stuff Good Players Should Know, Dick DeVenzio points out that mental toughness is a key aspect of basketball and life as well. He explains that even if a player is very skillful, they aren't as great of a player if they aren't mentally tough. He encourages players to have mental toughness. "Develop a noble quality of mind. Learn to do your best quietly, methodically, without regard for tiny problems and adverse conditions. There are players who ignore all the negatives and give... everything they do their best shot... That is what every player should strive for" (DeVenzio 164).

I chose to write about mental toughness because I am sometimes not so mentally tough myself. After reading this part in the book, I contemplated on how mentally tough I am and I realized that I need to improve on it. So, I started to focus less on the negative parts and my mistakes when I am playing basketball. Instead of being upset about messing up, making excuses, or letting minor problems get to me, I choose to think about things that I can do to improve and resolve the problems. It is challenging, yet so amazing to have an opportunity to be on a varsity team with all of the players being so talented. It's challenging because it means that I get less playing time than everyone else on the team, but it's magnificent to be on this team because by being on such a talented team I can see my teammates as motivation for me to work harder to improve on the court. 

I have drastically improved on my mental toughness. There are things that are able to lower my confidence, and I used to let them get to me. But now, I realized that I can just use those things to work around the obstacles and inspire me to be more resilient and hardworking. Being mentally tough has really enhanced the way I play. It has helped me be less shy on the court and not be upset about my mistakes. By thinking more positively, it has made me feel better about the way I play. Being mentally tough is very important.

When have you needed to be mentally tough? How were you tough?

DeVenzio, Dick. Stuff Good Players Should Know: Intelligent Basketball from A to Z. 3rd ed. Stafford, TX: PGC Basketball, 1983. Print.

Mental toughness

Mental toughness is a big factor  in order to be successful at any sport you play. If you are the most skilled and athletic player on your team, but aren't mentally tough then you are not as good as you think you are. I agree with the author of The Hoops Whisperer that a coach would rather have a mentally tough player rather than an extremely talented, but soft or overly emotional player.


In the book, author Idan Ravin uses Life of Pi as an example of mental toughness (13-14). Ravin talks about how Pi had to stay strong physically and mentally.  Pi had to stake out his own space and show the tiger that he needed him for food.  Pi had value to the tiger and they needed to co-exist on the raft.  This week we played our first game for JV basketball and I was not one of the starters for the team. I think this book can help me because I need to learn to coexist with the better players, demonstrate my unique value to the team and be tough enough to earn a starting spot. I need to stake my own claim on the team like Pi Patel with the tiger, Richard Parker.

Ravin said in the book, "I learned to coexist with Bron, CP, Melo, KD, Dwight, and the other Richard Parkers of the NBA by carving out my territory on the raft." (13) I need to be more tough about my work habits and get all my school work done early so I can have more time to practice. If I plan on becoming a starter for JV and eventually a varsity player, I can't be intimidated by better players and I need to show my value to the team.


Have you ever needed to be mentally tough to succeed? What steps did you take to help yourself becoming mentally tough?


Ravin, Idan. The Hoops Whisperer: On the Court and inside the Heads of Basketball's Best Players