Play Free

Players who would rather not fail than try will have a hard time showing what they can do. When you listen to great players, they own areas they failed in and use it to get better. It’s important to be in an environment where you can be challenged, uncomfortable, and forced to keep growing.

Understand the reality of playing basketball. The game is not meant for perfection. One of my favorite sayings is, "You have lessons, not losses." All opportunities can be a success or failure. How you approach the game is important. Thinking about making mistakes, missing shots, or turning the ball over is counterproductive to what you actually want to do.

Instead, try these things:

1. Positive self-talk before practice and games. Ex: I’m going to make every shot that I shoot today. Repeating this to yourself every day will help you, along with putting up hundreds of shots.

2. Get mental reps before you play. Visualize your performance at a high level. See yourself making plays in the game, handling pressure well,

   
   
   
   

   and executing your training.

3. Take ownership of the results and keep working. This approach will allow you to find ways to improve and receive help from others.