The game is 10% skill, and 90% mental. Yet over 90% of a basketball player’s time is spent on developing skills, and very little time is spent working on developing their mental toughness skills. Mental Toughness in Youth Basketball is rarely discussed (or properly understood). Read below to find out why this is one of the most important skills that players need to develop.
Over the years I have seen many players work really hard at the game of basketball – spending hours and hours on developing their skills, speed, shooting, etc. But then you watch them in a “real” game situation and you can’t help but wonder why they aren’t dominating the game? They should be playing like a superstar! This happens all the time in basketball. A player can make every shot in practice, show skills that “wow” a coach and teammates, but then the game comes along. What happened to all those skills? The fact is that this type of player has not worked on the most important part of the game – the “Mental Game.” A player can have a high basketball skill level, but if they don’t have a high mental skill level to go with these basketball skills, then you will never see the player perform to their potential in a game. I have seen players with a “low” basketball skill level, but have a “high” mental skill level do very well in a game. This is because this type of player has “no fear” and will use what little skills they have to the fullest. This can make a mediocre player look like an all-star, and the highly skilled player look like an average player. All because of the “mental” aspects of the game! Coaches can scream at players, bench them, and not start them to try and solve this problem with a player. The only known fix for a player with weak mental skills is for this player to start working on their “mental” game. Mental Toughness in Youth Basketball is extremely important to a players game.
A player has to work just as hard on developing their “mental muscle” skills as they do with developing their “physical” skills. It’s part of the game, and players need both in order to be successful! READ MORE HERE!
