Mental Toughness
Developing mental toughness is perhaps the most important aspect of young players' training and overall development. Unfortunately, mental toughness is often overlooked and not given enough attention. It's no wonder that many highly-ranked middle school players fail to transition to the high school level, or why so many promising NBA draft picks never live up to their potential - the reason is simple: they lack mental toughness. However, the good news is that mental toughness is a skill that can be taught and developed.
GOAL SETTINGS
Write down your outcome game goals, process goals, and objectives. Knowing where you are going is important. When working with a trainer or workout partner, it's helpful to know how many reps you're going to do, or how long you're doing the exercise. You need a destination, and you must have a goal in mind. Players need to understand what the objective is. Imagine not knowing your goal. For a young player, that can be exhausting. Writing down goals can increase the success rate by 80%.
TIPS: Write down goals that keep you excited each day. Be bold! Make big goals! Write down your goals in middle school, high school, and college! Aim high!!
VISUALIZATION
Visualize your success in your mind.
LANGUAGE
How you talk to yourself can significantly affect how you react to stressful situations and events in your life. When you learn to communicate in a positive manner with yourself, you'll become more confident and motivated. Your outlook on life, as well as on yourself, will improve. It's better to reframe your demands when coaching your players. Instead of saying "Don't miss your layup," try saying "Make your layups." Similarly, instead of saying "Don't just stand there!" say "Move with the ball!" And rather than telling them how difficult it is to get into the NBA, try saying "It's going to be fun seeing you on the Warriors." Say what you want to happen.
CLEAR YOUR MIND/MEDITATE
Staying focused and locked in during the game can be difficult for some players. Do you find that your player gets distracted on the court? Does your player have a hard time quieting their minds during a free throw? You don’t have to sit in a quiet room with incense with your legs crossed, we mean, come 10-15 minutes before a game or during the day. Silence for 10 minutes a day. Kobe Bryant said he worked on his meditation practice every day. He said that it's what he does every morning — sit down in silence for around 20 minutes. It's his way of preparing his mind for the day.
GUARD YOUR DREAMS WITH THE SAME TENACITY THAT YOU GUARD A BASKETBALL
It's really important to hold onto your dreams and make sure you protect them just like you would with a valuable treasure. As a parent, I know you want to do everything you can to support your young athletes. Sometimes, it can be discouraging to hear about all the statistics, probabilities, and impossibilities out there. But don't worry, you've got this! It's important to shield your kids from negativity and encourage them to chase their dreams with all their heart. Let them know that nothing can stop them from achieving their goals and don't let anyone tell them that the odds are against them. Keep spreading that positive energy!
