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How to be a better basketball player mentally
USA Basketball - How to Develop Mental Toughness on the Court
A couple of years ago I was fortunate enough to meet Graham Betchart, a brilliant performance coach who specializes in mental skills training for athletes.
After numerous phone conversations and email exchanges we finally connected in person at a Big East college basketball game.
I have always been fascinated by the role the mind plays in achieving success on the basketball court, and have spent a ton of time studying (and improving) that aspect of my own coaching arsenal.
Depending on who you ask, most agree that basketball is around 75 percent mental (Bob Knight was even quoted as saying the "mental is to the physical as 4 is to 1"). Yet most players readily admit they don't spend time working on mental training. So at best, they spend 100 percent of their time and effort focused on the remaining 25 percent.
If you want an edge, you have to train your mind and body.
Mental Toughness
People define "mental toughness" in a variety of ways, and there is usually some truth to most of those definitions.
Part of mental toughness is learning how to be comfortable being uncomfortable.
Another part of mental toughness is the ability to focus on what you can control and stay in the moment (also known as "Playing Present").
One of the biggest roadblocks to maximum performance for both players and coaches is falling in the trap of focusing on (and worrying about) things that are out of their control.
You are 100 percent in control of:
Focus
Attitude
Body Language
Effort
Thoughts
Communication
You have zero control of the refs, the fans, or your opponent. And contrary to most people's understanding, you don't have full control over making a shot or winning a game! You can do a series of things that strongly increase your chances of making a shot or winning the game, but you don't have complete control of it. If you did, every shot would go in and you would win every game!
The key to effectively playing present is to focus on the 'next play. ' Not the one that just happened--it's over. Not the one that may happen later, but the play right in front of you. You must learn how to focus on the task at hand and execute that to the best of your ability. Then do that for the next play. And the next play. And the play after that. One play at a time.
When you get back on defense, that stop is the most important stop of the entire game. Why?
Because it is the ONLY one you can directly affect. It's kind of like the old coaching mantra "the next game on our schedule is the most important game of the year." There is a ton of wisdom behind that quote.
Same holds true for shooting. The next shot is the only one that matters because it is the only shot you can affect. That is what makes Michael Jordan so phenomenal. Although it rarely happens, if MJ misses his first 10 shots... he doesn't let it affect his 11th shot. The 'next shot is going in' mentality is why he was such a potent offensive player. He always thinks, "My next shot is good. "
Focus on the Process
A key component of playing present is being able to focus on the process, not the result. For instance, don't worry about whether or not you make the shot. Instead, focus on the steps needed to greatly increase your chances of making the shot:
Being on balance
Having good footwork
Staying square to the rim
Keeping your eyes on the rim
Executing your shot technique
Holding your follow through
Focus on these things because they are things you have complete control over. You control whether or not you are on balance, have good footwork, are square to the rim, etc. If you focus on these things, more times than not, you'll make the shot. But if you only worry with the outcome (making the shot) instead of the process (the steps above), you will not be a very good shooter.
You need to be so into the moment ('Play Present')... that on an offensive possession you are thinking something to the effect of, 'cut hard to an open space, catch the ball, square up, survey my options, and make the right play. ' Now of course all of this needs to happen quickly, in real time. You can't be out on the court in La-La-Land day dreaming! In fact, it is the opposite. When you 'Play Present', you are so dialed in you have razor-sharp focus.
Creating this awareness is what separates an NBA superstar from other talented players. He always gets back to the process and doesn't worry with the outcome. Don't be a sucker for the results! Focus on perfecting the process and the results will follow.
John Wooden was famous for NEVER talking about winning. All he talked about was the characteristics needed to be successful. In his case, the winning (obviously) took care of itself.
Just remember, the next step is always the most important step... focus on each and every possession. Play present. Coach Betchart also calls this concept W.I.N. -- 'What's Important Now?' The only thing that should be important now is the play that is right in front of you; the next play.
Have you ever taken a toy away from a 1-year old? They cry. Then you give it right back to them. They stop. They don't dwell on the fact that you took it, they are dialed into the fact they have it back.
Now as a parent, and as a coach, it is my job to keep them 'Playing Present.' Keep them focused on what they can control. Keep them focused on the process.
8 Things Mentally Tough Basketball Players Do
Mentally tough players are few and far between in the current state of basketball. That's why they are cherished so much by coaches and considered valuable pieces to a winning program. Most mentally tough players are naturally this way but every player can be better mentally if they focus on a few things.
Lets take a look at 8 great things mentally tough players do in games AND practice. Try to figure out where your players are lacking and encourage them to develop better habits. A team that has mentally tough players is a team that fights and sticks together come game time.
1. Don't blame refs
One of the toughest things players struggle with is blaming the referees. It's a natural thing to do because players see coaches and parents doing this themselves. It's the coach's job to make sure the referee understands the temperament of the team and also relay concerns but it's never a great idea to blame the referees.
Referees are humans and it's almost inevitable they will make mistakes during the course of a game. When players blame the refs they lose focus and the entire flow of the game can be derailed. Players can only control what they do with their own actions. When the accountability falls on the players and coach it creates unity and also keeps excuses from entering into the mind of players.
2. Think "next play"
There are over 100 possessions each basketball game. This means that the next play matters and is just as important as the first. A lot of times players will miss shots or turnover the ball and put their head down on the opposite side of the floor. Sometimes players will even be nervous to try to make a play based on what happened earlier in the game.
What players need to understand and focus on is the "next play." Mistakes will be made but compounding the mistake by holding on to it will never help the team. Each basketball game is chaotic in nature being that you never know what will happen. It's a game of inches and sometimes the ball goes in the hoop and sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes you get called for a silly foul but mental toughness means getting over that mistake or issue and making sure to focus on the next play.
3. Block out negativity
Blocking out negativity is one of the hardest things to do especially during a tough season. At times this negativity can come from friends and family which makes it even tougher. Just remember a team is only as strong as its weakest link and everyone has to make sure that positive intentions trump all.
When negative thoughts or conversation start to boil just remember to be thankful for the opportunity to step on the court and play the game you love. Things won't always go as planned and there will always be a winner and a loser but a positive outlook is contagious even to family, fans and friends.
4. Learn from mistakes
One of the best ways to become a great basketball player in general is to learn from mistakes. Part of the reason this is so important is because coaches get extremely frustrated with players that make the same mistakes over and over. Typically the players that make the same mistakes are the ones that aren't mentally tough and haven't fully committed to change.
Every coach has their focuses and things they like to do on the offensive and defensive ends of the floor. Some tendencies players have learned from other coaches may not fly with new coaches and that's where mental toughness comes in. It's easy to complain and quit but tough players adjust and try to learn why they are being taught differently. Players become the best version of themselves quicker by learning from mistakes and this ultimately leads to being a better teammate as well.
5. Overcome Adversity
Every basketball season has its ups and downs. Things like injury, sickness, and poor grades can send a season on a completely different trajectory. These are things that must be overcome and are almost inevitable every year. This is the beauty of success in basketball though. Even teams that have only lost one or two games face adversity. They usually handle it better so it never disrupts or derails the season.
Overcoming adversity requires players and coaches to stay on the same page throughout the season and it also requires coaches to make sure standards are met. The situations that are controllable need to be handled so that the uncontrollable situations can get the proper attention needed throughout the season.
6. Lead by example
Everyone talks about leaders and how valuable they are. This is one thousand percent true. The problem is it's easier to talk about it then to be it. Coaches challenge players to be leaders on and off the court but often times they fall well short of this expectation. Leadership requires players to sacrifice a lot of what regular kids are able to do.
One of the best ways to lead is by example. This means going to class on time, speaking to adults with respect, listening before talking, taking responsibility for actions, working hard, staying positive, and remaining dedicated to the team. All these things are hard for kids to get a grasp on. If parents and coaches can get players to understand these things they will have a team full of leaders that will keep themselves accountable during and after the basketball season.
7. Always make hustle plays
The more coaches and trainers describe hustle, the more I'm personally beginning to believe it's an actual skill. If it was something easy to do then every player would. Making the extra effort to get back on defense takes skill. Making the extra effort to dive on the floor takes skill. Every team that wins a championship has players like this. They are bought into the team and understand that every play and every possession matters.
Basketball is a game of inches and every play matters on both ends of the floor. Players: Be sure to make the extra hustle play and show your coaches you have the will, mental toughness, and work ethic to do so.
8. Play with confidence
One of the most important things mentally tough players do is play with confidence. Great players understand that their teammates watch them and follow their lead. Some nights players will hit shots and everything will roll on perfectly but other nights this may not be the case.
Mentally tough players are able to remain confident in themselves and their teammates no matter the situation. This is particularly important when things are going as planned because it develops trust and a strong bond between players. Trusting each other and being confident in each other's skills is a hard thing to do on an individual level but the greatest teams figure out a way to fight through tough times. Great teams feel confident, play confident, and behave confident and that's ultimately why they are successful.
Becoming a mentally tough player doesn't necessarily happen overnight but must be worked on just like shooting, ball handling, rebounding, and all other basketball skills. We hope this list can help spark some inspiration and allow players to gradually become better every day!
Of course, using Dr. Dish training machines will help develop physical skills but they also allow players to really "lock in" to become stronger mentally as well.
Anything else you would add to the list? Let us know in the comments!
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Psychological preparation of basketball players | Physical education
Author: Poletaeva Nina Petrovna
Organization: MBU SShOR "Yunost"
Settlement: Belgorod region, Stary Oskol
CONTENTS
Introduction
3
1.
Content and tasks of psychological training of basketball players
3
2.
Types of regulation of mental states of an athlete
4
3.
The content of the psychological preparation of basketball players
4
4.
Literature
10
Introduction
Basketball is the most important means of physical education aimed at increasing the efficiency and improving the psychophysical qualities of those involved. This is an exciting team game that contributes to the development and improvement of the physical, mental and intellectual qualities of a person; players' mastery of professional motor skills and abilities. Basketball instills in athletes willpower, endurance, perseverance, courage, determination, self-confidence, a sense of duty and responsibility, patriotism and collectivism. The effectiveness of the education of these qualities depends, first of all, on how purposefully the relationship between the physical, psychological and moral education of athletes is carried out in the training process. The training process in basketball is built on increasing the complexity and intensity of training sessions, acquiring special knowledge by players about the psychophysiological properties of the individual, the structure of the body and the biomechanics of human movements. In the process of detailed preparation for a long season full of various competitions and, directly, in the lessons on the technique and tactics of the game conducted by the coach, athletes acquire the necessary professional knowledge, skills and abilities to increase the variety of individual and team technical and tactical actions of basketball players. This suggests that the key to the successful performance of a basketball team in competitions is the high sports training of players (which is mainly realized in sports training), which includes all aspects of preparing athletes for a long sports season (theoretical, technical, tactical, moral-volitional and psychological). Thus, sports training is a complex specialized process aimed at the formation, development and improvement of the necessary physical, psychophysical and psychophysiological qualities of players, which has a versatile effect on athletes.
Basketball is a team sport that requires full dedication from each player in changing game episodes on the court; it allows you to develop endurance, good coordination of movements, flexibility, mobility and jumping ability in the game. It is an excellent school for teaching the interaction of players in a team, because success in the game depends not only on the developed eye of the athletes, but also on their ability to understand the intentions and tactics of other team members. An important factor is the ability of players to make instant decisions, taking into account the game situation on the court, since the specifics of the game involve sudden changes in direction and pace, which alternate with forced jumps during shots, fighting for a high ball and trying to cover the throw. The main task of the coach in preparing for the sports season is to gradually lead the players to optimal physical, technical, tactical and mental readiness.
Content and tasks of psychological training of basketball players
Psychological preparation is understood as a pedagogical process of formation and improvement of personality traits important for sports and mental qualities underlying them, in other words, psychological preparation can be understood as the process of forming a sports character [5].
The character of an athlete is determined by the properties of the personality, which is formed by fixing the necessary psychological states caused by certain mental processes. In terms of the psycho-pedagogical theory of activity, the management of mental states and the education of personality traits are correlated as a means and a result.
In this case, the mental state is understood as the corresponding attitude of the athlete to the world around him, which can arise both under the influence of external influences of the coach (external regulation of mental states), and due to the efforts of the athlete himself (self-regulation of mental states). Consequently, the coach, in addition to his own influence on the athlete's psyche, must teach him the methods of self-influence, which will significantly increase the effectiveness of the process of psychological preparation.
Types of regulation of mental states of an athlete
J. Wooden notes the importance of psychological training in basketball: every coach must know psychology and be a psychologist. Speaking about the “pyramid of success” he developed, which is based on diligence and enthusiasm, and faith and perseverance help to reach the peaks, he writes: “We all differ in our abilities. Some may have more abilities than you, they may be bigger, faster, stronger and have superiority in other physical qualities, but no one should surpass you in such very important qualities and characteristics as team spirit, enthusiasm, hard work, cooperation, constancy, determination, honesty, sincerity, reliability and integrity. Acquire and keep these qualities - and success is guaranteed" [2].
The need for special psychological preparation for sports competitions is clear to anyone who is preparing himself for a career as a basketball coach. Preparing a basketball player for high sporting achievements is a long process that requires certain lifestyle restrictions associated with the need for large time expenditures to participate in training. Therefore, it is important to form an appropriate psychological attitude not only to sports competitions, which are a bright holiday, but also to the heavy gray everyday life of a long training process.
All of the above allows us to consider the content of the psychological preparation of basketball players in three interrelated blocks: 1) psychological preparation for the training process; 2) psychological preparation for competitions; 3) regulation of mental states in a particular match.
Hence there are three general tasks of basketball players' psychological preparation:
— to form a positive attitude to the training process;
— to form mental qualities that contribute to success in competitions;
- create favorable mental states in a particular match.
The content of psychological training of basketball players
High results in modern sports require many years of intense sports training and a lifestyle subordinate to it. The athlete must be psychologically prepared for this. Such preparation is carried out in the course of the sports training itself due to the constant formation of motives that are the motives for sports and training activities, or through the creation of favorable attitudes towards various aspects of the training process. This division is conditional, since motives can be formed, in particular, through the creation of appropriate relationships. However, the specificity of motivation requires its separate consideration. The process of formation of motives and attitudes towards sports training, in addition to external regulation by the coach, can be carried out, as noted above, by self-regulation. This is an important component of the content of psychological preparation for a long training process.
From here it is possible to formulate particular tasks of psychological preparation of basketball players for a long training process:
— to form motivation for the training process;
— to form relationships that ensure the success of the training process;
— teach methods of self-regulation of psychological states.
Analysis of numerous scientific and popular literature on psychology,
experience in psychological counseling of game students and a series of experimental studies conducted jointly with students of the Samara State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering, allowed the author to come to the following conclusions.
The desire to train can arise in a player without the influence of external reasons, arbitrarily, from the awareness of sports training as a goal, from interest in the game, the desire to improve one's skills, etc. It can also be caused by external factors, such as punishment and encouragement, threat and demand, group pressure, expectation of future benefits, etc. All these incentives
for sports training (in any activity in general) are called motives in psychology.
Motivation is the most important part of the learning process, and coaches are doing the right thing by focusing on this aspect of training. Most often, a coach motivates his players using rewards and punishments.
However, it is quite clear to specialists that when a coach is concerned about raising the level of motivation of his players, relying on their self-esteem, common sense and the need for self-improvement, he achieves better results.
According to special studies of foreign sports psychologists, among the motives for going in for sports, attractive for young people can be considered the possibility of maximizing their abilities, the ability to control oneself and the environment, and achieve physical perfection.
Less significant motives include the desire to be a “real man” (for boys), achieve social status, or receive large monetary rewards.
Setting distant goals. Winning a city, country, world championship, or the Olympics are examples of far-reaching goals. The coach must show the player a series of intermediate goals, the successive achievement of which will lead the player or team to achieve far distant goals. At the same time, it is important that the achievement of the first intermediate goals is difficult, but real, allowing the athlete to experience a sense of success. Gradual achievement of goals after intense training contributes to the formation of an attitude towards a serious attitude to the training process.
Shaping and maintaining a mindset for success. At the heart of these actions of the coach is the encouragement of the development of the sports ambition of the players. Among the means of forming and maintaining the attitude to achieve success or develop sports ambition, one can note the promotion of the athlete's success. This is facilitated by the constant posting of statistical reports on the achievements of basketball players in individual components of the game on the wall of the gym, the creation of stands with photos of the best players and sports trophies of the team, mentions in the media about the sports achievements of individual players and teams, etc. At the same time, the coach must control the process of the formation of sports ambition and prevent it from turning into the form of sports vanity.
The optimal ratio of rewards and punishments. The most common means of increasing the motivation of players to the training process is the coach's assessment of their performance in the form of praise or disapproval. Any of these methods are more useful than the coach's markedly indifferent attitude towards a player with insufficient motivation. The issue of preferential use of praise or disapproval is decided based on the needs of a particular pedagogical situation and the player's personal characteristics, and in this sense, the behavior of the coach should be quite flexible. In addition to praise, real symbols of the players' achievements are used as an encouragement: badges, diplomas, tokens, medals, prizes, etc.
Emotionality of training sessions. It is understandable that praise or disapproval by a coach elicits an emotional reaction from the players. Thus, motives are closely related to emotions. In other words, if the training process is not emotional enough, it is difficult to maintain the necessary motivation for it.
The increase in the emotionality of the training process and the corresponding motivation for it on the part of basketball players is facilitated by the inclusion of outdoor games in the training, the competitive method of organizing exercises, the introduction of background music into certain parts of the training, the presence of spectators at individual training sessions, the encouragement of the emotional behavior of the players, the emotional behavior of the coach himself .
Development of team traditions. The formation of a close-knit team of players and team spirit is one of the important means of increasing the motivation of basketball players for the training process. When a player begins to feel that his personal efforts help to solve collective problems, he has a different attitude to the training process. The development of the team's traditions is facilitated by the unified sportswear of the players, the organization of festive rituals, for example, on the birthdays of the players or the reception of new team members, commemorative tournaments and tournaments of team veterans, festive evenings after the end of the season, etc.
Special decoration of the room for the team, as described by B. Knight, can also become a tradition.
Motivation is a year-round process. Players need to know what we expect from their games. We have a lot of slogans that we put up in the team room. One of them: "Victory loves those teams that are less likely to make mistakes." Basketball is a game of mistakes, and the team that makes fewer mistakes has the best chance of winning.
Pete Newell, who in my opinion is the best basketball coach in the world, shared this view: “Basketball is a simple game. You must hit more accurately than the opponent and make more throws. If you hit more accurately than they do, it says about your attack. If you hit more than they do, it speaks to your defense."
Another of our slogans: "Calmness and movement equals an accurate throw." I also encourage mine to read and leave materials in the locker room that I believe will help the player in their development as both a citizen and a player, motivation keeps your players doing what is necessary to play basketball successfully.
Making collective decisions. Discussing the goals and particular tasks of the training process with the team, making collective decisions on training and lifestyle issues under the guidance of a coach significantly increase the players' motivation for the training process. An excellent example of this is the experience of B. Knight.
Goals are set for the whole team, in accordance with this, static information is collected at each game, with which the players get acquainted after the end of the game, dividing it into three groups - attack, defense and general. On the side of each goal, leave a place to mark the result. If we have reached the goal, we write down the percentage in black, if not, we make a mark in red. Goals should be challenging enough, but achievable. We've maxed out at eight goals in a single game, and have averaged five goals in every game over the last two seasons.
Objectives of defense: 1) to prevent the opponent from scoring more than 65 points per game; 2) to prevent the opponent from exceeding 42% of the effectiveness in shots from the field; 3) prevent any of the opponent's players from scoring more than 20 points; 4) force the opponent to make 214 losses.
General goals: 1) to score first in each half; 2) pick up 58% of all bounces; 3) commit no more than 16 personal fouls; 4) make 12 throws more than the opponent.
If you achieve all these goals, it will be impossible to lose. It is not enough to tell a player to play to the best of their ability. This task must be specified in numbers.
At first glance it seems that Knight is talking about a special psychological preparation for the competition. However, it is not difficult to imagine how the players begin to relate to the training process after making these kinds of collective decisions.
Personal characteristics of a coach. A strong motivating factor in the conscientious attitude of players to the training process is the personality of the coach himself.
To quote B. Knight again: “Motivation starts with the coach. We must motivate ourselves daily. I try to do this by going to every training session, counting everything from the moment I enter the court, for example, if there is any of the players that I need to reprimand in order to set them up for a good job.
Among the many characteristics of a coach's personality that help motivate players, one should first of all name confidence, exactingness, optimism and perseverance, curiosity and professional intuition.
The coach must be confident in his competence and the decisions he makes. We must remember: the fact that your team is not in the top three, and you yourself are not yet part of the coaching elite, constantly mentioned in the media, does not mean that you cannot train. Your confidence instills faith in your students.
The coach must be equally exacting (we are talking about discipline) to all players. Otherwise, he will begin to lose confidence in himself. It is good if behind his firmness the players will feel friendliness, respect for themselves. In the end, the success of the coach and the success of his students are interdependent, which is a sufficient basis for mutual respect.
Coach's optimism helps players to overcome the inevitable difficulties of the training process. Everyone understands that it's easier to be optimistic when your team is winning. If she loses, it is useful to recall the statement of Albert Einstein and Leonardo da Vinci that 90% of their experiments ended in failure. But they were persistent, and this ultimately determined their success. Remind your students of this.
Dictionaries define curiosity as the desire to acquire new knowledge; inquisitiveness. At first glance, the coach's curiosity concerns only himself. In fact, everything in the communication between an athlete and a coach is interconnected. An inquisitive coach is always eager to learn more about the secrets of his profession. His wide erudition helps him explain to the players the patterns of the training process and the need to use certain means of training in it. Knowledge of this kind helps players to form a meaningful positive attitude towards the training process.
But it's not so much about this, but that the training process is too multifaceted, and each player is too individual to give recipes for all occasions in advance. The most necessary at the moment ways of influencing students, including to increase their motivation, the coach helps to find professional intuition, the development of which is determined, on the one hand, by practical experience, and on the other hand, by the desire to acquire new knowledge, or curiosity.
Summing up, it should be noted that, according to one of the country's leading hockey coaches V.V. Tikhonov, the final meaning of the coach's activity is not physical, technical or tactical training, but the formation of the will of the ward. And the development of the will is associated primarily with the formation of a rich motivational and semantic sphere of the players. And the coach must know how to do it.
In addition to the formation of players' motivation, the coach's task also includes the formation of a system of attitudes towards different aspects of the training process. "The system of relations determines the nature of the experiences of the individual, the peculiarities of the perception of reality, the nature of behavioral reactions to external influences. " The elements of the system of players' attitudes to the training process are the attitude to sports training in general, the attitude to physical activity, the attitude to training sessions, the attitude to the sports regime.
In order to create a positive attitude of players towards sports training in general, the coach should not determine the team's starting line-up during the pre-season. It is better for him to constantly change the starting five so that the substitutes do not feel useless. According to B. Cosey, the late deadlines for determining the starting five make the entire team take a more responsible attitude to the training process.
D. Wooden advises ending each practice session on a positive note so that the coach and players look forward to the next session. If the coach and players end a session in an irritated or pessimistic state, they are unlikely to look forward to the next session and have to start under difficult conditions that might not be there.
Fear of large training loads is basically removed by good motivation. Hockey coach V.V. Tikhonov talked about the "barriers" that are built in front of each athlete and coach in his activity and which must be overcome in order to move on. His main ideas included the following provisions:
1) there are no limits in loads;
2) the idea that one should take care of oneself is wrong. As soon as the thought of “saving” oneself appears, the athlete ends there: he was unable to overcome such a barrier;
3) the athlete must strive to be in peak form all the time, avoiding a drop in form.
V.V. Tikhonov sees it in breaking the barrier of fear - the fear of burden.
D. Wooden also talked about the experience of developing positive attitudes towards large training loads through the collective acceptance of what he called “training rules”. Here are some of them: “Never think about your bruises and fatigue. If you are tired, think about how your opponent might have run out of steam”; “The condition is improved by hard training work after you are exhausted. Force yourself to work when you get tired”; "Set a goal for yourself to be in better condition than your supposed opponents." Copies of these jointly agreed rules are given to each player on the team, after which, according to Wooden, he must either agree with them or leave the team.
Practice has shown that following the principles formulated above significantly speeds up the process of transferring the nature of the team's activities from collective to joint.
References:
[1] Vavilov A.L. Group cohesion, individual readiness and effectiveness of the game of the basketball team // Actual problems of human knowledge in the field of
educational activity: materials of the annual scientific session of the BPA on May 25
2000 - St. Petersburg: BPA, 2000.
[2] Wooden D. Modern basketball / Per. from English. and foreword. E.R. Yakhonotov. - M .: Physical culture and sport, 1987.
[3] Gomelsky A.Ya. Basketball team management. - 2nd ed., add. - M.: Fizkultura i sport, 1985.
[4] Gomelsky A.Ya. Prove yourself right by winning. — M.: Sovetskaya Rossiya, 1987.
[5] Gorbunov G.D. Psychopedagogy of sports. - M.: Physical culture and sport, 1986.
[6] Daimatsu H. Follow me / Per. from Japanese. Foreword O. Chekhov. - M .: Physical culture and sport, 1972.
[7] Cretty B. J. Psychology in modern sports / Per. from English. Foreword V.V. Davydov. - M .: Physical culture and sport, 1987.
Published: 05/31/2022
5 tips to improve your basketball skills
Contents
1. Shooting practice.
2. Dribbling practice.
3. Improve your defense
4. Work on your team play.
5. Develop endurance.
Are you passionate about basketball and want to get even better? As with all sports, if you want to improve your basketball skills, you need to be rigorous and train hard throughout the year, so why not take advantage of the holidays to go to Basketball Camp ? Beginners, as well as experienced players, need to work on the physical form and master the psychological aspect of the game in order to notice improvements. By completing a series of exercises, gain stamina and gradually improve your technique. Follow the 5 steps in this article to progress and become a better basketball player.
1. Shooting practice.
If you want to be a great basketball player, you will have to spend many hours in front of the basket. Indeed, shooting is one of the most important exercises if you want to improve yourself and make a difference on the pitch. Start with Ball Throwing Training Fundamentals to improve your technique. Take as many shots as possible without stopping, this way you will learn to control the ball and get more and more satisfactory results. Think about your posture (straight body), arms (use your fingertips), and legs (slightly bent). With a little concentration and good technique, you will quickly notice progress. Also review your accurate shots, shots from multiple spots on the field, and then go to breakdown on either side of the basket. Again working on repeating is the only way to really improve the situation. At the end of the session, work out scenarios with other players (defenders) who will try to block your shots.
2. Dribbling practice.
Discuss all ball handling techniques . To do this, first check your position and then teach each hand to dribble separately without looking at the ball. Alternate bounces and try to move. After learning these basics, add power and speed to your movements. Then try to practice dribbling with two balls, which will help you develop agility, and finally transition - a gesture that consists of hitting the ball with one hand and then with the other. While playing , crossing will prevent your opponent from stealing the ball from you. Try to dribble as much as possible, because with practice comes perfection. Start with walking dribble and then increase the pace, the end goal is to succeed in dribble while sprinting. Good dribbling skills will allow you to surprise your opponent and attack effectively.
3. Improve your protection
Since a good basketball player is not only a basket shooter, but also a good defender, you will need to work on your defense.
The goal of a defender is to intercept every ball and limit the progress of his opponents. Check your position with the coach, legs, arms, gaze, posture, be alert and on the move to notice and anticipate your opponent's decisions. A good quarterback maintains a low posture at all times, so train your lower body for overall strength. You will also improve your defense through observation, so feel free to watch many professional basketball matches. to inspire you from the best to effectively block your opponents when your turn comes. On the field, practice chasing while maintaining a defensive position. In scenario drills, try to kick the opponent with your feet (put them between your opponent's legs) and learn to put your hand on the ball to put the opponent in a difficult position.
4. Work on your team play.
Part of being a better basketball player is your ability to play with and for your team. To do this, in training, try to work out passes with teammates.
Good passes build good teams and strengthen group unity. Basketball should not be approached individually, but collectively. You can be a very good player, but it's important for to put your talent to the service of the team. To improve your position (holding, forward, point guard, defender), take inspiration from basketball games, watch other teams play around you or on TV, and analyze the performance of players who are in the same position as you. In order not to put your team in danger during matches, make sure you understand all the rules of the game. If you are a member of basketball club , your coach will answer your questions, resolve your doubts and help you progress.
5. Develop endurance.
Playing basketball requires intense and relatively long-term effort, during which the whole body is involved. In order to improve the field and maintain a good level throughout the match, it is necessary to work on both physical endurance and psychological strength in advance. Without fit , be aware that you will not be able to use all your technical skills. So think about improving your stamina, breathing and speed, because when defending as an attacker, a good player must run and stay on the move throughout the game. To do this, run regularly and supplement your program with exercises to strengthen certain areas of the body. Focus on push-ups to strengthen your fingers and work your abs with exercises to get a solid belt.
When it comes to your breathing, jump rope is the perfect exercise to get your heart rate up while at the same time helping you develop agility and speed to improve your footwork. Finally, think about mental preparation yourself before each game. Many will say it's all in your head! Indeed, only your mind will allow you to reverse an unfavorable situation or surpass yourself when you start to feel tired.
' Not the one that just happened--it's over. Not the one that may happen later, but the play right in front of you. You must learn how to focus on the task at hand and execute that to the best of your ability. Then do that for the next play. And the next play. And the play after that. One play at a time.
"
' Now of course all of this needs to happen quickly, in real time. You can't be out on the court in La-La-Land day dreaming! In fact, it is the opposite. When you 'Play Present', you are so dialed in you have razor-sharp focus.
Then you give it right back to them. They stop. They don't dwell on the fact that you took it, they are dialed into the fact they have it back. 
It's a natural thing to do because players see coaches and parents doing this themselves. It's the coach's job to make sure the referee understands the temperament of the team and also relay concerns but it's never a great idea to blame the referees.
These are things that must be overcome and are almost inevitable every year. This is the beauty of success in basketball though. Even teams that have only lost one or two games face adversity. They usually handle it better so it never disrupts or derails the season.
This means going to class on time, speaking to adults with respect, listening before talking, taking responsibility for actions, working hard, staying positive, and remaining dedicated to the team. All these things are hard for kids to get a grasp on. If parents and coaches can get players to understand these things they will have a team full of leaders that will keep themselves accountable during and after the basketball season.
Players: Be sure to make the extra hustle play and show your coaches you have the will, mental toughness, and work ethic to do so.
We hope this list can help spark some inspiration and allow players to gradually become better every day!
Dish basketball shooting machines.
The training process in basketball is built on increasing the complexity and intensity of training sessions, acquiring special knowledge by players about the psychophysiological properties of the individual, the structure of the body and the biomechanics of human movements. In the process of detailed preparation for a long season full of various competitions and, directly, in the lessons on the technique and tactics of the game conducted by the coach, athletes acquire the necessary professional knowledge, skills and abilities to increase the variety of individual and team technical and tactical actions of basketball players. This suggests that the key to the successful performance of a basketball team in competitions is the high sports training of players (which is mainly realized in sports training), which includes all aspects of preparing athletes for a long sports season (theoretical, technical, tactical, moral-volitional and psychological). Thus, sports training is a complex specialized process aimed at the formation, development and improvement of the necessary physical, psychophysical and psychophysiological qualities of players, which has a versatile effect on athletes.
Wooden notes the importance of psychological training in basketball: every coach must know psychology and be a psychologist. Speaking about the “pyramid of success” he developed, which is based on diligence and enthusiasm, and faith and perseverance help to reach the peaks, he writes: “We all differ in our abilities. Some may have more abilities than you, they may be bigger, faster, stronger and have superiority in other physical qualities, but no one should surpass you in such very important qualities and characteristics as team spirit, enthusiasm, hard work, cooperation, constancy, determination, honesty, sincerity, reliability and integrity. Acquire and keep these qualities - and success is guaranteed" [2]. 
Therefore, it is important to form an appropriate psychological attitude not only to sports competitions, which are a bright holiday, but also to the heavy gray everyday life of a long training process. 
The athlete must be psychologically prepared for this. Such preparation is carried out in the course of the sports training itself due to the constant formation of motives that are the motives for sports and training activities, or through the creation of favorable attitudes towards various aspects of the training process. This division is conditional, since motives can be formed, in particular, through the creation of appropriate relationships. However, the specificity of motivation requires its separate consideration. The process of formation of motives and attitudes towards sports training, in addition to external regulation by the coach, can be carried out, as noted above, by self-regulation. This is an important component of the content of psychological preparation for a long training process. 
Gradual achievement of goals after intense training contributes to the formation of an attitude towards a serious attitude to the training process. 
The most common means of increasing the motivation of players to the training process is the coach's assessment of their performance in the form of praise or disapproval. Any of these methods are more useful than the coach's markedly indifferent attitude towards a player with insufficient motivation. The issue of preferential use of praise or disapproval is decided based on the needs of a particular pedagogical situation and the player's personal characteristics, and in this sense, the behavior of the coach should be quite flexible. In addition to praise, real symbols of the players' achievements are used as an encouragement: badges, diplomas, tokens, medals, prizes, etc. 
Everyone understands that it's easier to be optimistic when your team is winning. If she loses, it is useful to recall the statement of Albert Einstein and Leonardo da Vinci that 90% of their experiments ended in failure. But they were persistent, and this ultimately determined their success. Remind your students of this. 
The most necessary at the moment ways of influencing students, including to increase their motivation, the coach helps to find professional intuition, the development of which is determined, on the one hand, by practical experience, and on the other hand, by the desire to acquire new knowledge, or curiosity. 
" The elements of the system of players' attitudes to the training process are the attitude to sports training in general, the attitude to physical activity, the attitude to training sessions, the attitude to the sports regime. 
Force yourself to work when you get tired”; "Set a goal for yourself to be in better condition than your supposed opponents." Copies of these jointly agreed rules are given to each player on the team, after which, according to Wooden, he must either agree with them or leave the team. 
- 2nd ed., add. - M.: Fizkultura i sport, 1985. 
By completing a series of exercises, gain stamina and gradually improve your technique. Follow the 5 steps in this article to progress and become a better basketball player. 
Again working on repeating is the only way to really improve the situation. At the end of the session, work out scenarios with other players (defenders) who will try to block your shots. 
Good dribbling skills will allow you to surprise your opponent and attack effectively. 
In order to improve the field and maintain a good level throughout the match, it is necessary to work on both physical endurance and psychological strength in advance. Without fit , be aware that you will not be able to use all your technical skills. So think about improving your stamina, breathing and speed, because when defending as an attacker, a good player must run and stay on the move throughout the game. To do this, run regularly and supplement your program with exercises to strengthen certain areas of the body. Focus on push-ups to strengthen your fingers and work your abs with exercises to get a solid belt. 
