How to be ready for a basketball game

10 Things a Player Should Do Before a Basketball Game

Part of being a player for a basketball team or any sport, is knowing how the game is played, what to do when, and having the proper equipment. Below are ten things as a basketball player is important you do before a game.

1.Know the when and where the game is being played.

Do not wait until the last minute to find out where the game is being played. Talk to your coach at practice to ask for directions and times. Usually a coach will hand out a game schedule ahead of time and confirm the games as they come up. Ultimately, it is still your responsibility as a player to know when and where the game is playing and how you are going to get there.

2. Get your uniform on.

I know this sounds like a real da step, but getting your uniform means making sure your uniform is clean. Put your uniform on at home, you will not have that much time to put it on at the court. If you have a warm up jersey that goes over top of your uniform, put that on at home too so you do not forget to take it.

3. Pack a bag for the game

Pack a small gym bag with your name marked on it, with game shoes, knee pads, support pads you may need like knee braces, small towel, and a water bottle.

4. Get to the court one half hour before your game time.

Most coaches want their players at the court one half hour before game time so they can go through the warm ups and get last minute instructions.

5. Report to the coach to let them know you are there.

When you arrive at the court, immediately report to the coach and let them know you are there. When coaches are making their line-ups, they need to know who is there. If you appear out of no where at game time, you may not get to play as much as you hoped because the coach did not put you in the line up.

6. Change shoes, use the bathroom, and take off all jewelry.
Before the team warm ups, make sure you take care of all the little details so you will not lose any game time. Change into your court shoes right away. Make sure you remove all jewelry and anything plastic or metal like hair clips. If you walk onto the playing court with any of that on, you will be told to get off the court by the ref.

7. Fill up your water bottle.
If you drink more than one water bottle during the game, have two. But make sure you fill your water bottle up before the game. Make sure your bottle is marked with your name on it.

8. Warm up on the court.
At practice the coach normally will teach your team a warm-up you will go through before each game. If not, just make sure you get out there and takes some shots, dribble, and pass.

9. Mentally warm up.
When you step onto the court for warm ups, you should already be in basketball mode. That means you put aside all your everyday stuff and concentrate on the game. Go over in your mind what you learned at practice about game strategies or new plays. Do not wait until the middle of the game to ask the coach how a certain play is run. Go over what you do not understand with the coach at practice or before warm-ups start. Remember that playing a game is 80 percent mental and 20 percent physical. You want to be prepared in both ways.

10. Listen to the coach for last minute instructions.
After warm ups the coach will talk to you about the game strategies and who is starting. This is an important time for you to listen and focus on what is being said. If you have a question on the coachs instructions, ask. But do not ask the coach questions that do not pertain to that game.

By taking these ten steps before each game, you can be assured you are coming prepared and will be ready to go in when the coach yells your name from the bench. Good luck and remember, learn the game, play the game, and have fun doing it!

Pre-Game Routines Basketball: 10 Ways to Prepare

How do you summon your best when your best is needed on the court? What thoughts do you call upon to help get you mentally right when you find yourself in high leverage situations, like your team down a point with only seconds remaining? 

Throughout professional basketball, including the WNBA, players use performance routines to train their minds so they can fall back upon highly refined skills. This training comes in the form of routines, which can be used pre-game, in-game, and post-game.

For example, here’s the Washington Mystics‘ Elena Delle Donne talking about how she developed a simple free-throw routine that has helped her succeed at the line since she was in the 8th grade: 

“For me, I like to keep it very simple. Step up to the line, find the dot with my right foot. Lined up and take three dribbles, and from there I make an L with my arm and lift and flick. So, for me, the biggest thing is simplicity…free throws are so mental that if a little things goes wrong and you feel it, I feel like you’re out of your shot already. It’s all about staying positive, finding that routine, and keeping it simple. ”

– Elena Delle Donne

So what are pre-game routines and what can they tell us about how WNBA players prepare to summon their best at a moment’s notice? Read on to learn the different facets of these routines and how a variety of elite basketball players use them. 

Routines are a series of thoughts and actions related to the task at hand, which help a player systematically get into the right mindset for whatever performance is needed. Mental Performance coach Gladine Frasso, owner of I Am Mentally Tough, calls pre-game routines “anchors,” which help athletes get into the “here and now.” Gladine notes that an athlete’s routine allows them to shift hats from “the non-athlete to the athlete,” as competing in sport is simply a part of their overall lives. 

Using a routine allows an athlete to focus on the task at hand and be dialed into the game. Of course, we know hoopers have been using pre-game routines (see: nap taking) for years. What helps is to consider, with some detail, just what some high level collegiate and professional ballers (and coaches) do to get their minds right. 

Some may not want to share their routines, for personal or competitive reasons. Here’s all-time great Seattle Storm‘s Sue Bird on Courtside with Lyndsey D’Arcangelo being, well, a bit vague about the specifics of her routine:

“You know, I don’t wear the same socks or have a rabbit’s foot or anything like that. But I’m very routine. It puts me in my happy place. So, it’s really nothing of note to tell you, it’s really boring and mundane. It’s pretty much the same every time. Do this then, do that, then, boppity-bop-bop-bop.”

– Sue Bird

But Sue! You “yada-yada’d” the best part! What are some of those specifics that an elite athlete like Sue Bird gets into to put themselves in a ready state to compete? Let’s break down some areas.

Across the board, basketball players report using a mid-day nap as part of their pre-game routines. Bella Alarie of the Dallas Wings told Queen Ballers Club, “If we have an evening game, I’ll take a nap and make sure I’m rested and my mind and body feel ready for the game.”

While some pro hoopers have the luxury of a full 90 minute nap, even 20-30 minutes of shut eye can be hugely valuable for athletic performance, improving your ability to focus, mood, reaction time and, yes, how well you shoot a basketball.

A study that examined the impact of a nap on Stanford University basketball players found an improvement of 9% in both free throws and 3-point shooting by those that used naps. 

Try to find a hooper that doesn’t like listening to music to get ready; you’ll struggle to do so! Music is a great way to modulate your energy up or down as needed to prepare for what lies ahead. Need to relax? Try some smooth jazz or classical. Need to get hype? Get your hip-hop mix together. 

Depending on the energy level you want to arrive at, different playlists featuring songs with different beats per minute can help you do just that. Former overseas pro hooper Milani Malik-Richardson says the right music was essential in her career. “I have to make sure my playlist is right,” says Malik-Richardson. “Just anything that is going to amp me up, get me in the right mood, like tonight it’s on!”

Asked by the WNBA what her go-to music was on game day, Washington Mystics’ shooting guard Shavonte Zellous mentioned a different approach: “When I get in the shower, I listen to gospel before the game. And then it’s all turn-up music after that. It’s all Future, Drake and all of that type of stuff.” 

Players report doing different activities that are personally meaningful to them that help get them into a performance-ready mindset. These sorts of actions can help a player pre-game or during the game (again, think free-throw routines). Some players like to wipe the bottom of their kicks to “flush” a mistake; others will point up to the sky after a made basket.

Kateri Poole, named Miss New York by the Basketball Coaches Association of New York coming out of high school, has a series of actions she uses every time she laces them up: “Right before games, I cross my heart, kiss my fingers, and tap my shoes five times. It’s like a good luck thing for me.” 

While to some this may seem like a random series of things to do, or even superstition, for Kateri, who uses these actions to honor a cousin who was murdered when Kateri was a Freshman in High School, these actions go way deeper. “I cross my heart and pray, like please protect me. It just makes me remember who I’m playing for.” 

Coach Lindsay Whalen, the head coach of the University of Minnesota’s women’s basketball team and a previous point guard for the Connecticut Sun, also used very specific ritualized behaviors prior to playing:

“I have to get my left ankle taped before my right ankle. I have a piece of gum that I chew before I go on the court, and then when I warm up I throw it out. Before I come to the team huddle, when the five players huddle, I put my feet on the sticky thing (shoe sole cleaner) and my hands on the sticky thing. Then I clap once. I say a prayer before every game during the national anthem. I ask for no major injuries on either side of the ball.”

Specific rituals add meaning and consistency to an athlete’s preparation, providing them with a sense of calm and confidence leading up to the moment of performance. 

Use of imagery, or visualization as it is commonly known, is a critical component to a serious athlete’s pre-performance routine. Basketball visualization has many benefits, including reducing stress and worry, enhancing confidence, and assisting with the proper execution of sport-specific demands.

When a person imagines themselves succeeding on court, they activate similar areas of the brain that also become active when they are actually engaging in the task. This is known in sport psychology as “functional equivalence,” essentially demonstrating that we can ‘trick’ the lower order dimensions of our mind into feeling that we are completing a task without actually physically doing so.

Of course, like many mental skills, this takes practice! Bella mentions this is a big part of her pre-game routine: 

“I spend time just in my own mind, thinking about what I’m going to do in the game, whether that’s playing great defense, getting rebounds, making my shots, I just go through all that in my head. And try to get myself in the right mindset. I think that’s done wonders for me.”

Former WNBA player Natalie Williams said this practice helping her as well: “I just try to visualize to get mentally prepared for what I need to do each and every night depends on what my team needs.”

One element of a pre-game routine that can easily get overlooked is setting personal intentions for how you want to show up for that performance. By telling yourself you want to be “calm and confident,” or “focused and free,” for examples, you are priming your mind to think and act the way you are intending. This can have a powerful impact.

After all, our thoughts impact our beliefs, which in turn impact our behaviors, and those behaviors are the content of our actions. By intentionally priming ourselves to show up in a particular manner, we are setting the stage for doing so.

Players aren’t the only ones that can benefit from a pre-game routine. Coaches, performers in their own right, also need to customize thoughts, actions and behaviors that will help them be at their best then their team needs them most.

Coach Vickie Johnson of the Dallas Wings mentioned to Queen Ballers Club turning off her phone, listening to motivational speeches, and setting the intention of “Leaving it all out on the floor, giving them everything that I possibly give them, offensively, defensively, encouraging them.” Oh, and Coach Johnson was sure to say she takes a pre-game nap as well!

6. Eating right

The right meal can set you up for success on court. Similarly, eating the wrong food can doom you. If you are wondering why you are fatigued and dragging late in a game, you can often look no further than what you ate (or didn’t eat) for lunch that day. 

“Nothing that you eat should slow you down,” says Milani, who has been a vegan since birth. While not every athlete will be vegan, generally speaking, a mix of carbohydrates, protein, healthy fats, fruits and vegetables and limited dairy is ideal when thinking of how to give your body the right nutrients to make it through a long game. 

Players also need to be mindful of when they are eating as eating too soon prior to tip-off can lead to a feeling of lethargy and being weighed down, whereas eating too long before the game can limit your overall energy level. Your bet is trying to eat 2-3 hours before showtime. 

For the high-level hooper, a review of the scouting report is another element of the pre-game routine that can’t be overlooked. Whether it be a granular breakdown of the opponents tendencies, an overview of a team’s sets, or watching film of the team you’re about to face, learning the nuances of your opponent is a vital component to success in the WNBA. 

The life of a professional basketball player is full of demands on time. You have appearances, ticket requests, endorsements, friends and family all pulling at the same 24 hours a day that we all have. With all of these demands on your time you are sure to be distracted mentally.

urther, you are bound to have external distractions at the game: unruly fans, fans you want to impress, and calls that don’t go your way, just to name a few. On top of that we all have internal distractions that constantly take us away from the most important moment: the present. Nerves, fear of failure, an internal critic; all of these elements pop up throughout the course of a game. 

By knowing and naming distractions we are more able to release them, and making a point of intentionally doing so is a great way to decide you are going to be free of distractions come performance time. There are several ways to consider doing this, but perhaps none is better than using your breath as a tool to focus (and then refocus) on the present moment. 

Of course, part of any pre-game routine will include a solid physical warm-up. Dynamic stretching, on-court individual skill work and a team warm-up are all part of a physical warm-up that will get your body ready to perform.

Milani points out that when doing your individual skill work you keep it game-specific: “I like to take about 50-100 shots I’m going to actually have in the game. You have to prepare yourself for what you’re actually going to do in the game.” 

No matter what your pre-game routine may be, it is best for you to individualize it so that it is customized to your particular needs. No two hoopers are exactly alike! While one player may need a 90-minute nap, another may only require a 20-minute catnap. Diets vary, stretching routines are body specific, and ritualized actions that are meaningful for you will have no impact on the next player.  

It’s critical for players to find what works for them, apply it, and then continue to tweak it as you see fit. Eventually you will arrive at a routine that fits you, and then you can keep it “the same every time,” as Sue Bird mentioned. 

“Do this then, do that then, boppity-bop-bop-bop.”

Pre-game routines are vital to your success! The game is dynamic: venues change; opponents change; how you are feeling on any particular day (physically or mentally) changes as well. By creating a consistent set of thoughts, feelings, actions, and behaviors that are tweaked and catered to your individual needs, you are creating a template for consistent performance every time you are out on the court. 

Up next, learn more about improving your game with basketball mindfulness, or explore the best ball handling drills at home.

By the way, get equipped to improve your game with our partner Wilson’s cool basketballs, and support Queen Ballers Club. There are WNBA replica balls by WNBA team, and, of course, our favorite the Evo NXT Game Basketball.

Don’t let WNBA stories go untold. Would you be willing to send a $5 tip to our Venmo tip jar because it helps support our reporting? @megsterr.

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Written by Danny Ourian, M.A., a Certified Mental Performance Consultant® (CMPC) with the Association for Applied Sport Psychology and the founder of Hoops Minded, a mental performance training service for basketball players and other athletes. In addition, he is an Affiliate Faculty member with Holy Names University’s Sport and Performance Psychology department. He lives in Oakland (CA) with his wife and son. 

Green Gold - Matcha Tea » Sports in Krasnodar

Have you tried Matcha yet? You can improve your lifestyle with this incredibly healthy green tea powder and discover its vast array of nutritional benefits.

Matcha is also one of the most popular superfoods on the Paleo market. Believe me, not without reason.

1. Short and sweet: What is Matcha tea?

Matcha is a green tea that is specially grown and processed to the *best possible consistency. If you poured into a glass of hot water and in a sense enjoy it, tea, or in combination with other products like ice cream, cake, fruit, milk, etc. etc.

The word "Matcha" comes from Japan and means "earth tea". Mat means standing on the ground and Cha means tea.

2. Origins and history

Although currently known as the "product" of the trend, Matcha also reflects *centuries* of tradition.

Initially, tea appeared in our lives in the *Tang Dynasty (618-907) in China. Then it became an ideal export product. Between 630 and 838 AD The Emperor of Japan sent delegates to China several times. They were given the task of researching the culture of the Tang Dynasty. The Japanese were so fascinated by Chinese culture that they captured several elements, including Matcha and those associated with the tea ceremony. While in China the ceremony has gone into oblivion for a long time, in Japan the ceremony has been preserved and streamlined.

At present, Matcha is more associated with Japan than China. But, nevertheless, for some time, the Chinese people again began to return and explore their roots. More and more tea growers are trying to revive the cultivation of this traditional tea variety. Matcha is becoming more popular and international, although overall overseas sales are still very low. Thus, Japan exports only 4% of its Matcha production.

3. Growth and production

Matcha green tea is known as a very high quality product , which is obtained exclusively from the leaves of the tencha plant. But this tea is unlike any other. And in terms of cultivation and processing, Matcha goes through several different processes that are not very common for "normal" green tea.

Firstly, leaves grow 2 months longer than regular tea leaves.

Moreover. the leaves should reach as much chlorophyll and polyphenol as possible, since both of these substances have a positive effect on the effect and taste of Matcha.

This is best achieved by protecting the leaves from sunlight. At the same time, as T-plantations are covered with textiles or bamboo mats for more than 4 weeks before harvest. Up to 90% of solar radiation is intercepted and the leaves can grow for another 4 weeks in the shade. After harvesting, the leaves are steamed, dried, separated from the stems and gently and slowly ground into powder in jade-green millstones. This process is very time consuming which explains high production costs matcha tea.

4. Packaging and storage

Proper storage is very important. You will find tea in small packages of 20-50 grams, protected from light and air.

Even at home, you should keep Matcha away from light as it can quickly lose its flavor and main effect. There is even a suggestion to store the powder in the refrigerator. Thus, you must pay special attention to ensure that the package is completely closed.

Otherwise Matcha will absorb moisture and odor.

It is best to keep it in its original packaging after opening (only if it is airtight and protected from light, of course). As a rule, the shelf life is more than 12 months, of course, with proper storage. At this estimated time, the match will remain fresh.

*Once opened, good Matcha tea does not stay fresh longer than at least 3 to 4 weeks. The best packing date of up to 2 years should be considered critical.

Today, Matcha is often used for baking or other pleasure consumption.

5. Quality Differences

Smell, color and *taste: this is by far the most important thing to look at when looking at the quality characteristics of your Match. The origin, processing, storage and smell can already be determined when opening the Matcha package. The best thing would be for you to allow yourself to turn to your feelings. What is this smell? Otherwise, *pungent but still pleasantly smelling green tea. With the smell of penetrating oil paints, you should replace it with another product. Does any matcha powder have a strong green color? Keep in mind *The stronger the green color, the more chlorophyll it has. This, in turn, is essential for the special aroma of Matcha, which is characterized * by a slightly bitter and at the same time sweet taste. There are of course different preferences among consumers, but a good Matcha should never be too bitter.

5. Preparing Matcha

You can prepare Matcha in different ways. Traditionally served with 80 degrees hot water. For cooking, you will need a bowl and a broom made of bamboo. Before pouring your drink, it is important that you warm up the bowl a little. After that, you put 1 g of powder in a bowl and poured it with 10 ml of water. Then they begin to mix the Matcha powder with a bamboo brush until it dissolves in water and turns into a slurry.

This mash will then be filled up to 80 ml hot water (at 80°C). Subsequently, the tea will foam for 15 seconds using a bamboo broom. In this case, the typical aroma of Matcha will develop better. The bamboo broom should follow the letter "W" or "M". Foaming is just a matter of practice and requires a bit of sensitivity in the beginning. However, practice will pay off, so just be patient.

By the way: Preferences may vary according to taste. "Usucha" drink very thin. Here it is advisable to use 1 g of powder per 80 ml of water. If you prefer the tea to be stronger, you can prepare what is called "Koicha" for yourself. This is only an alternative to Matcha tea, simply made with double the amount of powder (2g).****

Traditionally Matchinsky is served and mixed with hot water. But of course it is also suitable as an addition to cocktails, cakes or ice cream. There are almost no limits to your imagination.

6. The positive effects of Matcha
It is believed that if you constantly drink Matcha, it gives positive characteristics for your body, who knows and loves Matcha shares his experience: It awakens you, and allows you to concentrate more easily. In addition, it has a pleasant effect on metabolism. These positive actions are the result of a certain combination of vitamins and minerals, and makes

Matcha so special. It contains among others:

• caffeine
• amino acids
• catechins
• antioxidants
• chlorophyll
• calcium
• squirrels
• iron
• potassium various vitamins (A, B1, B2, B3, C, E, K)

A large amount of vitamin A (beta-carotene), which is extremely important for your eyes, skin, mucous membranes and metabolism, should definitely be noted. In addition, Matcha contains approximately 10-17mg of iron per 100g of powder, making it one of the richest sources of iron of any food (depending on the QUALITY of Matcha, of course).

One of Matchinsky's best characteristics is the fact that antioxidants also act as free radical avengers. Currently, the production of free radicals is increasing due to solar radiation, ultrasound, nicotine, chemicals and the consumption of certain foods. It has been scientifically proven that free radicals can influence the aging process as well as the formation of cancer, circulatory disorders and their secondary diseases. This happens because they can damage the structure of human DNA. The consequences of these attacks on human DNA and proteins are accelerated aging processes and cellular mutations that can eventually lead to tumor formation.

*Especially relevant for the body conscious person and athlete is Matcha: it contains catechins, which should support muscle recovery and fat loss, strengthen the immune system, stimulate metabolism and help prevent muscle pain.

At present, the additional benefits of Matcha have not yet been scientifically discovered. Many of the compelling studies on the health and benefits of green tea can also be questioned. In fact, the amount of beneficial ingredients in Matchinsky is much higher than that of regular green tea. this is because Matcha is not a tea infusion, but an extract from fresh tea leaves. This greatly contributes to the easy absorption of healthy ingredients into the human body.

As you can see, Matcha is an exciting product in many ways: universally applicable with full benefits for you and your body. Thus, Matcha will promote your overall health and progress.

nowhere to retreat! – PBK Lokomotiv-Kuban – the official website of the professional basketball club

Lokomotiv-Kuban has completed a protracted away streak and will play on its court with Astana on October 31st. The match starts at 20:00.

Loko's three-match away tour left mixed feelings. On the one hand, the team showed character - played "-9" during the final quarter in Perm, fought on equal terms with UNICS. On the other hand, it is obvious that the young players who make up the backbone of the Krasnodar team are categorically lacking experience. As there is not enough depth of the bench. In a number of matches this season, Loko exemplarily plays the first quarter (for example, with CSKA and Nizhny Novgorod), but then the guys from the starting five accumulate fatigue and fouls, run out of batteries and oxygen, lose concentration - and a logical failure follows. Losses and unprepared throws begin in the attack, blunders and poor safety nets begin in defense. Taking into account that Loko's basketball players do not surpass the majority of opponents in terms of size, we can only rely on the individual skills of the team leaders.

Jaylen Burford plows both sides of the court like a tractor before work and leads the VTB United League in both scoring and steals. Not bad in attack and another American "Loco" - forward Darral Willis. During the away series, Zakhar Vedischev established himself as the team's third most important attacking option - his creativity, when playing one on one with opponents, ensured the team both a victory over PARMA PARI and many important points in other matches. But all this is still not enough to consistently provide a positive result.

- When the team is so young, there will be ups and downs, whether you like it or not, - says Alexander Sekulich, head coach of Lokomotiv-Kuban. - It's hard to expect stability from the youth in every match. We need to learn this stability. They have talent, they have the quality of the game, but this quality must be demonstrated in every match. They are no longer "role players", but the players of the base. Opponents prepare especially for them, they are forced to play under pressure. Here is such a situation. We need to adapt to it, the guys need to adapt and show stability.

In fact, after returning to Krasnodar, the team will have only one day to prepare for the game against Astana. Are there any secrets on how to do it in such a short period of time?

There are no secrets. You have to be smart to find opportunities to get the players back and prepare for the home game which is very important. We started this trip with a victory in a very difficult hall in Perm. Then there was a good game with UNICS, they could have won, but lost, unfortunately. After that - a heavy defeat in Nizhny Novgorod. I think that fatigue has already accumulated in this match. The rotation is short, some players return after a break. It's not a good situation, but now the focus is on how to prepare for the next game.

What can you say about Astana?

They know how to win. This is a fairly experienced team with two legionnaires - American basketball players who play a major role in this team. For our young guys, this will be a serious challenge. You have to be 100 percent focused from start to finish. And be ready to execute the game plan.

How psychologically important is it for the players to feel the support of the stands, to remember how much their fans love them?

We have wonderful fans! Their support is very important, especially now, when things are not going so well for us.

Today, October 28, Loko players left Nizhny Novgorod for home. The logistics are complicated - at 9:30 am, check out from the hotel, then fly to Moscow, from there - to Stavropol, after that - another five hours on the club bus. The team will arrive in Krasnodar late at night, and already tomorrow evening there will be training. We need to prepare for the next match - with Astana.

We are finally back after a difficult trip. We didn't play as planned, we weren't satisfied with the result. But we're going home to win. Come all to the game with Astana, we will be waiting, we need your support!

Alexander Shcherbenev, defender of Lokomotiv-Kuban

Astana in its current state seems to be ideal for Loko players to cheer up both themselves and the fans, who did not skimp after the match with Pari NN on constructive and not very criticism. Yes, the club from Kazakhstan unexpectedly managed to upset PARMA-PARI on its site (84:72) - but in all the other five matches it lost without options. The range of the final score is from "-22" to "-55". On the other hand, the pressure on the Krasnodar basketball players, already decent, will now increase to very critical levels. It is necessary to win a nosebleed, and any athlete will say that the status of a clear favorite is not the best psychological launching pad.

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