7 Keys to Becoming a more Focused Basketball Player
Basketball Tip
Basketball Teams with ultimate focus tend to beat teams with limited focus nearly every time, regardless of the athletic talent. At a certain talent level, the mind becomes the most important part of victory. That’s why veteran teams tend to beat less experienced teams at a very high rate. Focus is the crucial essence that makes teams victorious.
Therefore, teams want players who can focus. If you can focus, you are going to get playing time. Here are 7 ways to build your focus as a basketball player.
1. Focus on what you can do well and do it. If you are a scorer, score. If you are an assist king, dish dimes. If you are a defender, lock it down. If you hustle, go all out. If you rebound like a wrecking ball, go haul in every board.
2. Free your mind from the mechanics of basketball to focus on the higher levels of play. If your mind has to pay attention to your dribbling, you can't focus on who is open. Your fundamental skills need to be second nature so your mind can elevate and focus on the higher level.
3. Find the calm during the storm. Use your focus to let you perform at the highest level in the most chaotic or intense game situations, by staying calm internally while your body completes tasks of great intensity.
4. Cause greater chaos for your opponent, in order to shift them off their focus. Don’t let them do what they like to do best. Cause them to do things unfamiliar to them in all aspects of the game.
5. Cause greater calmness for your team, in order to increase team focus. Unite your team in a common bond of doing what the team does best. Cause your team to do things that are successful, confident, and in your team’s wheel house.
6. Encourage. All teams thrive on encouragement and eventually wilt under degradation. Communicate. Point out your teammates’ strengths. Get excited. Research on stress has shown people can complete a pressured task 100% of the time with encouragement and only 20% of the time while being criticized.
7. Be strong with the ball, strong at executing plays, and strong at doing what you are capable of. Avoid doing things that have little chance of success in the chaos of the game. Don’t let your defender or the opponent take you or your team off your mark. Establish your team chemistry in the middle of the game’s intensity.
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Basketball and the Mental Game
By Andrew Walker | Articles
Improving Your Focus in Basketball: The Mental Game
Basketball is a physical game and a mental game. It demands all of you; if you’re not present for every second, it could cost you big. The mental side of basketball game is too often overlooked by players who think their physical skill and ability is enough. But it’s not – and focus in basketball can be the difference between cutting the mesh down at the end of the season or heading home.
It’s a lesson J.R. Smith learned the hard way: the buzzer sounds. The game's in overtime, King James is furious, and no off-balance threes, buzzer beaters, or and-ones from the dotted line are going to change that.
You want to know how to improve your mental game in basketball? Simple:
Focus on the Parts of the Basketball Game You Can Control.
The hard thing about improving the mental side of basketball is the pressure. There’s so much happening at once – the game, the crowd, the coach is yelling, the fans are yelling, the ball is flying. It’s so easy to start paying attention to the wrong things.
Always remember thatyou’re playing a high-speed game of patience. You'll want to rush through things, but take your time. Let the game come to you. The focus in basketball games should be on things you can influence. Let your offense go through plays, and read the defense. Take a beat and remember to breathe. A calm mind will make better plays every time.
Basketball is reactive. You’ve got a plan, you’ve got a goal, you’ve got a team – and then the whistle blows, the ball’s in the air and you need to rely on your gut. Mental basketball means trusting yourself and not second-guessing anything it’s too late to change.
When you go with your gut, you’re going to get it wrong sometimes. Mental strength is crucial for how to improve your mental game in basketball. Remember this saying: shooters shoot. Research has recently shown that the Hot Hand Effect is real, but the trick is to stay focused and brush off that last miss. Keep shooting; focus on your mechanics and know that the next one is going in.
Focus in basketball is crucial, and it’s worth practicing! Physical basketball, mental basketball – it all comes together to make you a stronger player. Staying calm and poised helps you to keep your head in the game. Pay attention to your mind as you play, keep your head up – and you’ll find yourself suddenly playing stronger than ever before.
"Decided to give up social media to focus on basketball" | Articles
BC Gran Canaria is making its debut season in the Euroleague. While the Spanish club cannot boast of outstanding results, it has only won once in five matches. But the leader of the team, Anzhey Pasechnik, is doing great. Considered one of the most talented players in the Old World, the 22-year-old Latvian center is averaging 9 points and 3. 8 rebounds per game.
After the match with Khimki, Izvestia managed to talk to Andzhey Pasechnik and ask him about a possible departure to the NBA, giving up social networks, as well as about the pros and cons of long flights from the Canary Islands to the mainland.
— Izvestia wrote about the Basketball Without Borders camp held by the NBA in Russia in 2012. You then performed well, winning a three-point contest against Danny Green himself (one of the leaders of Toronto). Which of the players from that squad do you still communicate with?
- With Spaniard José Ignacio Noguez, who plays in Joventut. Nevertheless, when we meet somewhere with one of those players, we will definitely chat. That camp brought us decently closer.
- Bosnian Nedim Buza, who then became the most valuable player (MVP) of the tournament, now plays in the Belgian Ostend. How do you assess its prospects?
- I remember that at that time he performed very well, and many experts highly rated him. In recent years, I didn’t encounter him at all, so it’s hard for me to say something about his game.
- Do you remember any of the Russians?
- At one time we talked with Sasha Martynov, he seems to be playing in the Super League now (the ex-defender of CSKA plays for Novosibirsk. - Izvestia). I also remember one player with long hair, he played under number 23...
— This is Vyacheslav Fedorchenko. He ended his career and became a coach at CSKA. Conducts camps, children appreciate him very much...
— Well done! At this age, it's not easy! (Vyacheslav Fedorchenko is 23 years old. - Izvestia).
— You lost your last Euroleague game to Khimki rather easily. Due to what the Russian club won?
- They managed to make us make mistakes often. They regularly beat us one on one. We can say that in every quarter they were better than us and won a natural victory.
— How do you think, how can Gran Canaria improve in the Euroleague regular season?
- Our main problem is that each player has too much possession of the ball. When the pass follows, there is less time left to shoot or create a more favorable situation for the attack of the ring. We should add to the team game.
Is this a cry from the heart or a thorough analysis of the situation?
- All players understand their mistakes if they want to do it. We regularly discuss all our problems and carefully analyze all the games. Naturally, we want to improve team performance.
- They say about your team that it is exclusively "home". What is the magic of your arena?
— Our main advantage is that it is far to fly to us. After such a long flight, it is hard for any club to play against us. But this is a double-edged sword. Because we have complicated logistics. For example, on a charter flight, we flew to Moscow for the game with Khimki for about eight hours. We spent a whole day on the road and didn't even manage to have an evening workout. If we draw an analogy with the geography of Russia, we are like Vladivostok of the Euroleague.
— What do you think about the dispute between the Euroleague and FIBA?
- I don't want to get involved in this argument. My job is to play basketball, let the rest be on the conscience of officials. Believe me, I would really like to help the national team, but when the games of the club and the national team coincide, this becomes impossible. We have half of the team playing in the Euroleague or the NBA, so we have to play with a semi-reserve squad. This is the situation for many teams, and it is very sad. I hope that in the future the parties will come to a consensus. Politics should not prevent the best players from playing for their national teams.
— Do you think Alexey Shved, who was your mentor at the Basketball Without Borders camp in 2012, deserved the title of the most valuable player (MVP) of the last Euroleague season?
- It is very difficult for me to talk about this, but I will answer as others think. The best player should definitely be on the highest-placed team, and Khimki couldn't make it to the Final Four. I do not diminish Alexei's talent in the least, this is already clear to everyone. I'm just saying how the average viewer thinks. And to give or not to give awards is up to specialists.
— What does the Euroleague lack in order to achieve even greater popularity in the world?
— We made it to the Euroleague for the first time in history, so we are only learning and learning the basics of this tournament. Of course, we would like more match attendance, but this is rather the work of each club. We have no problems with this - 8-9 thousand spectators come to every home game.
- Do you get recognized on the streets of Las Palmas?
— We have a small island, so many people know all the Gran Canaria players by sight. Very positive people live in the Canaries, they always come up to you with a smile, take pictures, wish you good luck. It doesn't bother me.
- At the end of this season, your contract with Gran Canaria ends. ..
- Yes, that's right.
- You are owned by Philadelphia. Is it likely that you will play in the NBA next year?
— Negotiations are underway, but it's hard to say anything concrete yet. Toward the end of the season or already in the summer, we will decide whether I will join Philadelphia or stay in Europe.
- Does Philadelphia suit your style of play?
- I try to watch almost all the team's matches, even though it's hard because of the time difference. I see myself in this club and I think I can fit into their game.
- Philadelphia has three strong centers - Joel Embiid, Mike Muscala and Amir Johnson. How will you compete with them?
- Nobody said it would be easy, but it's even better for me to train with those who are stronger than me. Only in fierce competition can progress be made. After this season, I will work hard in the gym and I think I will be ready to fight them under the basket.
— There are three Latvians currently playing in the NBA: Davis Bertans, Rodion Kuruc and Kristaps Porzingis. Do you communicate with them? When can we expect Porzingis to return to the court?
— We communicate very well with Kristaps, as we played in the same national team (U-18). I think he will be back in action very soon. Rodion in general, one might say, spends the first year in big basketball. Before that, he played in Barcelona, but in the second team. He is a good man that he decided to go this way and left for Brooklyn at an early age. Bertans and I spent the whole summer in the same hall, preparing for the new season.
— What is Bertans lacking in order to gain a foothold in the Spurs?
- If Davis waits for his chance, and he certainly will, then he will use it to the maximum. I am sure that he will have a long and successful career overseas.
— Tell me, are you an older player or not yet?
Very funny question! I think that in a month I will become old (on December 20, Pasechnik will turn 23 years old). Although, when I was 17, I thought that players at 23 were already old.
— It's just that in Russia there is such a stereotype that at the age of 22–23 a player is “young and promising”, but in the USA it is already considered old. Are you still at the border stage?
- When I have a beard, then it will be possible to say that I am old.
- Your height is 218 cm. Are you still growing?
- No, I have already stopped growing. Every year I think that I grow 1-2 cm, but when I stand against the wall, I understand that I need to calm down (laughs) . 218 cm - and so a good indicator.
— Are you an active user of social networks?
- This year I decided to give up social media to focus on basketball. Any social network takes a lot of time, and I need to think more about my main job. Perhaps I will return to my Instagram, but not in the next year.
— You speak excellent Russian, which cannot be said about today's youth in Latvia. How did it happen?
- My father is from Russia, so we always speak Russian in the family. Quite often I practice the language, although sometimes I still confuse the endings.
— What is your impression of Russia?
— I would really like to stay in Russia longer, get to know Moscow better. However, we usually come here in the evening, the next day there is a game. Therefore, it has not yet been possible to visit any important places in the city.
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Communicate. Point out your teammates’ strengths. Get excited. Research on stress has shown people can complete a pressured task 100% of the time with encouragement and only 20% of the time while being criticized. 
It demands all of you; if you’re not present for every second, it could cost you big. The mental side of basketball game is too often overlooked by players who think their physical skill and ability is enough. But it’s not – and focus in basketball can be the difference between cutting the mesh down at the end of the season or heading home.
There’s so much happening at once – the game, the crowd, the coach is yelling, the fans are yelling, the ball is flying. It’s so easy to start paying attention to the wrong things.
Remember this saying: shooters shoot. Research has recently shown that the Hot Hand Effect is real, but the trick is to stay focused and brush off that last miss. Keep shooting; focus on your mechanics and know that the next one is going in.
8 rebounds per game. 
In recent years, I didn’t encounter him at all, so it’s hard for me to say something about his game. 
When the pass follows, there is less time left to shoot or create a more favorable situation for the attack of the ring. We should add to the team game. 
I do not diminish Alexei's talent in the least, this is already clear to everyone. I'm just saying how the average viewer thinks. And to give or not to give awards is up to specialists. 
.. 
Although, when I was 17, I thought that players at 23 were already old. 
How did it happen? 
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