How to get pumped for a basketball game

Peak Athletic Performance - Getting Psyched up before a Big Game

The big game is just weeks, days or hours away, but your palms become sweaty and your mind races every time you think of stepping on to the court or field. You’re excited about the day finally comes, and you’re using that drive you to train as hard as you can. BUT you want to make sure you focus that energy effectively and ensure you are the best player you can be on game day.

What are the best ways to get psyched up before a big game?

How can you channel those nervous jitters and transform them into focus and precision on game day?

Here are some research-backed tips for how to make sure you have the best mindset for your next big competition.

(By the way, if you want to read more about the science behind “getting psyched up” in sports, scroll down to the end of the article).

Here are some other articles for youth athletes that you might be interested in:

• Nutrition for high school athletes | 5 Rules for better performance
• Teaching teenager athletes to be coachable
• How much sleep does youth athletes need?
• Summer football soccer camps

How to Get Psyched Before a Game – 7 Tips

1.

Have you ever seen Lebron James do his famous pre-game “chalk toss”? Or did you know that Curtis Martin reads from the Bible to calm his mind before each game? Or that Rafael Nadal has to walk on to the court with a racket in his hand, eat an energy gel and drink his hydration drink in the exact same way each time?

Pre-game routines, which sometimes look more like rituals, help you get into the right mindset before a game. Find what calms you, motivates you or provides you with the direct focus that helps you perform best before a big game.

While you might have your own rituals, try creating some team rituals as well! Participating in pre-game routines as a team also helps to improve performance and create a positive team culture.

2.Visualize success

Imagining yourself making those free-throws, scoring those goals or taking the right steps to dodge and weave through the defensive line could have a significant impact on your actual performance during the game.

A study carried out by professors at the University of Tennessee found that a positive imagery exercise for free-throw shooting with basketball players before a game had a significant positive impact on the number of free-throws made during the game.

3.Listen to someone who motivates you

Motivational pre-game speeches from your coach can be useful, but you have to be connected and inspired by what they say. If you don’t always feel inspired by your trainer’s inspirational pre-game words, spend some time watching or listening to famous motivational speeches online delivered by players or coaches you admire.

As you get prepared for a game, watch the video to get motivated. Imagine that they are giving the speech to you, and focus on each phrase and message that the speaker is trying to deliver.

4.Positive and instructional “self-talk”

Cut out phrases like “I’m going to fail”, or “I’m going to miss my shot” from your thoughts in the lead up to the game.

Instead, only allow positive and instructional self-talk. Instructional self-talk helps you revisit tactics and techniques that lead to better performances, while positive self-talk can boost your confidence. Both can help you perform better during competition.

If you are having trouble eliminating negative self-talk from your internal dialogue, start by having a deliberate instructional self-talk session out loud. When you have a moment to yourself, revisit the techniques you have practiced over and over during your training sessions and say them out loud.

Once you feel comfortable with instructional self-talk, only allow yourself to say positive things about your abilities and your performance. Include what you see when you visualize yourself succeeding.

5.Stay active

Right before a game, some athletes run the risk of letting their bodies become passive. This is often the case if you have to take a bus to where you need to go, or if you have been on the sidelines before getting on to the court or field.

Keep your body active, and your body and mind will match their excitement.

Try drumming along to your favorite songs, doing jumping jacks, jogging or walking at a brisk pace. Pair these activities with some of the positive and instructional “self-talk” methods mentioned above and you’ll be ready for the performance of a lifetime!

6.Put together a playlist

Are you someone who tends to get nervous or anxious before a big game? Try listening to some music.

A study carried out by scientists in India found that music therapy helped to reduce stress before competitions, as measured by the hormone cortisol.

The trick is to make a playlist that calms your nerves before a game. If you are having trouble putting one together, try listening to this song, which Mindlab International showed can reduce anxiety by up to 65%!

Note that it might be a good idea to only keep this song in your back pocket if you find you have too much nervous energy. If you aren’t nervous, the song might calm you down too much, and you’ll end up feeling sleepy!

If you aren’t feeling nervous, try listening to a “pump-up” playlist with a song you love that will help keep you energetic and focused.

7.Find a role model

Is there a special athlete you look up to? Is there someone who motivates you to be the best athlete you can be? Is there a player on a team that you love to watch play? Do you try to integrate some of the moves you see your role model do into your own playing style? Role models are a reminder of the possibilities of what you can achieve in your athletic career.

Role models help to cement the belief that you can be successful in your current competitive place, as well as in the future. In fact, finding a role model with whom you identify could significantly influence your success in sports in general.

Remember that finding a role model doesn’t mean you want to become them. A role model is someone who inspires you and who has qualities you aspire to have. However, you should always continue to be your own person – find your own style on the field, and own it. Having role-models can motivate you when things start to get tricky.

Remember, role models don’t have to be famous athletes. The advantage of having role models you know personally is that you can get advice from them, and they can give you personalized messages of motivation.

Sports Psychology: How “Getting Psyched up” Improves Athletic Performance

The whole idea of “getting psyched up” implies being in the right mental state to perform at the optimal level. In other words, it refers to the power the mind has to help us play the best we can on the field or court. This tells us that we need to train our bodies as well as our minds when preparing for a competition.

Believe it or not, there is a significant connection between your state of mind (thoughts, feelings and ability to focus) and your performance. There is an entire field of psychology dedicated to this called “sports psychology”. This field has skyrocketed in popularity over the past several years because research has shown how important it is to be mentally prepared before a game, and to maintain the right mindset throughout competition.

In fact, studies show how mental health has a significant impact on an athletes’ success in sport; up to 85% of athletes can be deemed as successful or unsuccessful after measuring their mood and personality structure.

Some factors, like; setting goals, visualization and routine all have an impact on athletic performance – and all three of these elements are separate from training on the field, and have everything to do with getting into the right mindset – “getting psyched up”.

Conclusion

Being the best player you can be on the field or court isn’t just about putting time into practice and training. You also need to pay attention to what is happening in your brain. Getting into the right mindset has a significant impact on how well you do on the field during big games.

These seven research-backed tips will help you get psyched up before a game. Remember, however, that everyone has their own unique routines and rituals to help them feel confident, focused and directed before a game, and maintaining that mentality throughout the competition. If you haven’t found yours yet, start experimenting!

If you are struggling with getting into the right mindset, talk to your coach or teammates about your worries. Ask them for tips on how they get psyched up before a game. If you feel like your internal challenges go beyond anything you can discuss with your teammates or coach, consider talking to a counselor or therapist. A counselor will help you take meaningful steps towards improving your mental health, which will result in benefits both on the field and in your life in general.

Are you ready for your big game yet? You are going to kill it on the field!

How to Get Pumped Up Before a Football Game (4 Ways)

Getting ready for a big football game requires a ton of work. You have to practice regularly and study the opponent's tendencies. You also have to prepare yourself emotionally. The morning of the game, you will have a lot of energy. You may also be feeling a ton of pressure.  

Pumping yourself up prior to kickoff should help you channel this energy as you run onto the field. Psyching yourself up should also transform any nerves into precision and focus. 

Here are some ways to get your mind ready for a major competition.

Create a Routine

Even professional athletes have certain rituals that they follow before a key match. LeBron James, for instance, always tosses chalk into the air. 

For other players, such as former NFL running back Curtis Martin, the ritual was quieter. Martin would read a passage from the Bible to calm down his mind before a game.

Of course, what works best for these athletes may not necessarily get you pumped up. Figure out what motivates you and turn that into a pregame routine. You may even want to implement certain team-wide rituals to improve the squad's culture.

Listen to Music

Music is a great way to get pumped up before a game. Music can even help lower your stress levels. You can listen to your favorite tunes on your way to the stadium or while you are warming up on the field.  

Figure out what type of music gets you ready for game day. It could be rap, country, pop, or soft rock. Just make sure it is upbeat and builds to a strong crescendo.  The song should also have inspirational lyrics that make you feel confident and motivated.

Tunes with a heavy bass are particularly good for pregame playlists. Deep voices make you feel powerful and remind you of dominant personalities.

Find a Motivational Speech

You have probably seen professional coaches give big motivational speeches before a game. Your coach will likely try to do the same. Yet even your coach's or trainer's best efforts may fall flat. 

If you do not feel inspired by what either of them has to say, you can easily find famous speeches from other coaches or players online. As you listen to those speeches, imagine that the speaker is talking personally to you.

Get in a Good Mindset

If you tell yourself that you are going to fail, you probably will. Instead, imagine yourself making the game-winning catch or tackle. Research shows that visualizing success before a game is more likely to lead to a positive performance during the contest.

There are other ways to get into a good frame of mind. To focus your nerves, try concentrating on your breathing for a few minutes. 

Close your eyes and count to two as you inhale through your nose. Hold your breath for a second before exhaling through your nose for another two seconds. Repeat this process several times.

A body scan can be helpful, as well. It only takes about 10 minutes. Start by laying on the ground with your palms facing the ceiling. 

Close your eyes and concentrate on how your toes feel. Breathe a few times and then focus on the soles of your feet. Continue this process for each part of your body.

Finally, remind yourself that the game is not everything. Even if you fumble the ball or throw an interception, your family and friends will still love you. 

You will still have a home in which to sleep and a table full of food. Keeping things in perspective should take the pressure off you.

Getting pumped up before a big football game could be the difference between a win or a loss. If you come out flat, your team may fall hopelessly behind before the end of the first half. 

The above tips should help you remain excited yet focused on the competition. 

Exercises for basketball players, basketball trainings in the gym and on the court

Every year we have the brightest event in the basketball world - the play-offs of the United Basketball League. We invite you to familiarize yourself with the training of the world's top basketball players!

Athletes are already actively preparing for the upcoming matches and getting into better shape. What do you need to know, how exactly the basketball players of the International United League train?

To do this, we turned to Evgeny Burin, who previously worked with the Russian men's basketball team, and now is responsible for the general physical training of athletes of the Nizhny Novgorod basketball club.

ADIDAS cycle - Self-improvement. Basketball

The program of the video cycle consists of 10 lessons to improve the various qualities of basketball players. As part of the project, Evgeny Burin reveals his professional secrets.

Lesson 1: Back Exercises

This is the first workout in the adidas Self Improvement Basketball cycle. As part of the project, Evgeny Burin, physical training coach of the Nizhny Novgorod basketball club, reveals his professional secrets.

Without a strong back one cannot imagine a healthy person, let alone an athlete. This is all the more important for a basketball player who has to jump and land many times in the game, push and push through the defense. In this video, Evgeny Burin gives exercises that help professional basketball players to have a strong back.

Lesson 2. Legs

This is the second workout in the adidas Self Improvement Basketball cycle.

Basketball players need strong legs not only to score balls or just jump above everyone else. Legs - this is the main thing due to which the player defends himself and is on the court at the right time and in the right place. Therefore, professionals never work only on the jump and are not limited to squats with a barbell. Evgeny Burin shows how to properly swing the legs of a basketball player.

Lesson 3. Chest muscles

There are a great many exercises for developing chest muscles. Which of them can be used so as not to get the opposite effect, enslavement and loss of mobility, you will find in this lesson. Evgeny Burin gives special exercises that professional basketball players use.

Find the right chest workout for you, just like Euroleague basketball players do.

According to Evgeny Burin, push-ups are one of the most effective exercises for chest muscles. To complicate the exercise, Eugene suggests using weights (dumbbells) and performing various types of push-ups with them: with lifting and with rotation.

To activate different muscle groups, you can take a different position relative to the fitball - it can be under the lumbar part of the back or in the area of ​​​​the shoulder blades.

Lesson 4. Shoulders, arms. Balance cushion

Some may think that it is very important for a basketball player to have pumped up arms and wide shoulders. But even here you can not concentrate on one thing. Trainer Evgeny Burin tells how, while working on these muscles, at the same time develop the whole body.

Lesson 5. Complex exercises

What can a basketball player take from weightlifting? Yes, at least the classic exercises - a jerk and a push. Evgeny Burin tells how to use them to the maximum benefit for the player.

Lesson 6. Balance and coordination exercises

A basketball player must certainly have a strong and enduring body. But coordination of movements, the ability to land and correctly distribute forces during contact are also absolutely necessary qualities for a player. The trainer offers some simple but very effective exercises.

Exercises for VTB United League basketball players offered by Evgeny Burin seem familiar to you only at first glance:

I add the principle of unstable balance to my workouts. This helps to work out the muscles better. To create such conditions when performing exercises, we will use a fitball.

Lesson 7. Tricky rubber bands

Balance exercises become much more effective when you use resistance. Ordinary rubber expanders are a great help in the work of a fitness trainer.

Lesson 8. Ball out of play

Basketball players may use the ball for other than its intended purpose. With the help of the coach's advice, the most ordinary balls turn into effective simulators.

Lesson 9. Speed ​​endurance. Running exercises

In preparation for the 2007 European Championship, the Russian national basketball team did not run a single cross. Why would an athlete performing on a 28-meter long track run 5 or 10 kilometers in training? Evgeny Burin tells how to make running work really effective.

Lesson 10. Training principles

In the 10th final video Evgeny Burin gives the most important tips. How is work organized in the pre-season? How to distribute loads during the season? How to make sure that the work with the bar does not interfere with the game? How to use the exercises that you have learned from previous editions? You will find all the answers in this lesson.

Strength training of basketball players

Evgeny Burin is sure that in order to achieve the best results, like the athletes of the VTB United League, it is necessary not only to engage in direct basketball training, but also to pay active attention to active work in the gym. At the same time, you should not be afraid to work with weights and work out each muscle group separately.

Before starting a workout, be sure to do warm-up exercises - warm up the muscles so that they can better perceive the load.

Yevgeny Burin is sure that a strong and trained back is the key to success for a basketball player. Here are exercises that will help pump the whole body, like a basketball player from the VTB International League.

Strength training for basketball players

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Try the training program for basketball players from the VTB International League, and you will see that not only have you become stronger and more enduring, but also improved your concentration and stabilization.

Basketball athleticism determines the level of the game

Have you seen NBA players who only jump to the backboard?

Have you ever flinched, screamed and wondered at a crazy dunk? Or maybe from the incredible finishes of professional players with the flight and shifting the ball from one hand to the other?

You can refer to genetic predispositions, which obviously have more for one player and less for another, but each player, regardless of the level of talent and gift, constantly and diligently works on his body.

It is the work on basketball athleticism that allows you to remove all restrictions, go beyond the possible and dominate on both sides of the court. The whole game is tied to the capabilities of our body and if it starts to give up, then at best, thanks to skills, understanding of the game and experience, it will be possible to stay at a high level, but we can say with confidence that it will no longer be possible to dominate.

These words about athleticism are not taken from the air, but are a real fact, which is confirmed by examples.

LeBron James dominates throughout his career. His approach to keeping the body in shape was ahead of its time in many ways, because no one had done it in such detail before him. James understands that his body is now his main business asset and invests $1.5 million every year to stay in top shape. There wasn't a moment in his career when his opponent was happy to be defending against LeBron. His physical form has always given him a huge advantage in both attack and defense, as evidenced by championship rings and MVP titles.

LeBron, aged 34, hits overhead during the warm-up before his son's game. Nothing unusual.

Vince Carter's Legendary Olympian Dunk

Vince Carter continues to play in the NBA at 43 thanks to his shooting, understanding of the game, experience and incredible body. He hasn't had a lot of injuries in his career, but that doesn't detract from his incredible fitness. Thanks to his athleticism, he still handles the frantic pace of the best league in the world and will gladly hit the ball from above. It may seem that 43 years old is not 60 years old and it is not very difficult, but this opinion is absolutely wrong, because most players end their careers before the age of 40.

At 43, Vince also tops the NBA

Giannis Antetokounmpo won his first MVP award in the 2018-19 season, although a few years ago he was far from the star level. He came into the league already with a unique body and huge potential, but Giannis really began to open up by adding first in athleticism, and now developing his skills.

Russell Westbrook... Do you think he would be a star now, with two triple-double seasons and a Hall of Fame contender, if not outrageous athleticism?