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How to get your confidence back in basketball
Ultimate Hoops - Build Confidence on the Basketball Court in 2022
Play like a superstar in 2022
In basketball, confidence is the key to your success. Conversely, lack of confidence can stifle your growth and lead to giving up or quitting altogether. Let’s break it down to help you develop unwavering confidence on the court.
Preparation
Put in the work! The first step to building confidence is putting in the work on the court. Practice, practice, practice, work on your game, study your opponents, and prepare your mind.
Confidence is increased when you have hit that shot hundreds of times in your driveway and know you can do it again in a game.
Set S.M.A.R.T goals! Goal setting is important to your basketball success. S.M.A.R.T.is an acronym for the five important elements in goal setting. Learn about how create your own S.M.A.R.T. goals for on and off the basketball court. Click here to get started with our goal setting guide.
Measure your progress in practice. How many shots did you make? How quick did you dribble through the cones?
It’s important to measure your results to see where you are week-after-week to show your improvement. Keep a practice log. This helps you see the progress you are making to quiet the doubts that you aren’t getting better or seeing progress.
Assess your game, what are your strengths weaknesses and know which ones can be used in the game. Don’t try out that new move when the game is on the line but first in practice, or in a game situation which wont be as costly if it goes poorly.
Add consequences to your practice to add game like pressure. If you miss a shot run a lap, do push ups, or skip 10 minutes of screen time.
Practice at game speed. Catch and shoot as if you were in a game setting. Workout with higher skilled players to add increased pressure.
Positive Thinking & Mindset
Post game, don’t focus on all the bad moments you had. Reflect but be productive, what could you do different the next time? What progress have you made? What did you do well?
Increase Your Positive Thinking & Mindset
Listen to podcasts >> Life Time Talks - The Power of Mindset
Create a basketball journal or blog - write about your journey, your goals, the progress and your obstacles
Work with a Sport Psychologist
Read, watch videos and practice strengthening your mindset
Write down positive attributes about your game, post them on your mirror and read them every day as a reminder
Environment - surround yourself with positive people. Attitude is infectious. Build a tribe of people who believe in you and who encourage you to accomplish your goals.
Growth Mindset
This growth mindset is based on the belief that your basic qualities are things you can cultivate through your efforts. Although people may differ in every which way in their initial talents and aptitudes, interests, or temperaments, everyone can change and grow through application and experience.
— Carol Dweck, Stanford Psychologist
How to develop a Growth Mindset
Trust the process - value process over the end results
Acknowledge and embrace your imperfections
View challenges as opportunities
Cultivate grit (hard work/determination)
Place effort before talent
Try different learning tactics
Replace the word “failing” with the word “learning”
Destroy Your Fear of Failure
It’s impossible to go through life without experiencing some kind of failure. Losing and failing to meet goals are inevitable parts of basketball. Great players are not afraid of failure, they know they occasionally fail on the road to getting better. Use your failure to motivate you to your successes.
People who have a fear of failure might be reluctant to try new things or take on challenging projects, they may procrastinate, may have excessive anxiety, and may not follow through on goals.
Don’t strive for perfection, a perfectionist is someone who has a willingness to try only those things that they know they will finish perfectly or successfully or gets upset when their actions are not flawless.
Remove Your Fear of Failure
Set S.M.A.R.T goals
Visualize
Think positive!
Implement new skills in low risk settings
Play like it doesn’t matter
Discover why you play and use that as your focus
Create an Alter-Ego
The “Black Mamba”, Kobe Bryant’s alter-ego got him through his lowest points of his career. In his documentary “Muse” he reveals his self given nickname was to get him through the struggles he was going through off the court which were distracting him on the court.
The Black Mamba’s job was to take care of business on the court. This ruthless mentality helped gain his confidence on the basketball court and to overcome some of his most difficult times in his career.
Visualize
Of Steph Curry’s 10 rules for success, visualization is number one on his list. Visualize the ball going in the net, hitting the game winning shot, and accomplishing your goals.
Find more visualization tips here.
Increasing In Game Confidence
Be ready – most athletes are under prepared; practice, study, and mentally prepare to play
Want the ball, be ready to catch the ball and know what you are going to do after you receive it
Take higher percentage shots
Choose less risky pass options and be sure to add enough force to get it to your teammate
Set in game goals (reasonable goals)
Focus on the role you play on your team, is it providing great defense? Rebounding?
Control your nerves
Create a game day routine or ritual. Pack your bag the night before, eat the same pre game snack, listen to the same songs during warmup, create your game day routine
Play like it doesn’t matter
Get out nervous energy by hustling on the court
Meditate or visualize before the game
Eliminate distractions - laziness and jealousy
Remove fear of failure
Don’t get caught in your last bad play - give yourself a physical cue to wipe it away, finger snap, a clap or a jump, sprint back on defense, etc.
Recall positive moments and the reasons why you love to play
Positive affirmations vs negative thoughts
Share your workout on social with hashtag #KeepPlaying
The U LabThe U LabMind & Body
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How to Build Permanent Confidence on the Basketball Court
Basketball Video Tip
NBC Basketball Camps train athletes from the inside out. If you want to be a great player, you have to have confidence that no one can take away.
Picture a moment when a coach commented on something you did well. You felt like you could rule the world. Then, maybe even in the same practice, your coach said something that sapped your confidence and you felt like getting angry or worse, giving up. This roller coaster of temporary confidence causes us to feel out of control. Permanent confidence is something no one can take away because compliments don't inflate us and criticism doesn't shake us.
We are calling permanent confidence a skill because it requires purposeful effort to develop. The difference between permanent confidence and temporary confidence is temporary confidence means confidence which can be given quickly and taken away quickly.
Here are three ways to help you build permanent confidence.
1. If possible, especially when developing a new skill, choose an encouraging environment. Not all environments are equal. The best place to grow is in an environment where you are given grace for mistakes, kind correction and courage to keep going. It's possible to survive in Antarctica with harsh wind and violent weather, but it's very tough and few make it. Similarly,confidence has a hard time becoming permanent in an environment of criticism, perfectionism and/or insult. One of the key pursuits of NBC Camps for 40 years has been to create an environment where maximum growth can happen. A climate where athletes feel "believed in." An environment of encouragement is especially crucial when confidence has not become permanent.
2. Practice, practice, practice! The truly confident person loves hard work and is willing to do the work necessary to become great. The difference between a confident person and a cocky person is that the confident person is able and open to looking at, talking about, and working on his or her weaknesses. When you have permanent confidence, you don't become crushed by mistakes. You can grow and learn and even be thankful for mistakes because they will show you ways you can improve.
3. Not all thoughts are equal. A person with permanent confidence doesn't allow certain thoughts to have any time in his or her head. Thoughts of bitterness, self-pity, condemnation or grandiosity are met at the door of the mind. If they are destructive thoughts, they are not allowed entrance. Truly confident people understand each of us has a choice to think something or throw it out.
7 Ways to End Games with Greater Confidence
Confidence, execution, fitness level and skills are key to the final moments of a game but above all you have to have confidence. You have to have the type of confidence that knows you are going to win, the type that wills the ball into the basket. You have to be able to execute what is necessary in the final moments. You need to be fit, don't let fatigue cost you the game. Finally, you need the skills in place to make the split second choices when it matters most--that means being a student of the game. Watch film, study, and know what the great play makers do when they are behind, when they are up, when they need to foul, when they need to score. Here are several practical ways to end the game well.
1. Be ready to catch the ball, be mentally focused and 100% dialed in. Slips happen near the end of the game through too much confidence or lack of confidence.
2. Make certain your passes are easy to catch and are thrown with strength and precision. Avoid dangerous passes. Give your teammates confidence in your passing decisions.
3. Monitor your level of nerves. If you are nervous, you will have the tendency to shoot hard, to pass too hard. When the tempo and pressure increases, remain calm. Discipline yourself to stay mentally alert.
4. While on defense, interrupt your opponent. Don't make anything easy . Give them no rest, hound every shot, block out every time. Mentally tire them out.
5. Take only a quality shot, never a risky or suspect shot. Make your bunnies (short shots near the basket).
6. Speak confidence. Focus on feeling like you are a great shooter, say mentally to yourself that you are on fire, you love to score, it's going in.
7. Go get the ball and secure it. Love the ball, want the ball, protect the ball. Your confidence and the confidence of the team will remain secure when you take care of the ball.
Confidence is a mindset skill that requires discipline to protect and maintain. Work on it every practice and protect yourself from mentally letting down your guard which comparison, assumption, or negative thinking. As you think, so you become.
About NBC Basketball Camps NBC Camps has grown to become the largest overnight basketball program in the world with locations around the United States, Canada, the UK, Austria, Italy and now Thailand. Campers have gone on to play in the NBA, WBNA, professionally overseas, and play or coach at many colleges and university programs. NBC Camps is a member of US Sports Camps network of outstanding summer sports camps throughout the world. Players, coaches, parents and members of the media interested in learning more about NBC Camps are invited to visit www.nbccamps.com or phone 1-800-406-3926.
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Sergey Bazarevich: “First of all, you need to regain your self-confidence” - Basketball
Samara head coach Sergey Bazarevich said that the main task for the upcoming match against Parma is to restore self-confidence after the home defeat from the MBA (74: 82).
“Permians play basketball based on pick-and-roll, they play effectively. They have players who can create, who can shoot – a pretty classic lineup with a stretching fourth, with two different bigs, with defenders who can create.
First of all, we need to regain confidence in ourselves after we played unsuccessfully, unexpectedly unsuccessfully, at home with the MBA. This will be our main task. We look forward to the support of the fans. We hope that defeats teach - and the defeat from the MBA also taught us something.
"Changing room"? We got together the next day, watched the video - we saw ourselves in a way that we probably didn’t have time to see when the games go one after the other, we understood where and what was wrong, where we played without proper focus. I hope we will fix this,” Bazarevich said.
Bazarevich and Karasev have returned to the VTB League and are ready for new challenges. 10 questions for trainers of the departments of
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MINUTE BREAK . Basketball team management
The value of a minute break in basketball is very high. For 40 minutes of the game, only four are given, two in each half. A one-minute break should only be used for team management purposes when it is absolutely certain that a break is necessary. Sometimes it is better to refuse a time-out and save it for the decisive minutes of the match than to waste breaks in vain.
An untimely time-out can turn against your own team. For example, the players on your team are tired, but still in the lead. Opponents got tired even more. A break taken at this moment will allow the opponent to rest and improve the game.
At the 1968 Olympic Games in the match with the team of Yugoslavia, we lost until the 35th minute, and on the 36th for the first time we took the lead by 3 points. And here I took a minute break in the hope of resting the exhausted leaders of the USSR national team and outline a plan for a calm ending of the meeting. The timeout really calmed our team, but it helped to restore strength and restore confidence to the Yugoslav basketball players. The final is known: we lost.
Let's analyze this situation. The match starts. Your team's game is not going well, and the opponent starts to go ahead, break away in the score. Now he is ahead by two, three, four, eight, ten points ... You feel that without your intervention it is impossible to change the course of the meeting. You reasonably take a minute break and naturally give instructions that would allow your team to even out. You explain how the opponent went forward, what mistakes were made and how to continue the fight.
Or another picture. You planned the game in a match in one tactical vein, and the opponent imposed a completely different game, chose an option that was unexpected for you. Either he started to press, or he built a mixed defense, or he applied some other tactical novelty. You feel the team does not know what to do, and the score is growing rapidly in favor of the opponent.
Of course, in this case the coach should not remain indifferent. His task is to interrupt the meeting either with a replacement or, best of all, with a one-minute break, unless, of course, he is still available. It is necessary to tell the basketball players what the opponent has introduced into the game and how to act against it, what countermeasures to take.
But sometimes it is different. The enemy used some novelty, and yet your team copes with rivals. Maybe he plays not very competently tactically, but still he succeeds with the help of either high-speed attacks, or long-range shots. And the score is growing in your favor. I think in such a situation the coach should not stop the game. But after the match, of course, it is useful to tell how to play correctly in the current situation and what should have been done to make the team's success more significant.
To intervene in the game when it is really necessary, and not to interfere with the players when they are playing well, is a very important skill of a coach, which is acquired by years of experience, the bitterness of defeats and the joy of victories. Here, of course, more examples are needed to make everything clear.
I remember the 1973 European Cup match. The CSKA team met in Moscow with the Italian team Ignis (Varese). The guests gave us a tactical surprise. In the second half, Ignis built a zone, and we did not immediately figure it out. The fact is that only four people played in the zone, and the fifth - a very fast, tenacious defender - was personally attached to S. Belov. At that moment, we were building the game on Belov's finishing attacks. When he overcame the resistance of his guardian, then one more, or even two defenders from the zone formation grew in front of him.
It is usually more visible from the side. Therefore, it is easier for the coach from the bench to unravel the tactical secrets of opponents. No matter how hot he himself is, no matter what he shouts to the players, experiencing the course of the match, he must at the same time see what is happening on the court. And not only to observe, so to speak, with a cold-blooded look, but also to be able to foresee.
Noticing that the Italians had built a mixed defense and our guys had not figured it out yet, I decided to intervene. Moreover, the score began to decrease: just before we had an advantage of 12-15 points, and now it has already been reduced to 3 points. I took a minute break and proposed a different game plan: to Belov to take the guardian to the corner of the site and beat one on one there, and to the other four of our players to break the zone defense more boldly.
We have succeeded in carrying out this plan. And the Italians themselves helped in this. Knowing that Belov was the leader of our team, they focused all their attention on him. They not only took care of him personally, but also turned their entire mixed defense against our leader. Italian basketball players in the zone were aimed at securing Belov's guardian. And when our other players switched to active attacks, the defense of Ignis was torn apart. We managed to win by 21 points. Not a bad win.
Or let's take the example of using a minute break during the match between CSKA and Stroitel Kyiv in the 1973 national championship. S. Kovalenko played well for the people of Kiev, and the team played a lot and successfully for him. Preparing for the match, we planned to guard Kovalenko from the front. In addition, our defenders had to prevent the back players of the Kyiv team from passing the ball to Kovalenko from close range. But during the match, a different picture emerged. Our defenders, having finished pressing on the opponent's half of the field, pulled back deeply and became a concentrated defense. In this situation, V. Miloserdov took care of V. Gladun, or N. Pogulay, or V. Smolyakov, when they went to the side of S. Kovalenko. However, the whole trouble was that Miloserdov was located somewhere in the middle between his ward and the Kyiv center Kovalenko. Thus, he let go of Walking too - he could attack from a distance without hindrance, and, in fact, did not help to keep S. Kovalenko.
This went on for quite some time. Kovalenko scored ball after ball. It was necessary to change the course of the meeting. I took a minute break and reminded the basketball players of the game plan, clarified the tasks of the defenders. He explained that Kovalenko scores not only because V. Petrakov cannot cope with him, but also because the defenders do not help their center. After all, they need to quickly approach Kovalenko in the case when he receives the ball. But while he does not have the ball, you need to keep your wards so that none of them could make a pass to Kovalenko. I think that then a minute break was not taken in vain.
In basketball, situations are not uncommon when in the final stage of the match the teams play on equal terms and one or two shots can decide the outcome of the meeting. It remains to play quite a bit ... How to use the last, say, 10 seconds? Let's say you're in possession of the ball when the score is tied, or you're down by 1 point. In this case, it is advisable to take a minute break to tell you how to make the last, final combination. So that the players know which of them should do what: who sets up the screen, who puts the ball in play, etc.
True, there is a certain danger here, which cannot be ignored. If, say, your team is attacking and you feel that a one-minute break can stop a successful attack in the final seconds, then it's certainly not worth the risk. Keep a close eye on how events unfold. As soon as you see that the ball is out of play, immediately ask for a minute break. Distribute the roles and arrange the players so that the last attack brings you the desired result.
By the way, if we talk about the ability to win matches in the last minutes and seconds, then one cannot but say a kind word about Spartak Leningrad. The team won a lot of meetings in the last seconds. In this situation, the Spartacists do not necessarily take a minute break, since they have pre-programmed the activity of the players. The ball is usually sent to A. Belov, who, as a rule, completes the last combination of the team without errors. It's good, of course, when there is such a leader as A. Belov, who usually cannot be kept by the opponent without a foul.
I remember the match that army basketball players lost to Spartak Leningrad in Moscow at the 1971 national championship. The teams then took first and second places in the standings.
Even 12 seconds before the final whistle, the score was tied, and at that moment I. Edeshko got the right to two free throws. In that match, Edeshko played uncertainly. I took a minute break to decide with the players what to do. The best players of our team stayed on the court, they didn't have as many fouls as the Spartak team. The entire leading group of Leningrad basketball players, except for A. Belov, has already left the field.
I asked the guys if they, the players of the national team - we had I. Edeshko, S. Belov, V. Andreev on the field - beat one Sasha Belov? They replied that they could. Then I consulted with them: should we shoot free throws? We will hold the ball for 12 seconds and in the extra five minutes we will win the match. The players agreed with me. Everything seemed to be calculated correctly. But it only seemed...
An interesting moment in team management. Theoretically, the calculation was correct, but the psychological moment was not taken into account. In what sense was the mistake made?
3-4 minutes before the end of the meeting, we won something like 10 points from Spartak. Leningraders caught up with us the whole second half. And their pursuit was successful. They leveled the score 12-15 seconds before the final whistle. This means that the initiative was on the side of the Spartacists, psychologically they felt like winners.
Apparently, I did not take into account the state of psychological depression of our guys. I expected that in an additional five minutes they would be able to get together. But it turned out the opposite: our basketball players did not have enough combativeness for the last minutes, and Spartak won this fundamental match on our field. Here is a minute break for you, which, it would seem, should have brought some benefit. And it turned out the opposite.
The team coach, of course, is always to blame for the defeat. If I hadn't taken a minute break, I wouldn't have advised to keep the ball, but told them to take free throws 12 seconds before the end, then one of these two free throws would have been realized for sure. We would have 1 point advantage in the score. True, then there was a danger from A. Belov. In 12 seconds, he could have had time to get the ball and make a shot on the basket. But nevertheless, all this reasoning after the match. And we lost the match. So, the fault of the coach in managing the team is obvious.
There are situations when a minute break is taken, so to speak, for training purposes. It remains to play until the end of the first half, say, 7-8 seconds, and your team throws in the ball from behind the touchline. In this case, as well as at the end of the match, it is also advisable to take a minute break in order to tell the players who should throw the ball, who screens and whom. Such breaks, I think, should be practiced. They bring not only momentary benefits. Basketball players get used to performing, as they say, “from the sheet” combinations that have not been learned in advance, to implement coaching decisions on the court. This is a very important point. A great master must realize the coach's idea, make a tactical move without lengthy preparation.
How practically does the coach explain his idea to the players? During the minute breaks, American coaches often take out a layout of the court and show on it who should move where and who should block whom. You can also explain your thoughts to basketball players abstractly, theoretically. Our players in their minds have a good idea of the situation that arises on the court.
A minute break at the end of the first half is useful not only in the training plan. Such a timeout should be used in order to win the first half of the meeting, unless, of course, there are real conditions for this. Psychologically, it is very important to take a break, seizing the initiative. And the initiative, as a rule, lies primarily in the result. Therefore, if a team, say, catches up with the opponent and goes on a break, reducing the difference in the score to 2-3 points, then this is already a psychological advantage. And if the players managed to get the enemy and even win the first half, then this indicates that the initiative was completely on your side.
Sometimes this initiative has a lulling effect on players. But still, it is extremely important to have the initiative, which means to believe in one's own strength, and this should not be forgotten. And if there is a minute break in reserve that can be used to gain an advantage in the score, to seize the initiative, then this must be done.
So, the last minutes of the match can be of great benefit. And we practically use a time-out in the last minutes of the game in both friendly and calendar matches.
During the match, it also happens that the team wins, but the coach notices some kind of discord among the players. True, not so much that it led to a disaster. Should I take a break here?
Let me give you an example when such a one-minute break led to the defeat of our team. That was the match of the First round of the national championship in 1972 between the teams of Moscow "Dynamo" and CSKA. The game was held on our field, in the CSKA Weightlifting Palace. We won with a difference of 13-14 points. It remained to play 10-12 minutes of the second half of the meeting. And this is where a worrying situation has arisen. I felt that the players of our team relaxed somewhat. They began to carelessly throw the ball around the basket, made several mistakes in passes, and were in no hurry to return to defense. Apparently, the players believed that victory was already in their pocket.
Indeed, at that moment the score of the match did not portend any trouble for our team. But when Dynamo reduced the score difference to 6-7 points, I took a minute break to calm my players down. I demanded that they finish the match in a collected manner, with greater responsibility, with desire.
It turned out, however, the opposite is true. This one-minute break made it clear to the opponents that the CSKA team was confused, that the team's coach was worried about the outcome of the match, as he was forced to use the last minute break in the meeting. Dynamo perked up. And besides, the Dynamo coach got the opportunity to aim his team at the winning ending. I don't think that this one-minute break finally predetermined the outcome of the match in favor of Dynamo, but nevertheless it didn't help us. The team continued to go downhill, as they say, and we lost the match.
Analyzing the next day, after a sleepless night, the game of the team, and above all my actions, I came to the conclusion that I could do without this unfortunate minute break, that I, as a coach, made a mistake. You often come to a similar conclusion when the team lost.
I'll tell you about another situation when the coach sees that his team is tired, but continues to win. The coach knows perfectly well how much more strength the basketball players will have, how long they will be able to maintain a high pace. It takes into account not only their physical, but also their mental state. If the course of the match is favorable for the team, basketball players can find the strength to recover even during the game.
So, if you see that the game is going well for you and your opponents are even more tired than your wards, then it is not advisable to stop the game. A break can help opponents more. He will give them certain opportunities to recover physically and find some tactical counter chances.
One can cite as an example the meeting with the Kyiv SKA team in the final round of the national championship in 1973 in Minsk. This match was of considerable importance for us because the victory brought us the title of champions of the country three rounds before the end of the championship. In such matches, the players are always worried. I, too, of course, was as excited as the basketball players. And additional nervous excitement, as you know, takes much more strength than is required in a calm environment.
There was a moment in the first half of the match when our team could not break away from the opponent in the score. The game went point for point all the time. For each goal scored by us, the people of Kiev responded with a successful throw: either their center N. Sushak, actively playing under the shield, hit our basket from close range, then V. Novikov covered the goal with shots from an average distance. Z. Khromaev, the defender of the Kyiv team, also played very well in this match.
It seemed that we should stop the meeting, rearrange the game, calm the guys down, so that our superiority in skill would be really embodied as a result. However, I didn't take a minute's break, and here are the reasons why.
I noticed that by the end of the first half, overcoming our pressure and constant high-speed pressure, the people of Kiev began to get tired. And I was expecting that a decline in their game was about to happen and our team would be able to at least slightly break away in the score and win the first half.
And so it happened. The Kievans maintained equality at the cost of enormous physical effort, but at the 13-15th minute they were clearly tired. In this situation, taking a minute break would be inappropriate. A short respite would give the enemy an opportunity to rest and recuperate. That's why I didn't stop the match. Our basketball players had to work to the limit, but we still had additional resources. After all, we made substitutions more often than our opponents, and besides, our players were perfectly prepared physically. And in general, a basketball player who surpasses his opponent in class, in skill, always spends less physical and mental energy than his opponent.
By the end of the half, we were 8-10 ahead of our rivals in points, and in the end we won an important match for us and became the champions of the Soviet Union.
As I have already said, it is inappropriate to spend a minute's break on correcting the individual mistakes of one player. Usually here it is better to either suggest from the bench, or replace the player. However, this is not always possible. There are times when replacing a player in the last seconds of a match can decide the outcome of a match. Then there is no need to regret the last minute break. A minute stop and should help the new player to finish the ending without mistakes - the way the team needs, the way the coach wants.
I remember the match of the first round of the national championship in 1973 with the Estonian "Kalev" in Moscow, which ended with a difference of only 1 point. Our team lost for a very long time and only at the end of the meeting equalized the score.
Our new center N. Dyachenko, neither in the first nor in the second half of the meeting, could in any way adapt to the mobile and technical Estonians, and, in fact, only one tall player of our team, V. Petrakov, fought under the shield. He often made mistakes, made several losses when passing the ball, missed his shots on the ring, but there was essentially no one to replace him.
To keep Petrakov on the court and to bring maximum benefit to the team at the end of the match, I took a minute break. I told Petrakov how he should take care of P. Thomson, who caused us a lot of trouble in this meeting. He explained how to cover Thomson during mid-range shots, when passing along the baseline and under the shield. He also reminded Petrakov what he should do in attack.
It must be said that Petrakov used the advice correctly, the minute break helped him understand his actions and have a good ending. This example suggests that sometimes a one-minute break is also taken for one player. It all depends on the situation that arises on the site.
Interestingly, not those substitutions that brought the team victory, helped to win, and not those minute breaks that contributed to the success, remained in memory more firmly. These substitutions and minute breaks passed unnoticed; neither the journalists nor the basketball players who were present at the match stopped their attention on them. I remember only those substitutions or minute breaks that were made or taken at the wrong time and led to at least a temporary decrease in the effectiveness of the game or even defeat. Such moments are usually focused on by all the press present in the hall, players, spectators, etc. And the coach himself, of course, does not forgive himself such mistakes, does not forget, just like lost matches.
At the national championship in 1958 I was the coach of the SKA Riga team. The match in Leningrad with Dynamo Moscow was difficult, tense. We then played mainly through J. Krumins, attacked slowly, positionally, tuned in to a leisurely game. Our defense could not withstand the activity of the Moscow attack, did not have time to neutralize the fast attacks of the Muscovites, and we lost at a pace. So I took a minute break.
My intentions were good. I was going to rebuild the team's defense, move to zone defense and demand from the players a more relaxed, positional game, in which at that time we were perhaps the best in the country. But the people of Riga played so badly that, having taken a time-out, I gave vent to my anger, and instead of telling in detail how and what to do, I began to swear. He scolded for the mistakes of one, the second, the third ... He was ashamed for losing the ball, unsuccessful throws. I spent the entire break on this noise and screaming. And when it ended, the captain of our team Maygonis Valdmanis asked me a question in a calm tone: “How are we going to play, comrade coach?”
M. Valdmanis at that time was not only the captain of the Riga team, but also the captain of the USSR national team. A very experienced player, one of the country's outstanding defenders, very technical, fast and at the same time exceptionally tactful and correct. They never raised their voices, did not allow themselves to say a rude, impudent word to anyone. And after his question, I remained standing with my mouth open, and the team went to continue the game.
That episode taught me a lot, and henceforth I no longer dared to only chastise players during a timeout, but spent it primarily on correcting flaws in the game.
A minute is only 60 seconds, 60 moments. They must be used both to restore physical strength, and to reinforce the mental confidence of the players in the success of the team, and to solve technical and tactical problems. Therefore, it is important not to waste a second. It is necessary that the players do not go somehow to their coach, but quickly group around him and listen carefully.
One more thing. It is desirable that during a minute break, at this brief production meeting, not only those basketball players who are currently playing on the court are grouped around the coach. For some reason, it is customary for us to give instructions only to the playing five. And you need the whole bench to stand up and listen to the comments that the coach makes.
Spare basketball players can join the fight at any moment. They are usually familiar with the settings for the game, with its plan. But here are the instructions of the coach at the moments of his prompt intervention in the game, they may not know the changes in the plan if they do not get up from the bench in minute breaks.
The first thing to do in a timeout is to evaluate the performance of the team as a whole. To tell the wards that they are playing correctly, fulfilling the plan well, or, conversely, they are not coping with the tasks set, they are playing incorrectly, badly. Then you should evaluate the actions of the team and individual players in defense. Point out the miscalculations made by the team and talk about how to defend in the future.
After that, you need to briefly analyze the actions in the attack. If necessary, then give the task to rebuild the game in attack, explain which basketball players to attack through more. From the bench, the coach sees exactly which of the opponents can not cope with the guarding of the players, with the help of which combinations it is more profitable to finish the attacks, how best to use the speed qualities of their players.
If the opposing team is, say, faster, then maybe you should switch to a more positional game. Or, for example, one of the basketball players makes mistakes in passing, shooting or marking, or shows excessive initiative that is detrimental to the team. And in this case, the mistaken player - already after the team comments were made - must be told about his miscalculations. At the same time, there is no need to focus on failures or report that, they say, you made a mistake so many times, you lost the ball - he himself knows this. Such remarks will only further unnerve him. The player needs to explain why his mistakes prevent the team from carrying out certain actions in defense or attack. Specify these actions specifically. And then explain the causes of errors and suggest how to fix them.
The coach must speak to the players in a confident, business-like, concrete and calm manner. The calmness of the coach, his confidence have a good effect on the stamina of the players, on the will of the team.
During the timeout, the coach is the first to speak. Players can also talk, and I think they should even talk, help each other with advice and words. But after the coach.
Speaking of the players' conversations during the match. Most often, athletes play silently and do not help one another with advice. I think this is a significant shortcoming. After all, our basketball players meet with rivals not only in their own country, but also abroad, where local teams do not know Russian. There such advice, verbal mutual assistance can be of great help. But even when the opponents understand your conversations, this advice is still timely, a short and quiet hint will help the partner play better, or rather.
In this regard, I remember the game between the center team of CSKA and the national team Viktor Zubkov. It was an interesting, gifted player. Despite his relatively small height for a center (202 cm), Victor was a fairly stable and solid center. In addition to the high technique of the game, and in particular the remarkable “hook” throw, he had a rare ability to interact with partners in a timely manner both in defense and in attack.
In the attack, the whole game was built through V. Zubkov. He often went far from the shield in the field and scattered the balls perfectly, feeling the intentions of his partners. And in defense he led the game of his comrades. The task of the center is to cement the defense game. He is the core of the defense, its last stronghold. Just like, say, a goalkeeper in football. And therefore, the strength of defensive structures largely depends on his actions, on his ability to help his comrades.
Zubkov was excellent at navigating the court, saw the field well and always supported his comrades with his advice. If he saw that his defense partner was in a difficult position, he prompted his comrade: keep, they say, the front line, I will insure the middle for you; close the right side, I will help you on the left; let him in here, I'll meet him here.
Build a tribe of people who believe in you and who encourage you to accomplish your goals. 
Losing and failing to meet goals are inevitable parts of basketball. Great players are not afraid of failure, they know they occasionally fail on the road to getting better. Use your failure to motivate you to your successes. 
In his documentary “Muse” he reveals his self given nickname was to get him through the struggles he was going through off the court which were distracting him on the court. 
Pack your bag the night before, eat the same pre game snack, listen to the same songs during warmup, create your game day routine
When you have permanent confidence, you don't become crushed by mistakes. You can grow and learn and even be thankful for mistakes because they will show you ways you can improve.
Finally, you need the skills in place to make the split second choices when it matters most--that means being a student of the game. Watch film, study, and know what the great play makers do when they are behind, when they are up, when they need to foul, when they need to score. Here are several practical ways to end the game well.
Mentally tire them out.
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We hope that defeats teach - and the defeat from the MBA also taught us something. 
Sometimes it is better to refuse a time-out and save it for the decisive minutes of the match than to waste breaks in vain. 
Now he is ahead by two, three, four, eight, ten points ... You feel that without your intervention it is impossible to change the course of the meeting. You reasonably take a minute break and naturally give instructions that would allow your team to even out. You explain how the opponent went forward, what mistakes were made and how to continue the fight. 
In the second half, Ignis built a zone, and we did not immediately figure it out. The fact is that only four people played in the zone, and the fifth - a very fast, tenacious defender - was personally attached to S. Belov. At that moment, we were building the game on Belov's finishing attacks. When he overcame the resistance of his guardian, then one more, or even two defenders from the zone formation grew in front of him. 
I took a minute break and proposed a different game plan: to Belov to take the guardian to the corner of the site and beat one on one there, and to the other four of our players to break the zone defense more boldly. 
In addition, our defenders had to prevent the back players of the Kyiv team from passing the ball to Kovalenko from close range. But during the match, a different picture emerged. Our defenders, having finished pressing on the opponent's half of the field, pulled back deeply and became a concentrated defense. In this situation, V. Miloserdov took care of V. Gladun, or N. Pogulay, or V. Smolyakov, when they went to the side of S. Kovalenko. However, the whole trouble was that Miloserdov was located somewhere in the middle between his ward and the Kyiv center Kovalenko. Thus, he let go of Walking too - he could attack from a distance without hindrance, and, in fact, did not help to keep S. Kovalenko. 
Petrakov cannot cope with him, but also because the defenders do not help their center. After all, they need to quickly approach Kovalenko in the case when he receives the ball. But while he does not have the ball, you need to keep your wards so that none of them could make a pass to Kovalenko. I think that then a minute break was not taken in vain. 
If, say, your team is attacking and you feel that a one-minute break can stop a successful attack in the final seconds, then it's certainly not worth the risk. Keep a close eye on how events unfold. As soon as you see that the ball is out of play, immediately ask for a minute break. Distribute the roles and arrange the players so that the last attack brings you the desired result. 
The teams then took first and second places in the standings. 
Theoretically, the calculation was correct, but the psychological moment was not taken into account. In what sense was the mistake made? 
If I hadn't taken a minute break, I wouldn't have advised to keep the ball, but told them to take free throws 12 seconds before the end, then one of these two free throws would have been realized for sure. We would have 1 point advantage in the score. True, then there was a danger from A. Belov. In 12 seconds, he could have had time to get the ball and make a shot on the basket. But nevertheless, all this reasoning after the match. And we lost the match. So, the fault of the coach in managing the team is obvious. 
Basketball players get used to performing, as they say, “from the sheet” combinations that have not been learned in advance, to implement coaching decisions on the court. This is a very important point. A great master must realize the coach's idea, make a tactical move without lengthy preparation. 
And the initiative, as a rule, lies primarily in the result. Therefore, if a team, say, catches up with the opponent and goes on a break, reducing the difference in the score to 2-3 points, then this is already a psychological advantage. And if the players managed to get the enemy and even win the first half, then this indicates that the initiative was completely on your side. 
True, not so much that it led to a disaster. Should I take a break here? 
I demanded that they finish the match in a collected manner, with greater responsibility, with desire. 
The coach knows perfectly well how much more strength the basketball players will have, how long they will be able to maintain a high pace. It takes into account not only their physical, but also their mental state. If the course of the match is favorable for the team, basketball players can find the strength to recover even during the game. 
I, too, of course, was as excited as the basketball players. And additional nervous excitement, as you know, takes much more strength than is required in a calm environment. 
And I was expecting that a decline in their game was about to happen and our team would be able to at least slightly break away in the score and win the first half. 
Petrakov, fought under the shield. He often made mistakes, made several losses when passing the ball, missed his shots on the ring, but there was essentially no one to replace him. 
These substitutions and minute breaks passed unnoticed; neither the journalists nor the basketball players who were present at the match stopped their attention on them. I remember only those substitutions or minute breaks that were made or taken at the wrong time and led to at least a temporary decrease in the effectiveness of the game or even defeat. Such moments are usually focused on by all the press present in the hall, players, spectators, etc. And the coach himself, of course, does not forgive himself such mistakes, does not forget, just like lost matches. 
And after his question, I remained standing with my mouth open, and the team went to continue the game. 
It was an interesting, gifted player. Despite his relatively small height for a center (202 cm), Victor was a fairly stable and solid center. In addition to the high technique of the game, and in particular the remarkable “hook” throw, he had a rare ability to interact with partners in a timely manner both in defense and in attack. 
