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How to have more confidence 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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5 ways to instantly become more confident
September 13, 2021 Motivation
If you are under the yoke of doubts and complexes, learn to be proud of yourself and feel at your best.
1. Stop Slouching
If you maintain good posture and walk with your head held high, you will become more confident in an instant.
First, stretch as far as you can. Pull your shoulder blades down and back - this will be unusual if you spend a lot of time hunched over your desk. Raise your chin and look straight ahead. Stop looking down while walking: the whole world is in front of you.
If you have posture problems, do a couple of back exercises.
Try 👍
Exercises that will save your posture if you sit a lot
Spend a month in the fight against slouching - this will be a huge step towards a confident appearance. Soon you will be holding your back correctly without thinking.
2. Slow down
When you're nervous, your voice sounds higher than usual and you speak faster than you think.
If you are nervous in public speaking, try to speak more slowly than you like and remember to breathe. You may think that you are speaking too slowly, but from the outside it will sound good.
Take note 🧐
10 oratory techniques that turn ordinary speech into great
3. Smile
When you encounter difficulties or discomfort, it is easy to withdraw into yourself. And this probably means that you have a very sad look. Pretty soon, you'll have a reputation for being "that weird man in the corner." So smile. To be sincere, practice: stand in front of a mirror, close your eyes and lower them down. Then open them while lifting the corners of the lips. This is your real smile.
4. Win staring games
If you don't work from home all the time, sitting in your underwear and talking only to a cat, then you probably interact with people quite a lot. For example, with colleagues at lunch, a sales assistant in a store, a waitress in a cafe, or with random fellow travelers.
When was the last time you looked someone in the eye before they turned away? If you're unsure of yourself, you've most likely always been the first to falter. Now you will become the one who does not look away.
Think of each interaction as a mini battle.
As long as you smile and blink, you won't look creepy. If you have always been shy, the first few times will be very difficult for you, but you need to get through it. Once you get into action, you will quickly realize that others are just as nervous as you and quickly turn away if you make eye contact long enough.
5. Take off the label
Sometimes people cannot believe that they have become different. For example, already being thin, they still continue to feel full. It's time to get rid of the label that you have put on yourself.
If you feel out of place in a situation, everyone around you probably feels it too. We all have doubts. They exist on a subconscious level and usually get in the way of getting what we aspire to. Just stop thinking so much and get down to business.
If you are interested in someone, approach him or her within three seconds. Anything outside these limits will cause you to over-analyze the situation and end up doing nothing.
Remember, if you don't ask, the answer will always be no. So you have nothing to lose.
Introduce yourself immediately to strangers at a party. Throw away all doubts: you will be considered cool and confident.
Bonus
Here's your homework: walking down the street with your head held high and a big smile on your face, make eye contact with at least five passers-by and say a simple hello to them. Remember that they should be the first to look away.
You will feel awkward at first, but who cares? You will never see these people again. Then you can move on to more complex tasks. For example, strike up a conversation with a stranger or give a speech in front of an audience.
Finally, with great power comes great responsibility. There is a fine line between confidence and overconfidence, so don't overdo it. Change yourself, but don't change yourself.
Read also 🧐
5 Truly Female Self-Esteem Techniques0018
5 things that kill our self-confidence
Basketball for children - what is useful, at what age to play
Basketball is one of the most popular sports games. Basketball for children is considered one of the early sports, because kids can be enrolled in the first lessons from the age of 3. But the most important advantage of basketball is its accessibility.
There are sections for children in schools and neighborhood clubs, and classes are often free. And if you are not ready to give the child to the section, just buy him a ring and a ball and hang it on your site and the kid will already be busy in sports, which means he will get the maximum benefit for development.
Benefits of basketball for children, what qualities it develops
Before sending a child to a section, parents should know how basketball is useful for children and what qualities it develops.
First of all, like any team sport, basketball develops social skills. Working in a team, children learn to help each other, care about common interests and work for the good of the team.
Moreover, this basketball is an excellent emotional release. It helps the guys throw out negative energy and get positive emotions. Along with this, character is tempered during classes, and the child learns to go towards the goal, sacrificing his own desires and needs.
Basketball also helps to get rid of complexes. This is especially true for tall girls who are noticeably taller than their peers. In a team where all players are taller than average, the girls no longer feel like a black sheep, but gain self-confidence and begin to be proud of their height.
The influence of playing basketball on the physical development of a child
The influence of playing basketball on the physical development of a child is also strong. First of all, the guys involved in this sport develop endurance, and all muscle groups are strengthened. Basketball practice - these are jumping, running, swinging arms, tilts and squats, which allow you to develop all muscle groups and strengthen the heart and blood vessels.
In addition to the general health benefits, basketball will also help prevent the development of certain diseases that result from an inactive lifestyle.
What's more, basketball develops:
Overview of vision. Due to the fact that the player must constantly keep an eye on the ball and other players, the field of view is improved. Children learn to manage peripheral vision and train their eyes;
Reaction speed. Often during a match, an athlete must make lightning-fast decisions on which the outcome of the game depends. This helps children learn to respond quickly to emergency situations;
Mindfulness. Through intense play, attention and memory develop, which not only has a beneficial effect on the playground, but also in studies and everyday life.
Given these facts, the question of what basketball gives a child can be answered that classes will strengthen physical, mental and mental health. That is why basketball is often recommended to children suffering from reduced attention and weak immunity. But not all children can benefit from basketball, you can find out what kind of sport is suitable for a child here.
Does playing basketball make children grow
It is often said that basketball makes children grow, but is it really true? Recent studies have shown that yes, indeed, he can help the baby grow up, but is not able to grow a giant out of him.
The increase in height is due to the straightening of the spine, which is stretched during jumps. Also, a slight increase in growth contributes to the strengthening of the muscles of the back and legs.
But to say that basketball can significantly affect the growth of an athlete is wrong, there is no scientific justification for this.
The fact that in the sections all children are really tall is explained simply - short children simply leave this sport, because they cannot compete with tall athletes, as a result they move on to other sports, for example, volleyball, where they need both tall and undersized athletes.
At what age can a child play basketball
For preschool children, basketball is available from 3 years of age. Often this game is played in physical education classes in kindergarten. Of course, such a crumb will not be taken to the section, but at this age the child can already be introduced to the ball and the net.
Professional basketball training for children starts at the age of 5-6 years. At this age, you can enroll in a section at the sports palace, both boys and girls are accepted. The first 4-5 years the guys work out together, and only at the age of 10 the coach forms the men's and women's teams.
Basketball for beginners is more about general physical training and familiarity with the ball. In the first years of training, the coach pays special attention to the development of endurance, so most of the training takes place in the fresh air.
In the gym, the guys learn different techniques and combinations, and also learn how to hit the basket. According to statistics, it is in their youth that children are more likely to encounter injuries in basketball. This is due to not yet developed coordination and lack of skills in programming movements.
That is why sports insurance for basketball at this age is a necessity, because it will reimburse the costs of treatment and provide the young athlete with high-quality rehabilitation, which will prevent the occurrence of fatigue injuries and chronic injuries in the future.
Age characteristics of children in basketball
Age characteristics of children in basketball are a fundamental factor in drawing up a schedule and training plan.
Consider how the load of basketball players changes with age:
3-5 years. At this age, kids still do not know how to memorize the rules of the game and listen to the coach. All classes are held in a playful way and are aimed at developing coordination of movements and mindfulness;
5-7 years old. During this period, special attention is paid to the physical development and increasing the flexibility of the child. The goal of the trainer is to maximize endurance and strengthen all muscle groups. Also at this stage, children begin to learn the rules of basketball and learn various tactical and dynamic techniques;
7-9 years old. This is the age at which real training starts. At the age of 8, children can already participate in competitions. Now all their work is aimed at the result of the whole team. During these years, the main task of the coach is to teach the guys to interact with each other;
10-12 years old. At this age, men's and women's teams are formed. Now the team is becoming a real family with common goals and objectives. Most often, it is at this age that the first victories occur;
12-14 years old. At this age, children learn to program their movements. This is a very important stage for every basketball player, because the final result of the maneuver depends on it. At this time, the main task of the coach is to hone the movements of each player to the ideal;
14-16 years old. This is the time to master tactical thinking. The brain of a teenager is already ready to solve tactical problems and make quick decisions. At this moment, the coach already sees which of the guys can become a real champion;
16-18 years old. This is the age when a teenager must show all the acquired skills. Strong players are formed into teams to participate in important competitions.
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.
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.
Then open them while lifting the corners of the lips. This is your real smile. 
Remember that they should be the first to look away. 
But the most important advantage of basketball is its accessibility. 
Due to the fact that the player must constantly keep an eye on the ball and other players, the field of view is improved. Children learn to manage peripheral vision and train their eyes; 
At this age, you can enroll in a section at the sports palace, both boys and girls are accepted. The first 4-5 years the guys work out together, and only at the age of 10 the coach forms the men's and women's teams. 
During these years, the main task of the coach is to teach the guys to interact with each other; 
