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How to overcome fear in basketball
How to overcome fear in basketball
USA Basketball - How to Conquer a Fear of Failure
I know the story is way over told and very cliché; but nevertheless it epitomizes the purpose of this story. Michael Jordan, arguably the greatest player in team sports history (not just basketball), was cut from his high school varsity basketball team as a sophomore. He has stated in countless interviews how he used that "failure" as the spark that ignited his tenacious pursuit of excellence, and eventually dominance, on the basketball court.
I truly believe the key to being successful, in any endeavor (but especially sports), is how you view failure and how you view mistakes. Most people view failure as a negative. They are so petrified by failure it becomes an immovable roadblock, and in my opinion, prevents them from attaining success. Others view failure as an integral part of the developmental process and look at mistakes as the speed bumps on the road to success.
I most certainly fall into the latter group.![]()
Failure, if handled appropriately, is a key ingredient to being successful. Ask any successful person and they will confirm. Failure can teach you lessons you never would have learned otherwise ("School of Hard Knocks"), it can humble you and allow you to keep a healthy perspective, and it can be used to fuel your motivation for future success like in Michael Jordan's case.
What's really so bad about failure?
The main reason folks fear failure is because of the feeling of rejection they associate with it. People are so worried about getting rejected they avoid it at all costs. Do you realize how successful you could be if you were immune to feeling rejected? Byron Katie once said "you can have anything you want in life if you are willing to ask 1,000 people for it." Anything. Think about that for second. There is a lot of truth to that statement. Ask 1,000 people? Most folks will quit after just one or two "no's."
I see the same fear with players all of the time. What about working on a new move? You think if you practiced that move for thousands of reps you would master it? Of course you would! Who cares if the first hundred times you did it you lost the ball, traveled, or couldn't perform it at game speed? If you keep working on it will eventually become a part of your offensive arsenal.
One of the moves taught at every Nike Skills Academy is the Eurostep; which Tony Parker has made famous in the NBA. It is a deadly move for guards to use around the basket to elude a defender. Even the best high school and college players in the country had difficulty mastering the Eurostep; but those that did were the ones who stuck with it, rep after rep, and didn't mind "failing" the first dozen or so times they tried it.
Jack Canfield, the creator of the Chicken Soup for The Soul series, was turned down by over 30 publishers before landing a book deal. That means over 30 people told him NO! That means he "failed" 30 times. Yet he persisted and believed in himself. Since then he has sold millions of books, inspired millions of readers, and made hundreds of millions of dollars. He is living proof of Byron Katie's quote.
The irony is, in most cases, the person who gets the most "yes's" in life is also the one who gets the most "no's." That means the folks with the most success, usually have had the most "failures" as well! One of my favorite motivational speakers is Steve Chandler, who said "if you never fail, you aren't challenging yourself.
You aren't pushing your limits." Amen to that.
That makes me think of one of my favorite quotes (sorry, not sure who originally said this):
"Your greatest fear should not be aiming to high and missing; but aiming too low and achieving."
Here is another way to view this, courtesy of Mr. Chandler. Picture this; I give you a coin. I tell you I will give you $100 for every time you flip it and it lands on heads. You have 10 minutes to flip it as many times as you want! That's it; those are the rules. What would you do? Would you tentatively sit there... scared to flip the coin in case it landed on tails? Of course not! You would flip that sucker as many times as you could... because you know the more times you flip it the more chances you have for it to land on heads (and get paid!)! You couldn't care less if it landed on tails! Imagine having that same fervor for everything you try to achieve in life. I have tried hard to adopt that mantra in my life this past year and it has paid off in countless ways.
When strength training, when you take a set to the point at which you can't perform another quality repetition, you have reached what is called Momentary Muscular Failure... which is a good thing!
Picture a bench press for the ease of the visual. When your chest and shoulders and triceps are so exhausted you can't budge the bar off your chest and you need to a spotter to re-rack the weight... you have just "failed." The good news is consistently and systematically reaching MMF is an extremely productive way to increase strength. While there are certainly exceptions, I have most of my players take most of their sets to the point of momentary muscular failure every workout. In other words, I not only encourage it, but I demand my players "fail" several times each workout! And you know what? Over time they become bigger, stronger, and more powerful.
Players ask me all of the time what they can do to "get better." Certainly an individualized prescription of skill work and player development is almost always necessary.
But I can always offer one sure fire way to guarantee improvement: play with players older, bigger, stronger, and better than you are! You will get knocked around, you will get the ball stolen from you, you will get your shot blocked, and will (probably) even dunked on... but most importantly you will get better!
For every picture perfect game winning shot Michael Jordan hit; there were countless other times he missed. Countless other times he could have won the game but didn't. But he never let the fear of missing prevent him from taking the shot. He never let failure get in the way of success.
And neither should you.
7 Ways to Stop Being Nervous for Games
You’re not alone. Most basketball players feel anxious before and during competitions. What they do to cope is they accept performance anxiety as a perfectly normal. Instead of freaking out, they let the anxiety sharpen their focus. After all, having anxiety is proof that you care about your basketball game and outcomes – which is totally OK! But too much anxiety is uncomfortable and interferes with performance.
So today we’ll discuss how to handle anxiety in basketball.
A moderate level of anxiety is necessary for optimal performance. But some hoopers experience panic. Panic is an extreme form of performance anxiety. A panic response is an exaggerated mind-body reaction – a false alarm – that can be diffused or redirected. Our instinctive responses to panic are always counterproductive, such as fleeing, isolating ourselves, trying too hard to relax, or beating ourselves up mentally.
Let’s jump into how to use your anxiety positively, and how to avoid panic. Many of the greats have figured out exactly how to do so, and we’ll share their methods with you.
“I’ve been living with pressure since a lot of years, because everybody says ‘You’re so young to be there.’ I always say when I head to the court I forget everything, and I just play basketball.” said Dallas Mavericks’ point guard Luka Doncic.
Discover how to handle anxiety in basketball
If you have a high level of performance anxiety, then you’ve learned a sequence of responses.
Once you trigger the sequence, it is hard to stop. (Imagine touching one domino at the beginning of a chain – and then trying to stop the other dominoes. Pretty hard, huh!) So your priority is to stop the sequence early.
Panic always eventually passes. Try to keep in mind that it’s a harmless experience that only exists in your mind, and by extension, in your body.
Panicking is not going crazy, but rather the manifestation of fear of a terrible outcome. What you really fear, if you are willing to admit it, is embarrassment that you will fail to perform in the moment.
Pressure is a privilege
Dr. Wendy Borlabi, Director of Mental Performance & Health for the Chicago Bulls said, “Pressure is the stress associated with expectation of performing well in a situation. That expectation could be a negative or a positive. When we think about pressure, your body feels the same thing – whether your palms are sweating, your heart’s racing, it does the same thing whether it’s good pressure or bad pressure.
”
“So it’s all about perception. Whether you perceive that feeling in your body as something positive that helps to increase your performance, or you perceive it as something negative that helps to decrease your performance.”
Basically pressure is in the mind of the beholder – that means you! Some hoopers see pressure as a privilege, while others think it indicates something has gone wrong. Russell Wilson, the Seattle Seahawks’ quarterback sees it as an opportunity. He said, “I love it when the game is on the line, when everyone else is nervous, I’m excited.”
Basketball players will experience intense pressure in their performance as long as they perceive athletic contests as an impending disaster rather than a great opportunity. These athletes also tend to interpret normal bodily sensations, such as an increased heart rate prior to a game, as a catastrophe. Which as a result leads to a complex chain of biochemical events resulting in overstimulation such as a pounding heart, sweaty palms, and a whirling mind.
It’s super important to practice performing with this increase stimulation and learn to work through it. The mental challenge is to change from a negative to a positive point of view. Think of this moment as your occasion to thrive. There is nothing to lose because you will either win or learn from your performance.
To overcome the physical part of the over stimulation, incorporate this quick drill into your practice sessions. Quickly elevate your heart rate and get your arms shaky. Do pushups, run in place, or jump rope for 90 seconds. Take a few really deep breaths, and then try to hit free throw shots, or game-ending threes, or whatever you goal is. As you get better at managing this stress response, it’ll provide you with greater assurance over time that you can perform how you need to even when your adrenaline is spiking in a high stakes situation.
Everyone experiences pressure in different ways. Some have trouble sleeping or sleep too much. Some get irritable, angry or restless.
Others can find themselves unmotivated or unfocused. We all handle pressure differently. But lucky for us, there are many ways to handle pressure. Not all will work for you, but challenge yourself to find what does.
Here are some ways to help overcome anxiety in basketball:
1. Exercise
Exercise releases fell-good endorphins that can enhance your sense of well being. Exercise also means you’re putting in practice to improve your skills. That can improve your basketball confidence. Which in turn can help with your nerves.
2. Deep breathing
The way you breathe affects your whole body. Deep breathing increases the supply of oxygen to your brain and helps to promote a state of calmness. Breathing techniques also help you feel connected to your body. Plus breathing exercises are easy to learn. You can do them whenever you want, and you don’t need any special equipment.
One method to try is belly breathing:
- Sit or lie flat in a comfortable position.
- Put one hand on your belly just below your ribs and the other hand on your chest.
- Take a deep breath in through your nose, and let your belly push your hand out. Your chest should not move.
- Breathe out through pursed lips as if you were whistling. Feel the hand on your belly go in, and use it to push all the air out.
- Do this breathing 3 to 10 times. Take your time with each breath.
- Notice how you feel at the end of the exercise.
3. Meditation
Meditation and mindfulness can help your body and your mind relax. During meditation, you focus your attention and eliminate the stream of jumbled thoughts that may be crowding your mind. Awareness of breathing is one of the most fundamental techniques for moving into mindfulness. The easiest way to focus on awareness of the breath is to sit comfortably with your eyes closed and begin to focus on your in-breath and your out-breath.
Here’s a five-minute meditation to try. Take a few deep breaths from your diaphragm and release the tension in your body.
Focus on a five-count breath:
- Slowly inhale from the belly
- Then into ribs
- Then into chest
- Up into crown of the head
- Then gently hold the breath for the fifth count
Reverse this process on the exhale for another count of five, exhaling from the crown, chest, ribs, belly, pausing on the last bit of breath out of the body, and then begin again.
4. Circle of control
For this, get a piece of paper and draw a circle. Everything in the circle is what you can not control. Everything outside of the circle is what you can control. So for example, the referee would go inside the circle.
5. Make a happy list
Make a list of things that make you happy. Things that help to shift your mood. When we’re feeling pressure, it’s really hard to find things to help alleviate that. So if you don’t have to think about it, and can just get your list out, and look at that list and then do something on that list, that’ll help decrease your pressure.
Ways to stop being nervous before a game
Here are some tactics to help you overcome performance anxiety so that you can fully enjoy basketball and perform at your best from The Champion’s Mind. These tactics won’t totally get rid of intense feelings but will help you redirect them toward a positive outcome.
1. Be well prepared
The more prepared you are for competition, the less you will fear it. Nothing helps build confidence more than knowing that you are ready for the challenge at hand. Proper preparation comes from paying close attention to feedback from coaches, studying the playbook or game film, and practicing conscientiously. Before the game, always remind yourself that you have prepared as best as possible.
2. Nerves are natural
Don’t worry about what other athletes are thinking or how well they seem to be doing. It’s normal to be anxious. It’s common not to suspect that others are overcome or overwhelmed with anxiety. But it’s likely they’re experiencing the same level of anxiety or even more so, no matter how calm they appear.
For example, when WNBA Champion and 3X3 Olympic Gold Medalist Stefanie Dolson first arrived for college basketball practice at UConn, she was nervous. “I was scared. I’m the type of person that the more you are around, the probably more surprised people are at the fact that I went to college for basketball, and that I play in the WNBA. Because I’m usually scared, I’m always nervous. I think I have so much pressure I put on myself, I just want to be really good. So if I’m not, I freak out. So I was so scared, like petrified.” she said, reflecting on the experience.
Her nerves followed her throughout her college career, too. Her senior year going into the Final against Notre Dame, undefeated, she said she was, “Probably wanting to vomit. Any game, I’m nervous.”
3. Channel the anxiety
Don’t bother trying to get rid of the anxiety. Instead channel it into performing well, and talk to yourself about trying to use your anxiety instead of trying to avoid it. Use self-talk and say, “My body is preparing itself to perform,” and “I’ve done well before, and I can do it again now.
”
4. Breathe evenly and deeply
Take a series of deep breaths to calm your nerves. Good breathing reduces anxiety by clearing your mind of fog and by reducing physical tension. Simply prolonging exhalation, regardless of inhalation length, promotes the relaxation response. So regulate each breath with a deep inhalation and a full exhalation.
A stress-reducing marine breathing technique you can try is:
- Close your mouth and inhale quietly through your nose to a mental count of four.
- Hold your breath for a count of seven.
- Exhale completely through your mouth, making a whoosh sound to a count of eight.
5. Be creative
Get creative and use your imagination. For instance, give the anxious feeling an imaginary form – such as a firecracker or sparkler – and then place it in an imaginary safe place or container that will protect you from it. Understand that you are bigger and more powerful than this anxious feeling.
6. Stay in the moment
Monitor negative thoughts about the future, and worrisome thoughts about winning or losing.
The results and outcomes can wait while you remain focused on playing each play to the best of your ability, one by one, until the final whistle.
“You have to be in the moment. You can’t worry about what just happened, the basket you missed, the foul you made two minutes ago, because it’s over. You can’t worry about what’s gonna happen the next time down the floor. You have to be right there in the moment. It’s most important especially in the playoffs because that’s the time of year when you have to live for the moment. It doesn’t matter what’s gonna happen in Game 3 when you have to play Game 1. You have to be here right now to play basketball when it’s happening.” said the Chicago Bulls’ Bill Wennington.
7. Keep it positive
Stay on a positive thought channel. Flip the switch from negative to positive self-talk when you are emotionally spiraling down. Try to talk sense to yourself instead of letting your fear run wild. Remind yourself, “Even though I am feeling anxious and uncomfortable right now, I can still play well and reach my goals.
”
WNBA Champion and Olympic Gold Medalist Breanna Stewart said, “You could look at it in two different ways. You could look at it and say, ‘Yeah there’s a ton of pressure. I’m supposed to do this, and this, and this, and this. And what if I don’t do it?’ Or you could look at it and just say, ‘This is what I’m supposed to be doing.”
8. Take yourself lightly
A game is an opportunity to test your fitness, challenge the competition, and demonstrate how hard you’ve worked. You are not your game. Take what you are doing seriously, but learn to take yourself lightly. Always remember that sports is what you do, and not who you are. Smile. Laugh, Have a good time. Ask yourself, “What’s the worst thing that can really happen?” If the worst does happen, ask, “What can I do to cope?”
Handle anxiety in basketball like a pro
FEAR means to ‘face everything and respond.’ So don’t be afraid of fear. You’re ready to crush this game. To perform at your highest level and overcome basketball performance anxiety, guide your butterflies to fly in formation! Up next, learn about visualization for basketball.
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Fear Theory - Basketball - Sports.ru
Fear Theory
What is the main fear in sports? Fear of defeat. A normal person should be afraid. To be afraid to lose, to lose. Fear is a feeling that can and should be used for your own growth. It's like a fire: a coward burns out from it, and a brave person uses it for his own good, strengthening resistance to stress, motivating him to better results in sports, in life, finally. Fear is dynamic: it drives some people up, and crushes others like a tin can. Mike Tyson, the man who made any daredevil crazy with one look, talks a lot about fear in a recently released biopic. About how he led him forward and changed his life.
50 minutes
JR Smith was terrified for fifty minutes of playing time.
He released the ball on the dribble, missed the basket over and over again. What's in the ring, he sent four passes a few meters away from his partner. Fear bound him with a huge metal chain: defending himself against Bryant, he did not raise his hand, fearing to break the rules. This is comparable to fleeing in the midst of a battle, when your comrades are hitting the ground without moving. I threw up my hands in surprise and waited with the impatience of a child to see what George Karl would do. Without the "JR" system, his team could not gain the missing momentum. Karl was indignant, destroyed dozens of his candies, but again and again released Smith to the site.
And after 50 minutes, Smith in defense successfully substituted for Bryant. This may have been his first useful action in this entire series. Not the brightest episode, but very important. JR got up from the parquet, straightened his shirt. And ran quietly into the attack. After that, he will make his four rebounds, give an assist and finish the game with "+3".
It turns out that Carl was also just waiting. And the barometer showed 100% accuracy.
JR Smith was terrified for fifty minutes of playing time. He released the ball on the dribble, missed the basket over and over again. What is there in the ring, he sent four passes a few meters away from the partner
But Linas Kleiza is a mentally completely different player. One devil knows what passions boil inside him. But on his face there is calmness in the best traditions of Carlson. From behind the arc, like from a machine gun. Kleisa is the product of two great basketball schools. In Lithuania, he brought up the character of the winner. And at the age of 18, a native of Kaunas, the city that gave basketball a whole galaxy of great players, moved across the ocean. In the States they made him strong. Made it the way we see it now. A stone-faced player who single-handedly smashes the Lakers bench. It is a pity that he does not have a stable place in the current Denver.
Linas became corny a hostage of the situation. On the one hand, Anthony, from whom it is impossible to take minutes, and on the other hand, the position of a power forward, in which he can not play against every opponent according to his strength.
Gasol doin work
And Gasol is certainly not the most suitable opponent. 31 rebounds in two games. 11 on someone else's shield. Above all your opponents. He stretches his arms up as soon as the ball goes to the ring. The only way to stop rebounding is to take him out of position. Having missed the moment to catch the ball somewhere in the stratosphere, Gasol returns to the floor, where the more mobile players of the Nuggets rule.
As expected, both Nene and Martin try to play hard against him. Although against whom does Martin play not rudely? Here he grabbed Ariza today, flying in fractions of a second from the dunk. Yes, played dirty. But there was simply no other way. A few minutes earlier, Ariza was already hammering from above.
And Martin at the right moment hinted to him who was the boss in the house. Ariza understood the hint and later, at the moment of decisive seconds, he threw the ball to Fischer from the floor with fear, after a controversial one. It was deplorable for his team to throw it away, by the way.
2 ½ minutes
But up to this point, there have been amazingly busy minutes. With two and a half left on the dial, Carmelo Anthony took the Lakers rebound and scored two points as he moved toward the basket with Bryant's hand on his shorts. Two dozen seconds pass, and these two are already converging on the opposite side of the site. About eight meters from the ring. This time, Melo, with the skill of a jeweler, takes the breath of Kobe into his palm. But Bryant's killer instinct kicks in at times like these. What kind of fingers are there, he will see the ring through the wall. Bounce. Three points. 99:99. A minute later, Bryant responds from an average distance, but already to Billups' attack 101:101.
In Larry Brown's built-in system after inside-outside play, Flip Saunders after screens and long passes. Now he has become more aggressive and tries to move towards basket
as often as possible.
And now Chauncey desperately flies under someone else's ring to get victory. Billups always scored points exactly when the team needed. But in Detroit, he almost always did it by shooting. In Larry Brown's built-in system after inside-outside play, Flip Saunders after screens and long ball passes. Now he has become more aggressive and tries to move towards the basket as often as possible. But in this attack, Chauncey falls into the shadow of the long arms of Gasol and Odom. The ball flies to Nene, who immediately falls to the ring, bumping into almost all the Lakers players at once. Elegant discount on Martin, and 103:101 in favor of the Nuggets for 29seconds to the end.
Jackson takes time out
Bryant again. Now against Billups. Gasol moves forward and puts up a barrier.
Bryant happily breaks up with Billups, but immediately falls into the trap of the ubiquitous Nene. The Brazilian makes a couple of movements with his hands, and the ball treacherously leaves Kobe. Billups and Gasol are on the floor. And here is the controversial ball. When Ariza caught the ball in the fall and threw it towards Fischer without hesitation. But there again was Nene 103:101. There is no more fear.
Denver gains home court advantage. The series moves to Colorado.
Lakers Denver 103:106 (31:23, 24:31, 26:26, 22:26)
LAKERS : Bryant (32), Ariza (20 + 4 interceptions), P. Gasol (17 + 17 rebounds), Bynam (9), Fisher (3) start ; Odom (10 + 9 rebounds), S.Brown (8), Walton (2), Farmar (2), Vujacic (0).
DENVER : C. Anthony (34 + 9 rebounds), Billups (27), Martin (16 + 3 steals), Hilario (6 + 9 rebounds + 6 assists), D. Jones (2) start ; Kleiza (16 + 8 rebounds), Smith (3), K.
Andersen (2), E. Carter (0).
Related materials
Jitters, its causes, properties, methods of struggle ⋆ Information portal about basketball
Each of you is familiar with the state of excitement before the match. Someone experienced this jitters at the beginning of their basketball career, but eventually got rid of it. Many, even speaking for many years at a serious level, could not overcome this fear in themselves. There are very few basketball players who go to decisive matches in complete peace of mind. Therefore, today we will talk with you ...
Each of you is familiar with the state of excitement before the match. Someone experienced this jitters at the beginning of their basketball career, but eventually got rid of it. Many, even speaking for many years at a serious level, could not overcome this fear in themselves. There are very few basketball players who go to decisive matches in complete peace of mind. Therefore, today we will talk in detail about these strange sensations.
The first state is jitters, that is, a state of excitement. The second is an apathetic state, that is, when a basketball player is in a low moral and physical shape. The third is the state of combat readiness. Everyone should strive for such a state, it is characterized by a positive attitude, a willingness to play and fight to the end.
As for the first two states, their causes are largely similar, only the manifestations are different. This is expressed, as a rule, by their insecurity, fear of other people's opinions, personal problems that prevent them from concentrating properly and tune in to the game.
There are many ways to properly prepare for the game, we will talk about them below, but first I would like to introduce you to the words of the greatest basketball player Michael Jordan: “I prepare a little differently. I try to relax, I joke with the guys, I listen to music. I try to step back, completely disconnect from the upcoming match. When the time comes for the game, I will focus all my athletic qualities on it.
Each of my appearances on the floor means a challenge to myself, I have to prove that I am the best! Let this be more self-deception, because I am not without flaws. I have my weaknesses, you have to be able to recognize them and work even harder in training.”
Jordan talked about self-hypnosis and concentration. These methods are very effective. I am sure that many basketball players use them in their practice. I will draw your attention to some aspects:
1. Focus on personal athletic qualities. It is very important. Here you need to remember your best matches, some moments where you demonstrated your best skills, successful team actions.
2. Knowing your weaknesses, constantly working on them. Ambitious players often set the following goals for the game: score at least thirty points, make a double-double, which will be subject to his entire game. Setting such a goal, the player quickly gets out of psychological balance, for this it is enough to make a couple of unforced errors, miss several times from an advantageous position, etc.
The player begins to get nervous, make unreasonable throws with deviation, be rude to referees and teammates. As a result, the team may lose the match, but even in case of victory, such a basketball player will not receive moral satisfaction.
In addition to these methods, there is another very effective one. It's called "Anchor". Try to remember a pleasant moment from your basketball life, it can be a victory in a decisive match, a personal record, etc. Close your eyes and remember the maximum details of that event, sounds, images. Listen to extraordinary sensations. If everything is done correctly, then you will definitely increase your positive emotions at times. Having received the first result, which could even cause a smile, try to enlarge the picture, making it bigger and bigger. The intensity of the sensations received should increase several times. Now reduce the picture to the maximum, continue to listen to the sensations. At the last stage, depending on the color of the imaginary picture, try recoloring it.
