Our mindset/mentality has the power to either strengthen or weaken us; it can be our own worst enemies or a danger from others to shatter our spirits.(Depressing). Understanding the 2 vital skills which are (Mental toughness and Mental health) that builds a person`s mindset is crucial for personal, professional growth and overall performance.
Regardless of whether you are an athlete, a novice, a professional, or even a casual basketball player. You are the greatest value to the physical sports or activities you participate in, and that much is fundamentally obvious.
What is Mindset?
Simply put. Mindset is a set of attitudes, beliefs and opinions held by an individual , which can influence how the act or respond to certain situations.
Having a strong mindset is advantageous, because you have mastered/ developed tough skin, confidence, methods to look after your mentality and staying calm in different situation.
However, to be critical don`t believe you can ever fully master mindset to a degree, because we keep learning and encountering different things as we live life. Am still working and learning on my mindset.
Check out more detail on mindset, how it influences your moods, behaviour and the different types.
What Is Mental Toughness?
Simply put: Mental toughness is the capacity and will to remain focused, disciplined and composed/cool-headed during challenges or uncomfortable situations.
It means bouncing back from mistakes, being confident, staying positive and consistently pushing yourself to improve.
How to build mental toughness
There are two methods to acquire mental toughness, according to study on sports psychology and exercise. The first is caught, which is developed from environmental stimuli/influences. (For instance, having an older sibling who encouraged you to be more competitive and to always want to do better). Another is taught. Teaching mental toughness involves deliberate efforts to develop certain mental skills (e.g., goal setting, restfulness, concentration).
Accepting Challenges
Embrace and view obstacles as opportunities to grow rather than threats. Through trial and error you gain experience which allows you to be calm under pressuring situations because you have been there before or experienced something equivalent.
This mindset shift slowly increases resilience, confidence and adaptability within one`s personal growth.
However, this doesn’t mean taking more than you can`t handle.
Discipline
Is a self-control tool that is gained by holding oneself accountable to maintain and achieve something. The ability to keep working at something that is difficult.
The importance of discipline is to enforce a set of rules that aims to change/develop better behaviour, habits. The practice of this action improves mental toughness and new perspectives.
Confidence
Is the trust within yourself. If you set goals E.g., Like am going to do cardio for 15 mins, work on your ball handles or make 100 shots a day and you don`t or somewhat try but it’s halfway done. You won’t be able to trust yourself fully in certain situations.
So what you do on the court and off the court through preparation slowly builds confidence therefore mental toughness. As an athlete or basketball player, you have to be consistent and accountable. Doing what you said you were going to do, even when you don’t feel like it.
Stop Overthinking
Add freestyles, be in the moment and go with the flow. Caring too much about the outcomes, the results OR even what other people think about you, Looking for validation. Tying your all game or play style to your life/ identity remember you’re more than just a basketball player or athlete.
Have other interests. Partake in other activities or hobbies that make you -you. E.g you may like reading, doing art or socializing with friends etc.
It’s not always about results.
If you’re a casual player, remember you play basketball just for fun, not always tracking your performance and results. If you play professionally it makes sense to take your job seriously but it would also help if you care a bit less, it can improve your moods and performance in games.
Reframing
What can you get out of this? How can you be better from this?. You might run through factors you can`t control. For instance If you train on outside courts instead of inside courts and it starts raining. Think of other alternatives to work on. This could be implementing a home workout like stretches to increase mobility, doing push ups or dumbbell exercises to increase strength or even taking a cold shower/bathe for conditioning to relax your muscles and mind.
Another example scenario: Maybe you always wanted to increase your basketball IQ. You could take this time to study basketball videos, study your own footage in games, see what you did well and what areas you are working on. Research different playstyles, court awareness, types of skills that are effective in a team setting and one vs one setting by searching on websites, blogs(like mine ofc),YouTube and social media.
Reframing helps you improve on your problem solving by looking for other solutions, ways to improve yourself regardless of unpredictable outcomes, How you can deal with ups and downs. Not making excuses. What can you learn from this? How can you be better from this?. That’s how you progressively build and strengthen your mental toughness abilities.
Staying motivated
Set small goals instead of long goals to achieve. This is because if you have long goals you will find it difficult to stay motivated. Strategically setting up small goals over a long period of time can help you feel accomplished, start believing in yourself confidence (That’s what you want to feel and see as a person) For example. Lets say your a beginner or not and you plan to make 100-150 shots everyday.
However you don’t have much time to train for some other personal reasons. Maybe some days afterwork you finish late and you can`t train. This makes your goal of 100-150 shots impossible., but if you had to break it done to smaller goals like maybe train 2-3 days a week, shoot 50 shots within these days. This approach is both realistic to your schedule and it’s better to always feel motivated and disciplined throughout.
Having mental toughness is just another half of the equation. Mental health complements mental toughness. They go hand to hand. 2 sides of the same coin.
What is Mental health?
Mental health covers psychological, emotional and social well-being that influences cognition, perception and behaviour.
Simply put: This is a state of mental well-being that enables a person to fully understand their abilities, have control over themselves and how they can manage/ deal with the stresses of life.
To an athlete it just means taking care of yourself, treating yourself right, thinking in a positive light, realizing your value and potential. E.g. If a player works on their game and physical abilities through mental toughness, this enhances confidence, because mastering new skills and achieving personal milestones boosts self-esteem influencing how they behave and perceive themselves.(Mental health)
Mental Health (Wellness)Tips for Athletes & Basketball Players.
Athletes & Basketball players face physical, mental, and emotional stress due to intense training, competition, injuries, and pressure to perform. No matter the level or age you can experience this through the demands of training, your own expectations, other life pressures ( school,work, friends ) All these factors influence mental health/ wellness issues for an athlete.
When coupled with other life pressures. This may produce a wide range of mental health issues from self esteem, depression and anxiety. I and you, we must look after our minds the same way we take care of our bodies.
Here’s how you can take care of your mental health/ wellness to achieve and sustain at your peak performance.
Manage Stress & Pressure
- Focus on What You Can Control – You can’t control every game outcome, but you can control effort, attitude, and preparation. How can you do this? You implement a Workout timetable that suits you. E.g. If you play basketball you can have a timetable of your drills, on monday you focus on shooting for dribbling drills or just have a mix, Wednesday you focus on body workouts to improve speed, strength or stamina. You get the gist.
- Embrace the Process, Not Just Results – Success isn’t just about wins and stats. Enjoy the journey of improving every day. You can journal your journey and see how much you have changed from the smallest to the biggest things. Write down things you appreciate and are grateful for in your life.
- Rest days: Yes, add rest days in your routine, this is important as it allows your mind and body muscles to recover and not go through burnouts Simple mental wellness practices could be using deep breathing techniques, a balanced diet, plenty of sleep, meditation, journaling about your life and other hobbies you enjoy.
Develop a Strong Mindset
- Positive Self-Talk – Replace “I’m not good enough” with “I’m improving every day” “I’m built for this. I`m the one.” etc. This may sound weird or not natural, especially when you haven’t practiced it or used to it but when you’re putting in the work. This positive self-talk reinforces confidence and belief in yourself.
- Visualise Success – This is another mindset shift that can improve your performance For instance, you can simply try to imagine yourself making that shot, executing a play, or locking down on defence before it happens.
- Handle Failure like a warrior. – Every great athlete (Jordan, Kobe, LeBron) faced setbacks. Use losses as learning opportunities. You may have lost the battle but the war is not over. You may lose the war even but you’re still alive and kicking to Re-strategize, going back to the drawboard. E.g., You may lose a competitive 1v1 basketball matchup. You need to think of what you did or didn’t do well. Did your feelings or thinking impact your game? Then you can try to work off that.
Handle Game-Day Anxiety & Pressure
- Pre-Game Routine – Develop a warm-up, music playlist, or mantra that puts you in the zone. Most NBA players or other athletes have a pre-game routine, it makes sense why they can compete on a high level for a very long time. Overall anything that makes you focused, relaxed and confident in a situation. For me it’s knowing what I am working on, a good warm-up and music to hype me up and keep me in the zone when doing drills.
- Stay Present – Focus on one play at a time instead of worrying about the whole game or training. This is very vital, sometimes players stress out instead of just being in the moment. Sometimes this is all you need to make an impact on the game or your training.
For instance if you’re in a game,where you can’t make a shot. You can be in the moment and help out your teammates by passing, playing defence contributing to your other strengths. Sometimes this can result in finding yourself in a good position, making shots again just because you stayed present.
- Trust Your Preparation – If you’ve put in the work, believe in yourself. Confidence comes from preparation. This goes down to just playing your game, believing in your abilities and the work you have put in .
Seek Support & Talk About It
- Don’t Bottle It Up – If you’re struggling, talk to a coach, teammate, mentor, or sports psychologist.or Therapy: Getting counselling is okay and great, many elite athletes work with sports psychologists to improve mental strength.
- Surround Yourself with a Strong Support System –Surround yourself with a support network of others who understand the importance of mental health/wellness for your sport or activity. Stay close to friends, family, coaches, teammates and a community that uplifts, comforts and can relate to you. This doesn’t have to be just about being an athlete or basketball player, it can be anything that helps to be positive and deal with pressure.
Avoid Social Media Stress
- Don’t Let Online Hate Affect You – Critics will always exist. Focus on your own growth. There are so many mixed, confusing and negative messages out there on social media. From facebook,instagram,Tiktok and other platforms. So as an athlete or even as a person you should try to minimise social media. Ofc it has its pros and cons but try to limit time on social media.
- Follow Positive & Motivational Content – Surround yourself with inspiring messages and athletes who encourage mental health. Follow people that align with your personal, professional goals, growth and morals.
There is a statement that says basketball is 80% mindset and 20% skills. It’s true to a certain point, I have seen pro athletes that have great abilities and talent but when it comes to game situations they can’t execute or be themselves yet they are skillful.
I have experienced this numerous times during the highs and lows of games. There are moments when my abilities shine through and moments when they don’t, which makes me doubt myself and overthink every move I make. However when I reinforce mental toughness and health/wellness methods like not overthinking, I become more focused on my controllable aspects of the game and sometimes begin to make shots. I can’t hold myself or anybody else responsible, even if I lose.
This is why it’s useful to master mental toughness and mental health to enhance your mindset as it’s an effective and efficient skill. A strong mind leads to a strong game. 💪🏀
Bonus: Mental Health Role Models in Basketball
📌 DeMar DeRozan & Kevin Love – Opened up about depression and anxiety in the NBA.
📌 Kobe Bryant’s “Mamba Mentality” – Mental strength comes from relentless work, discipline, and resilience.
📌 Michael Jordan’s Mindset – “I’ve failed over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.