Developing Confidence in Basketball Players

Personal Pressbreak Program:

At Basketball-tips.com I get questions all the time from players who lack confidence. We all have seen players that are really good "until you pull out the bleachers!" Or those that perform well in practice or warm ups and then struggle in games. Even players who we know have the ability but just never seem to be able to put it together. One of the main reasons that players don´t perform well in games is nervousness, and the main cause of nervousness is lack of self confidence. Players have to have to believe that they can play with the people on the court and not get intimidated. They have to faith that they will perform to the best of their ability every time out. Some games they may be a little "off," but you should stress to them to bring the same effort EVERY time.

From Basketball4all's Personal Pressbreak Program:

"Have you ever heard of the home court advantage? How often do you think a team wins on its home court? It turns out that a team wins at home a lot more than when they are away. One reason for this is the emotional support of the fans. It tends to lift our emotions and make us play better.

We want to be able to play our best all of the time. To play our best we have to keep our 'Emotional Tanks' full. What is an emotional tank? Well, it is like a gas tank in a car. When it is full, we run well, but when it is empty, we can't go very far.

Why is it important that we keep each other's tanks full? If our emotional tank is empty, we become negative, and we give up easier. If our tanks are full, however, we are optimistic and are able to handle difficult situations. The coach, needs to do his best to help fill your emotional tanks. ...read the rest here

Confidence comes with REPEATED SUCCESS! That success begins in practice. When you have worked in practice enough, and done all that you can, you will KNOW that you have prepared enough to play. The important thing then, is for players to go out in games and do the things that they are good at. Have a good attitude. Believe in yourself. And then practice the things that are deficient, so more "weapons are added to the arsenal" all the time. If you want to be a good basketball player, be prepared to work when others are unwilling to. Many find excuses not to work, but you need to find ways to work on your game even when you are by yourself. Strive to improve everyday... both physically and mentally. Play against players that are better than you... that´s how you get better. Learn from TV and watch instructional videos to learn even more. Never stop learning! You will know that you have given your all, to be all that you can be. Then you will have CONFIDENCE for sure!