Building Confidence as a Player In-Season

Nov 6 (edited) in Building a Confident Player

Over the years as a player & now as a player development coach I have seen how confidence is built. Each player is different because of different factors (talent, coaching, roster opportunity, work ethic, etc)... Here are some major keys to growing in confidence as a player:

*Work ethic & Routines- Having a strong work ethic & consistent training routines is a powerful tool to ride through the highs/lows of the season. Your routines will change depending on your work load (practice/games). Sticking to consistent work habits keeps a player from relaxing when things are going well & from quitting when things are going bad. The work is the work, it has a way of balancing all things out in the end. Confidence comes from the trust in your EXTRA WORK.

**Watching Film- The old saying is 'film don't lie.' But even for younger players to watch themselves play it helps to actually see yourself in game. You know what you were thinking, you can see your effort level & its honestly accountability. Film doesn't lie, you can improve by watching film if you approach it as a student trying to learn. You'll gain confidence knowing the areas to address.

***Adjust your shooting/dribbling routine for the system & looks you're getting. When you're in season you start getting a defined role & understand what is expected of you. So you will begin to see exactly what type of shots you're getting, what type of situations you're in, what type of defenses you are going against. This will help you create a new in season routine to improve at those specific things. You'll gain more confidence when you feel more prepared.

****Mind & Spirit- Basketball is very spiritual. I'm a follower of Jesus, so for me one of my daily & game day routines was getting alone. Reading 1-2 chapters in the Bible & praying. I made a post about this recently in this community. I would write down 1 verse on a slip of paper & put that in my sock before each game. I would memorize it & it had a real calming effect on how I played & processed pressure situations. Its so important to calm your mind & spirit throughout the season, finding that quiet space is so important.

Look for my upcoming 3 day challenges:

-3 days of building confidence workshop

-3 day point guard masterclass

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