ScoutsFocus | Good in Practice, Bad in Games

You feel like you’re ready. You’ve put in the work. Hours and hours at the gym putting shots up, training with your friends, doing drills.

Entire off-seasons put into a specific skill and then bam. It fails to translate to the games.

You fail to translate to the games. Somehow when it’s go time, you start to feel the nerves. Everything feels more vibrant, alive. Every movement you make is slowed in time, and every decision possible races through your mind, making you doubt yourself on a second to second basis.

It happens at all levels. You see it in the NBA when players just seem to stagnate despite claiming they work on X,Y, or Z. 

So what can you do about it? How do you become the guy (girl) that is at his BEST in games, the Timmy T of basketball? Let’s look at a few things you can do to up your performance.

1. Visualize. Visualize and visualize some more. You ideally want every moment and experience that you’re going to have in a game to feel like you’ve had it tons of times. When you step on the court, you’ve pictured it a dozen times already. When that ball’s going for tip-off, you’ve focused on the feelings of nervousness that you may have.

You’ve felt the way the ball feels when your hands are hyperactive and yet somehow unresponsive.

You’ve pictured your first layup with the defense on your back. You’ve pictured that first pass before you put up a shot.

By doing this you will lose a degree of that nervousness or urgency that you feel in games that is probably a factor in your “shaq-at-the-free-throw” type of game.

Interestingly enough, you don’t want to feel completely disengaged with the experience, as some arousal is good, so if you get to the game and you are so disconnected that you don’t even feel like you care about basketball, start getting pumped and being loud with your teammates like you see pro players do at the start of every NBA game.

2. Focus and trust. A big factor in the struggle-in-games syndrome is an over-thinking of every action you take and a one mind track on results.

Am I having a bad game? Am I having a bad game? Where’s my mom? What does my mom think? Oh crap what does my girl think? My teammates all hate me. Kyrie hates me (my worst nightmare.)

That good neighbor guy who says he’s always there isn’t there anymore, that’s how bad I am for this one mistake.

And that’s the issue. It’s one mistake. By over-thinking every missed shot, every mistake, you guarantee that you’ll make more mistakes, and miss more shots. Moreover, you’ll be disengaged in the game and not focus as much on things like defense and bringing up the energy of your team. Good going, negative nancy.

Instead, focus and trust. You know you’ve put in the work. You know that. You’ve seen your shot swish in practice tons of times and you’ve seen yourself play better than your competition plays in games.

So trust your body. It’s not the time to analyze anymore. It’s time to play. Just trust your body and focus only on making the right basketball decisions.

It sounds counter-intuitive: See the forest, not the trees. If you keep making the right decisions and not beating yourself up for the result, eventually that result is going to catch up.

So lose the pressure and relax.

3. Practice better. If you’re on an actual team doing scrimmages and such this is less likely to apply, but it’s still important for anyone doing training on their own or playing for fun. You need to simulate what goes on in games in practice.

You’ve probably heard this before, and if so it’s because it’s true. You need to play at “game speed.” In games you get tired; everything feels faster. One second you’re coming around a screen, the ball gets thrown at you, you realize you’re open and shoot before the window closes.

There’s no space for “let’s take a break, grab a soda, and listen to the Weeknd” here. Take the same shots in practice that you would in games, at the same speed, in the same condition (tired as hell).

For a last little quick tip, have an idea of what you want your performance to be. The feeling that you want to have. You know when you make that and one and you feel like you’re on top of the world? Something like that.

At ScoutsFocus, We are a basketball focused organization that runs high school basketball exposure events and ranks top players around the country.

ScoutsFocus : 5 Basketball Tips That Will Take Your Game To The Next Level

Basketball may be a team sport, but your individual game needs to be ahead of the competition if you want to make an impact on the basketball court.

If you want to get the upper hand on your competition, you need to make it a habit to develop the following skills and mentalities into your game.


Be A Team Player

Don't force bad shots, instead, let the game come to you. You have teammates for a reason, so use them. If you can't create a play for yourself, then create a play for your teammates. It's not about how many points you can score, it's about how many good plays you can make for yourself and your teammates.

Play help defense when your teammates get beat to the basket. There will be times when your teammates will get beat on the defensive end and it is up to you to help them out when the offensive player comes your way. Sometimes you will have to leave your matchup behind the three point line to prevent another offensive player from getting an easy bucket in the paint.


Go Hard In The Paint

When you get in the lane finish strong with contact. If you go up soft, you're either going to get your shot blocked, or you will probably just end up missing the shot completely.

You can learn what it looks like to go hard in the pain by watching the pros. Watch players like Derrick Rose, Carmelo Anthony, and Dwayne Wade, to get a visual of what it looks like to go hard in the paint.

Practice Like Your Life Depends On It

Practice like you're playing in the finals of a championship game. If you practice with a lack of effort, it will show in the games. You need to train your mind and your body to play at a high level at all times.

If you don't practice at a high level you won't be able to up your game at will when you need it, because you won't be confident in your abilities. You need to test out your capabilities and get comfortable with your game in practice, so that when you step on the court, you will be able to perform with an effortless confidence.

Be Competitive

Don't let anybody out-hustle you on the court. Believe that you're the best player on the court, and prove it to every witness. Always play to win, even if your team is down 30 points.

Be The Guy That Nobody Wants To Guard

Do you know that player that nobody wants to guard? You know, that guy that will cross you up, shoot in your face, and score the basket at will?

Be that guy.

Make smart plays, be aggressive, hustle on defense, and give it your all every time you step on the court.

Practice. Practice. Practice. Then go crazy in your organized basketball games.

At ScoutsFocus, We are a basketball focused organization that runs high school basketball exposure events and ranks top players around the country

ScoutsFocus: The Secrets To Becoming An Elite Basketball Player

For years, ScoutsFocus has dedicated themselves to identifying and providing a platform for underexposed players across the United States, this year at their Elite 80 All American Camp they exceeded their goal of providing exposure for their athletes. This is a perfect camp for underexposed basketball players to excel, gain confidence, get game tape, and prove their skill level in front of various scouts. 

Improve On The 8 Aspects Of Basketball

Basketball IQ - Increase your understanding of the game of basketball. How do you do this? You can increase your basketball IQ by playing basketball daily, watching film of great basketball players, and reading books about basketball skill development and performance.

Shooting - You need to work on improving your jump shot daily. You can never become too good of a shooter.

Ball Handling - If you can't handle the basketball, you will never reach your full potential. When you're confident in your ball handling ability, you will be able to raise your game and focus on scoring instead of how to keep the basketball from getting stolen.

Defense - Defense is just as important if not more important than offense. Work on your foot speed, your ability to hustle for loose balls, and your ability to stay in front of your offensive matchup.

Conditioning - If you're not in basketball condition, it will show on the basketball court. I don't care how good you're, once you get tired, you will start to play like a scrub.

Vertical Jump - Increasing your vertical jump just makes everything so much easier. You will be able to pull-off more athletic moves, you will get more blocks, more rebounds, and you will get more respect from the other athletes.

Strength - Strength allows you to bully your opponents and score at will. The combination of strength, skill, and athleticism, makes for a deadly basketball player. Just look at what Lebron James has been able to accomplish on the basketball court.

Speed and Quickness - Speed and quickness will allow you to get past your defender with one simple crossover or hesitation move. When you're quick on your feet you will also be able to defend good players who are craft with the basketball.

Don't Take Days Off

Be a self-disciplined athlete. Don't make excuses for yourself, you know you need to practice daily. Every minute you're relaxing, there is somebody out there training and getting better than you.

Source:http://www.scoutsfocus.com