Mental Preparation: How Do I Get Ready For a Basketball Game?

Sometimes you step onto the court and it’s like you’re being trailed by a dark cloud. You get a feeling that this game won’t be going your way. And then, to no surprise, as the game starts you’re missing shot after shot.

Performance has every bit as much to do with what’s going on “inside of your head” as with what’s happening on the floor. The best basketball players aren’t just skilled and physically gifted, they’ve also learned to hone in on the mental side of the game.

They don’t let the ups and downs of a game dictate their state of mind. No matter how things are going – whether they just converted a sexy and-1 or bricked their last 3 shots.

In this article, we’ll offer you 5 tips to minimize pre-game jitters and help you keep your head in the game.

1. Deep Breathing & Meditation

One thing that can soothe nerves ahead of a basketball game is the practice of deep breathing. Breathing is a powerful tool that everyone has at their disposal all the time. Deep breathing has 2 key benefits:

1. Deep breathing increases the amount of oxygen going to your brain, making you feel alert yet relaxed. That’s the exact mental state you want to be in for peak athletic performance. This state of relaxed concentration is often described as a “flow state”, in which time is perceived to slow down and the sense of connection to your surroundings is heightened.

2. You enter a meditative state. By focusing on a physical sensation like your breath, you allow negative thoughts or feelings to come and go, without latching onto them. By re-focusing on your breath time and time again, you train your ability to focus, which is what you need to be present on the court.

2. Visualization

Your mind is a powerful tool. You’ll often find that when you’re having a bad game, that you knew it in advance. Have you ever had a bad shootaround and just knew that the game ahead wouldn’t be your best? You probably saw it coming: bad misses, missed assignments, and a blowout loss.

Your mind has a tendency to bring the things you envision to fruition.

But what if instead of unconsciously letting your mind dictate how you perform, you deliberately use your mind to visualize the outcomes you do want to see: made shots, good timing, and game-winning moments. By visualizing yourself hitting the shots you want to hit and playing the game you want to play, you prime yourself to play with freedom and confidence.

But visualization isn’t limited to envisioning positive outcomes. Let’s face it, you can’t hit all your shots. Visualization can also be used to prepare yourself for tougher scenarios, and planning what you’ll do when they happen. How will you respond when you get called for a foul you didn’t commit? How will you respond when you miss a few shots in a row? See those plays happen and see yourself respond in the way that you’d want to – stoic, cool, calm, and collected.

3. Affirmations & Self-Talk

Like visualization, affirmations & self-talk can be a huge determiner in your confidence on the court. Most people are rather ruthless with themselves. Make a mistake or miss a shot, and all of a sudden “you suck”.

But you wouldn’t allow your teammates or even your coach talk to you like that. Next time you catch yourself bad-mouthing yourself before or during the game, recognize it and stop. Don’t talk to yourself in a way that you wouldn’t also talk to a friend.

If you make a mistake acknowledge it and make a resolution to fix it. Ask yourself how you can avoid the mistake next time instead of placing blame for what happened. In short: be results-oriented, instead of dwelling on shortcomings.

Remind yourself of your talents and achievements too:

Short, present tense sentences like: “I’m a good passer” repeated to yourself can go a long way in boosting your confidence.

These can seem silly and first, but are a good way to prime your mind to think the type of thoughts you want to be thinking to give yourself the best chance at winning.

4. Sleep

Sleep is essential not only for being physically fit, but also for your mental wellbeing. With a bad night’s rest, you’ll feel sluggish and tired, making it much harder to remain focused on what’s in front of you.

In fact, in this study, players who increased the amount of sleep they got were able to increase their field goal and free throw percentage by 9%. The effects of sleep on performance are enormous. Don’t let this simple, but crucial factor negatively impact your game.

5. Build a Routine

There are a number of things you can do to calm your nerves before a game. And everyone will have their unique preferences. For example, LeBron likes listening to music, while Michael Jordan always laced up his shoes from scratch before each game.

No matter what you do – whether it’s listening to music, meditating, reading, or calling a relative – carrying out any routine that you execute consistently, will eliminate a lot of unnecessary nerves and stress. Simply knowing what you will do before a game and executing that with full attention can help you remain calm and focused.

You’ll find that being nervous is a lot harder when you’re focused on the moment. Putting your full focus on a pre-game routine, will allow you to do that.