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Are You Struggling With Confidence?

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December 15, 2016

My coach doesn’t like me. My teammates won’t pass the ball. The refs suck. The rims were too hard. I have too much homework. I’m tired. My ankle hurts. STOP.

No more excuses! Excuses are for mediocre players. Excuses are a waste of time and energy. Excuses make you feel better but don’t actually MAKE you better. If you truly want to improve as a player and build confidence in your game, there is no time for excuses. Not at practice, not at games, and not at the dinner table.

Imagine right now you’re in a big game. Your family is watching, your friends are watching. You miss your first three shots. You turn the ball over twice. Your man scores on you. The fouls are against you. Your coach subs you out and you don’t play the rest of the 1 st half. What is your attitude and mindset going into the locker room at half time?

In that moment it’s very likely your focus is totally consumed on things you don’t have control of. You cannot fully control what your coach does, what the ref calls, how many points you score. This mindset will only lead to further mistakes and a decrease in confidence.

Now let’s say at half time you make the decision to be completely focused on the things you do control. You’re going to come out to start the 2 nd half and HUSTLE like never before. You’re going to be an ENERGY GIVER and find ways to encourage and uplift your teammates. You’re going to be LOCKED IN and focused when coach gives instructions. You’re going to stay POSITIVE and focus on the NEXT PLAY even if you do make a mistake.

Imagine the results if you showed up every day committed and completely focused on what you control. You may not be the superstar and average 30. That’s okay. You will improve, you will build confidence, and you will have more fun playing basketball.

No excuses. Focus on what you control. These are very important. But the truth is the foundation and cornerstone of your confidence will be built from time in the gym. Most of us wouldn’t be very confident flying a plane or performing a knee surgery. We shouldn’t because we haven’t put in the time.

If you truly want to build confidence you need to be in the gym every day. You need to put the phone away and get to work. You need to have a plan and train with purpose and intensity. You need to play as much 1v1, 2v2, and 3v3 as you possibly can. More time in the gym, less time on technology.

“Hard work is not punishment. Hard work is the price of admission for the opportunity to reach sustained excellence.” - Jay Bilas