VISUALIZE YOUR WAY TO BASKETBALL SUCCESS

Visualizing success is an extremely important part of being an athlete.

It’s an aspect of improving your game that younger athletes either haven't been educated on or undervalue.

Being an athlete isn’t just physical.

Some arguments can be made that athletics are 70% mental and 30% physical.

Whether you completely agree with that statement or not, the fact remains that visualizing yourself succeeding and scheduling time to “exercise” your mind will give you better results.

I enjoy sharing this aspect of my life because it has helped me improve my basketball game, increase my confidence, and help get me out of “shooting slumps” quicker.

Here are three aspects of visualization that I hope you can add to your life and basketball journey.

1. Visualize success

• Visualize yourself succeeding in making a jump shot. Be as detailed as possible while visualizing.

• For example, the feeling of the ball on your fingertips, the noise of the crowd in the arena, or the sound of the ball bouncing on the ground before it reaches your hand.

• The more focus you put into immersing yourself in your vision, the more prepared you will be when the moment comes to reality.

• The purpose of visualizing is to come as close as you can to reality so when the real game and moment happens, it will feel like you have already been there before.

• Always finish the visualization with success; i.e the ball going through the hoop, blocking a shot or holding up a trophy with your teammates. Always finish with success!

2. Watch highlights of yourself succeeding

• Putting a highlight real of yourself making successful plays is a great way to keep yourself in a great rhythm. It builds confidence in seeing yourself be successful especially when you are consistent in visualizing.

• A lot of pro athletes watch videos of themselves making jump shots or hitting home runs right before they play.

• Never underestimate the power of visualization. Visualizing helps your body make it a reality!

3. Watch highlights of successful people you want to emulate

• Many kids and fans do this already, but most don’t study every detail of how and why their favorite player is so successful.

• Be detailed in how you watch successful people, i.e: footwork, follow-through, balance, or body position.

• Be intentional in what you are watching! It will ultimately help you emulate those successful patterns and add them to your game.

I hope this post helps you value the importance of training your mind as much as your body.

The older and farther you get in your sport, the more importance there is on the mental aspect of the game.

Building a great habit and routine of visualizing will help you become more consistent in your play and keep your confidence at a high level.

The mind is a powerful thing!

Thanks for reading. Please comment or email me to ask questions. Be sure to check out my article on How To Be A Great Shooter.