Learning to be Comfortable with Your Game
What does it mean to be comfortable with your game? You can view “comfort” in two ways…
One way to view comfort is the acceptance of the status quo. In that sense, athletes train within a comfort zone impeding progress. To grow as an athlete, you should push past comfort and challenge yourself.
The phrase “getting comfortable with being uncomfortable” is often associated with the “push your limits” mindset.
Also, you can view “comfort” through a different lens, such as being comfortable with the speed of the game, being comfortable implementing new skills in competition, or being comfortable playing against top players or teams.
In this view, feeling comfortable builds CONFIDENCE and TRUST in your game.
What impedes feeling confident and trusting your game?
* High Expectations – When expectations are high, you will often feel that you need to be perfect to meet or exceed those expectations. These athletes heap an extraordinary amount of pressure on themselves and constantly battle with anxiety.
* Comparison to Other Athletes – When you constantly use other athletes to gauge your abilities, you will feel you don’t measure up or lack the ability to perform at a high level. Many of these athletes drop out of sports at an early age.
* Persistent Fear – Fear halts progress. When you give in to fear, such as fear of embarrassment, fear of making mistakes, fear of failure, or fear that you lack ability or talent, you will hold back in training, play cautiously, consistently under perform and fall short of your goals.
Feeling comfortable with your game comes down to three words: PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE! Practice is how you build repetition and muscle memory!
- Practice with Intensity – Take advantage of your practice time to push yourself to the max. You will feel confident performing late in games because you are physically prepared.
- Practice with Focus – The more you hone your skills in training, the more you trust your ability to perform those skills in competitions or under pressure.
- Practice with a Competitive Mindset – Developing a competitive mindset starts in practice. You should approach practice with the same mentality you want to have in competitions. If you want to play aggressively in games, you should be aggressive in practice.
Take, for instance, Philadelphia 76ers’ second-year guard Jaden Springer. Springer has played only nine games in his first two seasons in the NBA…
Despite being the 28th overall pick in the 2021 NBA draft, Springer has played primarily with the Sixers’ affiliate Delaware Blue Coats of the G League. In the G League, Springer has played significant minutes, averaging 18.6 points per game as he continues to grow his game and confidence.
SPRINGER: “I feel like I definitely feel more confident in my game. I know I put the work in. I got the whole team, the whole staff working with me, so I feel like that’s a big part of why I feel like I’m more comfortable out there.”
Even his Blue Coats coach Coby Karl has seen significant growth in Springer’s game.
KARL: “I think his decision-making has sped up. He’s getting used to spacing at the NBA game. He’s getting used to taking those 3-pointers that come to him. He’s not reluctant at all. He’s starting to build up his confidence and trust his work.”
Trust in your game isn’t developed overnight. While working on your game, persist through the ups and downs. The payoff will be worth the work.
Athletes often attempt to work on too many aspects of their game simultaneously.
Identify 1-2 areas of your physical game and one aspect of your mental game that need improvement.
Set up a practice plan to help you improve these areas each day in your training. And of course, if you want help with your mental game improvement, please contact us.
Related Sports Psychology Articles
- The Mindset to Perform at a Higher Level
- Having Fun While Performing at Your Best
- The Importance of Mental Toughness
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