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  1. #1
    Registered User krossover0's Avatar
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    Getting better at basketball, mentally and physically?

    I just recently started playing basketball for an organized team. I'm in 8th grade and 14 years old. However, I have been practicing the game for quite a while, (I'd say since 6th grade summer vacation, so about 1.5 years ago at this point) and I've gotten well above average handles and skills in that time. I've been practicing every day, but, when I first played for the middle school team, I immediately got nervous around the better players. They've been playing their whole lives and were obviously going to be on our Middle School varsity team. I got nervous while playing with them, and that's why I didn't make either the JV or Varsity team. Our coaches did start me off practicing with the JV/V kids but, you know, I got nervous. The coaches moved me to the Reserve team, while the select few who made JV/Varsity, which was about 15-20, suddenly were "called" the best players at the school. I continued the season on the Reserve team at that point, embarrassed. Most of my friends even believed I would make the JV team, maybe even varsity, just based on watching me practice by myself on the court. I scored in games on the Reserve team, but not frequently. I can say that I had the best skills out of those guys, but I just wasn't used to playing in the games yet. You see, I haven't been playing for long, but I've been practicing every day since I began and have become a decent player. I know for a fact that I practice more than anyone at my school because everyone else is constantly on Snapchat or other stuff like that. I want to make Varsity Basketball in high school. I just think that my mind is holding me back, as I get too nervous, in games, and when playing with better people. What can I do to stop this? I really don't want to be cut next year because of this.

    P.S. I don't know if this will help with advice, but I've been lifting since the summer of 6th grade, just like when I started practicing basketball. I didn't really start taking the weightlifting seriously until 7th grade, though. Currently, I'm about 5'6, 141 lbs, and during basketball season I was a post player. I recently started practicing in the post, though I think I'll be more of a guard next year, as many people are growing more now, and I've been the same height for a while.
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  2. #2
    Registered User DCSpartan's Avatar
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    Keep playing basketball in organized leagues inthe spring and summer, thats the only way you are going to be better.
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  3. #3
    Registered User surprisefart's Avatar
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    As someone who has played organized ball for 14 years, I can tell you that you haven't yet put any significant time in yet.

    I started playing very young, which makes it hard for me to relate to you but when I got to high school, I had a teammate who started playing in his Sophomore year. By his senior year, he was one of the best ball handlers and shooters I've seen. He, unfortunately, had a very low basketball IQ and was a terrible decision maker on the court, otherwise he would have easily been on ESPN.

    Anyway, he told me he first put everything into ball handling. I thought that was a great move since once you get a full control over that, you can open yourself up to being in so many more situations. If you are a horrible shooter, but you can get yourself to any point in the court, regardless the diffence, you can get a lot of playing time.

    Anyway, he started with ball handling. He wouldn't do any crazy special drills, just your typical two ball dribbling routine. Any Youtube video on ball handling with two balls will have the drills he did. First, he did drills in motion, then did two ball dribble in one place. He would do that whole thing for about 30 minutes and then he would do about 10 minutes with one ball just freestyle dribblibg back and forth.

    But the way he did it was special. He did everything as fast as possible, first of all. He told me when he started doing the drills, he would drop the ball literally every other time he dribbled. He just kept going at it. He got these goggles that block your peripheral vision towards the ground, so you can't see the ball while you dribble. He wore wrist weights, like a 2lbs maybe, so that he would pound the ball harder, which is the most important part of dribbling - you want the ball to be in the air the least amount of time and in your hand - the most amount of time. When he did the non-running drills, he used one ball that had probably 40% less air in it. He did everything at an inconvenience level - maximum.

    So, start with that. Get yourself to a place where you can get yourself anywhere on the court, at still be able to look up and see everybody and everything that's going on.

    As far as the mental thing goes - try to think of everything in perspective.

    You aren't in a situation where the stakes are high. Even if it's a championship game. It's only a game, a few days after it's over no one remembers about it.

    But people in the military, for example, those guys have high stakes. You go to any of the places these guys and girls are deployed to, and you have an off day, you're dead. Not only are you dead, but you also have a platoon of people whose death can also be dependant on yours. When you account for those people's families and friends, that's a 100 people that will be affected if you don't bring it even one time.

    You got nothing to worry about. Who gives a ****. I can tell you, I've seen so many people that everyone thought were amazing and nothing ended up happening of them. I was one of them. And on the contrary, so many guys you don't think anything of, but they keep working and develop a good mental game and they end up making it.

    The fact that you are posting here and asking people how to get better sets you already ahead of most kids. Doing it and talking about it are two different things. I just told you something I was never told, but it's not at all easy to implement.

    Good luck.
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