What is the Difference Between You & the Next Level? Real Talk Basketball.

Let’s face it, we all have a tendency to view the next level (varsity, college, pro) as something to be revered and that those playing as superior humans. However, in reality if you take a closer look at yourself,  you may be closer to reaching the next level than you think.

If you view the next level as something above you, you are only deceiving yourself into thinking it’s less attainable. Once you have begun to succeed at basketball eventually (and inevitably) you will reach a threshold where you have a decision to make – do you take your game to the next level?

Now ask yourself the following:

Question 1: Are you taking advantage of asking questions to those who are more advanced than you? You should be. learning from those who have made it to where you want to be is important. Take these opportunities when they present themselves and grow from what you learn. Question 2: Do you put people on a pedestal in your mind? If you do, this needs to stop. Those who have made it to the next level are not super human you can also achieve it too. None of this is to say it is easy to advance to the next level in the game of basketball, but, the confidence you need to get there comes from believing in yourself and that you can do it. Once you do this, you then need to start taking the steps to achieve it.

Whether it’s the varsity team, D1 college team or pro team that you have your eye on, it is more within your reach if you get you mindset right. Having an understanding that you are going to have go through things that maybe you haven’t experienced before in your training & practice and wrap you head around this, you are going to be off to a good start.

Things for you to think about when taking your basketball game to the next level

What you can start doing is taking a good, real, honest look at what basketball demands from you. Once you’ve done that, then you can formulate your game-plan and strive for it with 110% of everything you’ve got. When you decide to go up a level and go bigger, your training and your life will become that much more difficult (for a short period of time) but if stick with it! If you can persevere through it you will bring your game up and feel accomplished as a player. Remember, confidence is something you own once you’ve earned it!

When your pushing for the next level, all of a sudden it seem  the confidence you used to have feels like it’s completely gone. You might be left wondering if you want to do this whole basketball thing (because no bs, it is hard) … only you know if you want to make it to the next level, only you can get in your way.

Remember, it won’t be long until you get your stride back but this time, you’ll be more evolved more able and a higher level basketball player! When you get to this point everything will mean more and you will feel like it was worth it.

Sometimes limits need to be pushed. So if you are going to reach the next level you have to know your limits for you to grow as a player It’s at this point that you can take all you’ve learned in the past and go bigger and harder than ever before. The biggest fear faced by many (when wanting to grow as a player) is the challenge that will be demanding. No lies here, it will be demanding, but it’s your time to adjust to the newness and embrace it.

YOU KNOW YOUR LONG TERM GOAL WHAT ABOUT THE SHORT TERM?

Having a long-term goal like making it to the next level is important but you also need to have short-term goals that you work on everyday for you to ultimately achieve your long term goal, for example: Find your biggest weakness and work on that every day till it becomes a strength. Improving on these deficiencies is of paramount importance. You must remain constant in evaluating your weaknesses and improving on them on a daily basis.

Weaknesses hold players back at the next level. There are always new goals for you to set.

WHAT QUALITY SHOULD YOU POSSES TO MAKE IT TO THE NEXT LEVEL? 

Be resilient, you need to be able to bounce back from adversity and failures (because they will happen) – basketball is a game of highs and lows, being resilient means taking it all in your stride and remaining focused on your training and your performance goals.

Have self control – take pride in yourself and in your performance and  your training – have integrity. This means you need to be deliberate in your practices, and don’t just be “going through the motions“

Have absolute determination & perseverance – to get to a high level you have to show intensity in your ability to reach your goals. This can be achieved in a number of ways, for example: watching film, getting extra shots in, working on your weak hand dribbling etc.

ALWAYS ACT LIKE SOMEONES WATCHING YOU (BECAUSE THEY ARE)!

You should be mindful at all times but especially when you are playing in a game that people are watching and assessing you. You don’t always know who is watching you, but someone is. Coaches and scouts often turn up two hours before tip-off to watch how players prepare for the game. Below, is a list of things that the coaches and scout probably have in mind when they are watching you:

• • They want to see if you are focused
  • What do you do when you come out of the game – do you walk to the bench or run
  • They are looking to see what you did in order to get ready to play, like did you stretched and warm up properly
  • During the game they are watching for your overall attitude and body language
  • They’re watching to see how you interact with the coach and your teammates

Coaches & scouts also ask themselves the following when watching you perform:

• How is his body language when being coached?

• Does he want to take big shots?

• Does he dive on the floor for loose balls?

• Does he mope or does he high five his teammates?

• Is he a flopper?

• Is he an eye roller?

• Is he a shoulder shrugger?

• How does his mood change in the game?

• Does he have a primary positive or negative attitude?

CONCLUSION:

All these little things add up to give the coach and/or scout watching you an overall impression of the type of player you are. Make sure that impression is the right one! If you want to get to the next level (whether that is varsity, college or professional) you need to consistently to do the little things and be consciously aware of what you are doing and, to be always be aware of your surroundings. Most importantly you need to remember that someone is always watching you.