Sports are half physical and half mental. You can be the strongest, fastest, most athletic player in the world, but if you don’t have a control over your mental game, you’ll never be on top.  It’s those players who have a strong mental game that excel.

All the skills in the world mean nothing if you don’t have a good head on your shoulders.

Sports may be half mental and half physical, but 100% of what you do on the court is going to deal with your mentality. Your actions are influenced by your thoughts, and your thoughts are influenced by your actions. You can be the best 3-point-shooter in the game, but what is it worth if you can’t discern when the best time to take a shot is? If you miss your shot, how will it affect you? Will you get down on your game, or will you channel that frustration into motivation? The best players are the ones who are able to do the latter. Having your own lion is amazing, but if you can’t control that lion, it’s going to eat you.

 

Many talented players have fallen into obscurity because they couldn’t control their mental game, either on or off the field. Johnny Manziel is a good recent example of this. He has all the talent in the world, but never matured past 15, and is considered a locker-room issue. After being a 1st-round draft pick in 2014, he went on to play a total of 14 games in 2 seasons, before being released by his team. During his 2 year NFL tenure, he was fined $12,000 for a hand gesture and was reported to be in Las Vegas partying during one of his team games when he was supposed to be out with a concussion. All that talent he possessed had gone to waste because he never had his mind in the game.

Unfortunately, for young athletes, this happens a lot, and it is how potential careers can be ruined. A player will get too full of themself, too focused on themself and how good they think they are, and it will hurt their career. This can be because coaches and trainers focus primarily on the 50% physical part when developing an athlete without ever touching on the 50% mental aspect.

If you’re a coach, do your kids a favor and teach them about the mentality of the game. Teach them about focus, positive attitudes, concentration, and most importantly, controlling their emotions. If you’re a young athlete, work harder on controlling your emotions. Don’t let bad shots and bad calls get to you. The goal for any athlete is to make it to the big show, don’t let your mind and emotions hold you back.