Steps to Build your Focus
Thankfully, there are a few steps you can take to build on your focus which will eventually take your game to great heights. However, there is one aspect of maintaining focus that is unavoidable for a player irrespective of his/her stature. One needs to have the will to give everything on the court to improve one’s focus and skills. The following few steps will help you build better focus before and during a game.
No time for chit chat
The most important requirement in order to focus on the game is to start off on the correct footing. Make sure you do not spend too much time chit-chatting with your team mates before you begin your drills. So it is but obvious that talking too much during the game is not a good idea either. This will surely help you think about the game more and focus better.
Stay agile
There are players who will slack off and walk around the court when there is no activity. Do not forget that basketball is a physical sport and you have to be at the top of your game all of the time. So make running a habit. For example, if you coach calls you over for some advice show some energy and run to him. Being lazy when the game is not on will surely take a toll on your performance in the game. The mind finds it hard to re-focus on the game and gain optimum levels of alertness in this period.
Be there mentally
A basketball court is no place to indulge in day dreaming. Make sure you are up and awake on the court. Again, this aspect also has to be developed more off the court than on. The more attention and alertness you show off the court, the better your reflexes on it. This game is quick leaving players with only a fraction of a second to think. Being on the top of one’s attention levels surely helps in focusing. This is why you need to focus on getting the right amount of sleep and good nutrition to keep yourself focused.
Set yourself the right targets
Most of us waste a lot of time pondering over larger factors such as the outcome of the game or scoring points. However, this mind-set leads a lot of players to ignore the finer aspects of basketball. Make sure you set yourself smaller and more achievable goals rather than thinking of winning your team a match or tournament. Sure, these goals sound glorious but this would be succumbing to fantasies. Instead, concentrate on focussing on the finer aspects of the game. The bigger rewards will come when the time is right.
Learn to visualize
The power of the mind is immense and intensive. You can use to chalk out a better and more effective path to success. While a lot of players confuse visualization with fanaticising, there is a big difference. Visualization helps if you are looking to put yourself in the right mind-set and chalk out a possible path for your game. This involves more of focussing on basketball rather than getting distracted by the glory of winning a goal or scoring points.
Since focus is a parameter of the mind, you need to put in more efforts from your side into getting better at it. Meditation and various other techniques help. However, it is imperative that you find yourself and approach that suits you best.
