I Am Nervous during basketball games?

[L3B120N J4M35]

Every single game, I get nervous. Can you overcome this? I play nervous which gets me playing bad.

[AJ2k8]

Used to be a major problem for me when i started playing competitively but i think it is for most people when they start because of how intimidating defences can be.. Anyway it can be overcome, you just have to come to trust your own game and accept the fact that you are going to A. Miss some shots, B. Turn the ball over from time to time, and C. Make general little f*ck ups. Once you accept that then you'll start worrying less about failure.

Also if you are finding yourself nervous in game because of your performance then start looking at how you can impact the game with other things like intensity on defence, rebounding, loose balls etc. and gain confidence through them.

What you will probably find though is that it will come with time and experience and you will be able to stay composed in most situations. I still can get thrown off my game if i get blocked or have a rough patch of play but there was once a time where i would've dragged myself from the court whereas now i try to work through it and "trust my game". The most experienced players and elite players are able to stare the best defences/adverse situations in the face and just work their way through them with no fear of failure and that's what makes them elite.

In summary, give it time, do the little things, trust your game and convince yourself that your game is good enough to compete with whatever is thrown at you

[L3B120N J4M35]

Used to be a major problem for me when i started playing competitively but i think it is for most people when they start because of how intimidating defences can be.. Anyway it can be overcome, you just have to come to trust your own game and accept the fact that you are going to A. Miss some shots, B. Turn the ball over from time to time, and C. Make general little f*ck ups. Once you accept that then you'll start worrying less about failure.

Also if you are finding yourself nervous in game because of your performance then start looking at how you can impact the game with other things like intensity on defence, rebounding, loose balls etc. and gain confidence through them.

What you will probably find though is that it will come with time and experience and you will be able to stay composed in most situations. I still can get thrown off my game if i get blocked or have a rough patch of play but there was once a time where i would've dragged myself from the court whereas now i try to work through it and "trust my game". The most experienced players and elite players are able to stare the best defences/adverse situations in the face and just work their way through them with no fear of failure and that's what makes them elite.

In summary, give it time, do the little things, trust your game and convince yourself that your game is good enough to compete with whatever is thrown at you

Thanks a lot

[$LakerGold]

Used to be a major problem for me when i started playing competitively but i think it is for most people when they start because of how intimidating defences can be.. Anyway it can be overcome, you just have to come to trust your own game and accept the fact that you are going to A. Miss some shots, B. Turn the ball over from time to time, and C. Make general little f*ck ups. Once you accept that then you'll start worrying less about failure.

Also if you are finding yourself nervous in game because of your performance then start looking at how you can impact the game with other things like intensity on defence, rebounding, loose balls etc. and gain confidence through them.

What you will probably find though is that it will come with time and experience and you will be able to stay composed in most situations. I still can get thrown off my game if i get blocked or have a rough patch of play but there was once a time where i would've dragged myself from the court whereas now i try to work through it and "trust my game". The most experienced players and elite players are able to stare the best defences/adverse situations in the face and just work their way through them with no fear of failure and that's what makes them elite.

In summary, give it time, do the little things, trust your game and convince yourself that your game is good enough to compete with whatever is thrown at you

DAMN, well said!
This will really help me throughout the bball league.

[Swaggin916]

Practice a lot and play a lot. If you practice the right things, you will become a better and more confident player, and then it's all about translating it to games. Another thing to consider is that shiftiness is basketball is key. You can't be so predictable... Once a defender can anticipate your moves, he has you beat. So be unpredictable and get it in his head that he has no clue what you are going to do.

[01amberfirewv]

Find some challenging drills and work at them until you get better. As you start setting goals and accomplishing them you will become more confident.

[tazb]

I used to have this problem too but then it hit me. If I play like a little b*tch I play bad. If I play nervous I play bad. If I play scared I play bad. So why am I playing like a little b*tch bad nervous queer?

Then I started talking a lot more shit, fighting for every loose ball, encouraging my teammates to play better.

Check out some KG, NOAH, videos on youtube.

[SourPatchKids]

Lol IDK why but I've always played worse during school games when my friends and classmates are watching then during a league game where it's just the parents. One thing i like to do is try to ignore the crowd, don't look at them when you miss a easy shot, etc.

[Rake2204]

I have to admit I am still hit by the nervousness bug whenever I'm playing in an unfamiliar environment (or amongst players I have not faced before). I first noticed my symptoms a few years ago when I had my minor league tryout. I had the worst case of dry-mouth of my entire life. I thought it was because I had french toast for breakfast but since then, I've noticed that whenever the basketball environment gets a little strange (suspected new, skilled opposition, family watching, etc.) the moisture in my mouth is the first thing to go. I then begin worrying about preemptive fatigue stemming from the inability to produce saliva and it takes a concerted effort to combat.

I'm learning to handle it the same way I used to (not making the game out to be so important, checking myself on worst case scenario situations, etc.) but I'll just say I feel where you guys are coming from. I was not able to achieve true success in high school until I was able to put myself in my own world during games. I had to stop assuming each of my opponents were going to be able to lock me down and I had to stop assuming each fan or classmate would forever judge me on every move I made.

At some point, we must free ourselves and understand that regardless of whether we turn in the best performance of our lives or the worst, most people watching will probably forget about it by sunrise. Will the females really care about that stupid layup you missed the night before? Nope. And truthfully, will they really care about the dunk you had last week? 99% of the time, they honestly won't. So with that in mind, I try to just play.

[Swaggin916]

I have to admit I am still hit by the nervousness bug whenever I'm playing in an unfamiliar environment (or amongst players I have not faced before). I first noticed my symptoms a few years ago when I had my minor league tryout. I had the worst case of dry-mouth of my entire life. I thought it was because I had french toast for breakfast but since then, I've noticed that whenever the basketball environment gets a little strange (suspected new, skilled opposition, family watching, etc.) the moisture in my mouth is the first thing to go. I then begin worrying about preemptive fatigue stemming from the inability to produce saliva and it takes a concerted effort to combat.

I'm learning to handle it the same way I used to (not making the game out to be so important, checking myself on worst case scenario situations, etc.) but I'll just say I feel where you guys are coming from. I was not able to achieve true success in high school until I was able to put myself in my own world during games. I had to stop assuming each of my opponents were going to be able to lock me down and I had to stop assuming each fan or classmate would forever judge me on every move I made.

At some point, we must free ourselves and understand that regardless of whether we turn in the best performance of our lives or the worst, most people watching will probably forget about it by sunrise. Will the females really care about that stupid layup you missed the night before? Nope. And truthfully, will they really care about the dunk you had last week? 99% of the time, they honestly won't. So with that in mind, I try to just play.

As Morpheus says, "Free your mind."

[Rake2204]

As Morpheus says, "Free your mind."

In all honesty, I do actually reference The Matrix when I talk to my brothers about playing in games. There's a point in every player's game, where if they want to be successful, they must - as you said - free their mind. And once a player makes that recognition, it's a beautiful thing to watch.

[Alan]

One thing that helps is a decent warm-up.

[Maga_1]

One thing that helps is a decent warm-up.

Yep, good tip.
Most of the times, a good warm up gives you confidence to play.

[Swaggin916]

Yep, good tip.
Most of the times, a good warm up gives you confidence to play.

I third this. try to bypass all of the early game stiffness.

[JayCanBall]

I agree with Alan and AJ2k8.

Some things that help me is thinking positive like "I will win" or "This shot will go in" or "I will get this rebound". Mental Blocks can cause nervousness. I wish I could word it better but yeah. You do what you think you can do, if youre nervous and thinking you arent gonna do good, you wont do good.