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About David Kenward
Expertise
Questions relating to the mental game - when you do well in practice but make mistakes in
competition and when you want to perform better under pressure. This includes overcoming accident-related fears.
Experience
As the mental coach I solve performance problems in competition and help people perform better under pressure in any sport. I work with the mental game, using a variety of analytical and mental training tools. My background includes sports competition, the medical field and business world.
Education/Credentials
Bachelor of Arts, California State University, Sacramento.
Specialized training in Neurolinguistic Programming (NLP) and Hypnosis for Sports.
Past/Present Clients
Amateur, school, semi-pro and professional sports competitors in a wide variety of sports. I work with children and adults.
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You are here: Experts > Sports > Basketball > Basketball Instruction > Layups
Expert: David Kenward - 8/15/2008
Question
I am really good at basketball layups. I can do them properly on each side... during practice. When a game comes I seem to have trouble. Alyways ending up stopping and just shot instead, because I seem to hit it to hard on the backbored. How can I cantrol that?
Answer
Hello Courtney
When this happens it's often because we second-guess ourselves - mostly through negative self-talk - which erodes our self-confidence. Even though we do great in practice, in games our self-talk usually goes something like this: "Don't hit the backboard too hard!"
Unfortunately, that puts clearly into our head what we want to avoid the most. Our inner mind tends to filter out the "don't" part - so the instructions we are giving ourselves are: "Hit the backboard too hard!" Then we either do it, or stop short to avoid doing it.
What I'd suggest for you is to create a specific phrase that becomes your self-talk doing layups. Something simple that reflects EXACTLY what you want - like: "Smooth layup in the basket." Whatever you come up with (positive and in the present tense only), say it to yourself EVERY time you make a successful layup in practice. Practice this a lot and it builds a great mind/body link of confidence and skill. Then, in games, before each layup say your phrase to yourself and you'll discover that the confidence of all those successes in practice flows through you. Confidence in your ability is what will make the difference and allow you to play your best during games.
Good luck and let me know how it goes.
David
David Kenward - The Mental Coach
Sacramento, California
http://www.thementalcoach.com
Win the Mental Game: Overcome mental blocks and improve performance
Private sessions • Seminars/Workshops
To learn more about how the mental game is your secret to peak performance, go to: http://thementalcoach.com/Pages/thementalgame
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