This video is clip from one of my confidence workshops & the topic is "Overcoming the fear of failure." I used this MJ commercial to teach a powerful lesson that many players will need as they enter a long season of ups & downs. I'm always amazed at how many players have mentally checked out by the time we get to Thanksgiving. I saw this in high school & college with many of my teammates but also could see it in other teams. True story, last season I went to a Univ. of Louisville mens basketball game in the preseason vs a small college. I went bc I was training the starting point guard on the small college but I sat behind UofL's bench that game in mid-Oct. What I saw on the bench told me everything I needed to know about that UofL team & the season they were about to have. They had no energy, during timeouts half the players were not engaged at all or not even paying attention. The players weren't smiling, they weren't clapping or encouraging each other & they just looked like they didn't like each other. They won a blow out game of course because of their talent & size but I walked away saying this team doesn't like each other & they having a loser's mindset... They ended up winning 8 games the whole season. I say this because as a player your confidence is something you have to protect at all costs & continue to build especially in the early part of the season to avoid a long miserable season. There are many hurdles you may need to overcome (injury, lack of playing time, a tough coach, a losing culture, selfish teammates, losing or toxic mindset, etc). These can happen anywhere & at all levels. The key is you protect your energy, your emotions & keep making deposits into your confidence bank. Here's a few tips: 1. Feed your mind & body correctly. Be very careful about what you let into your temple while you're in season & need to perform at a high level. The food you eat matters, it fuels & controls your emotions more than you think. More importantly the things you let into your mind (thoughts, music, what you look at & who you listen too) all create the environment you will perform out of. Protect it. 2. Give yourself room to accept failures & grow. Referencing the MJ commercial & lesson I posted its important that you view the season as a marathon that MUST include failures & valleys. Allow & accept that this will happen & it is actually NECESSARY for your growth as a player & person. This takes the pressure off of being perfect at every moment. 3. Stick to a Routine. Routines remove the array of emotions from getting your work in. Some days we're motivated but often we're not or we're going through it emotionally & just don't feel like putting in the work. By having a set routine (skill work, lifting, stretching, prayer, diet, sleep, etc) it allows you to weather those storms you go through because that is where most people lose confidence, in the storms.

How can I improve my passing?

Can you tell me 3 moves you will use throughout your career? 🤔

So thankful to be a part of this community, here to grow my confidence

I had a coach in the community ask me a great question about what was my pre-game routine. So I wanted to ask you guys if you had any advice as well on an effective pre game routine to prepare you for the game? It could be physical, mental, spiritual, healthy habits... The question I got was focused more on how to get in the right state of mind & spiritually how did I prepare. So before I got in-depth on all those things let me share with you how I prepared my mind & spirit on game days. GAME DAY PREP (Spiritually): -My morning routine for an evening tip off involved breakfast & then a time I got away 30-60 mins in a quiet place to read the Bible & pray. This is important because I took this into the game, here's what I did. I would read 2-3 chapters in the Bible. I would pray & give that game over to the Lord. This always took the pressure off of me, I view basketball as a form of worship. I believe anytime we're using our talent or gifts God has given us it can be used in a way to honor God & worship. -Next I would pick 1 verse that I read in the Bible that really spoke to me. I'd write it down on a small slip of paper & memorize that throughout the day so I had it locked into my mind/spirit by game time. -I would put that paper into my sock before the game. It did something amazing for me because anytime I felt pressure, stress, worry, anxiousness, etc I would just reach down & touch my sock & it would remind me that God is with me & I'm worshipping him through anything that happens. It always brought me great peace, once I started doing this routine it took away much of my anxiety & stress I had leading up to games & playing in pressure situations. I truly believe that is why I hit multiple game winning shots in college/overseas because I felt no pressure & had given up every game I played to the Lord. I'm sure some may disagree with me but this was my pre game routine that worked for me. One of my primary goals with the game of basketball was to use it as a platform to point to Jesus.