I’ve been around basketball for over 45 years—as a playground player in Queens, NYC, a college point guard at UMaine Fort Kent, a coach, a parent of two college basketball players, a full time Basketball Trainer at Austin Youth Basketball for the last 15 years and now as the founder of BasketballTrainer.com. If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s this: the mental game isn’t separate from basketball. It is basketball.

I’ve watched talented kids flame out because they couldn’t handle pressure. I’ve seen undersized players dominate because they refused to quit. And honestly? I’ve made plenty of mistakes myself—as a player who let frustration get the better of me, and as a young coach who didn’t understand what my players were dealing with mentally.  I played pickup basketball just the other day and had a real struggle not turning the ball over until I “got my head straight.” 

This isn’t a clinical breakdown of sports psychology. It’s what I’ve seen work—and not work—across decades of playing, coaching, and helping over 200 players reach college basketball programs.

Why the Mental Game Matters More Than You Think

Here’s a story that still sticks with me. Years ago, I was coaching a select team, and we had a kid who was clearly our best shooter in practice. Smooth stroke, great mechanics, made everything. Game time? He’d go 1-for-8. Every time.

The problem wasn’t his shot. The problem was between his ears. He was so terrified of missing in front of people that he’d rush everything, change his mechanics, and basically become a different player when it counted.

I didn’t know how to help him back then. I wish I had. That experience taught me that you can drill fundamentals all day long, but if a player’s mind is working against them, none of it translates to games.

LeBron James put it well when he said the mental part of the game is 70 or 80 percent of performance. I don’t know if I’d put an exact number on it, but I know this: I’ve seen plenty of physically gifted players who never figured out the mental side, and they’re not playing anymore. Meanwhile, some of the grittiest, most mentally tough players I’ve worked with found ways to compete at levels their raw talent wouldn’t have predicted.

Pre-Game Mental Preparation

When I played in college, I had a pre-game routine that probably looked weird to everyone else. I’d find a quiet spot, close my eyes, and mentally walk through the plays I knew I’d need to run. I’d picture myself making reads, hitting open teammates, finishing at the rim.

I didn’t call it “visualization” back then. I just knew it helped me feel ready.

Now, working with trainers across the country through BasketballTrainer.com, I see this all the time. The players who show up mentally prepared—who’ve thought through situations before they happen—perform better. It’s not magic. It’s preparation.

What does good mental prep look like? It’s different for everyone, but here’s what I’ve seen work:

Some players need quiet time alone before games. Others need to talk and stay loose. Figure out what helps you feel confident and focused, then protect that time. If you need 20 minutes of quiet before tip-off, tell your teammates. They’ll understand.

Mental rehearsal actually works. Before games, picture yourself in specific situations you’ll face. See yourself making the right play. Feel what it’s like to hit a big shot. This isn’t woo-woo stuff—it’s how your brain prepares for pressure.

Have a reset routine for when things go wrong. Because they will. Miss two shots in a row? Have a physical cue—touch your shorts, take a breath—that signals your brain to move on. My daughter Charlee, who played at Macalester, used to tap her wrist. Simple, but it worked.

Building Confidence (The Hard Way)

Confidence in basketball is earned, not given. I wish I could tell you there’s a shortcut, but there isn’t.

Growing up playing on the playgrounds in Queens, you learned this fast. Nobody cared about your feelings out there. If you couldn’t handle getting embarrassed, you didn’t come back. The guys who stuck around developed thick skin and genuine belief in themselves—because they’d been tested.

That’s the thing about confidence: it comes from evidence. You need proof that you can do hard things. That’s why I always tell young players to keep track of their small wins. Made a tough defensive play in practice? Remember it. Hit a clutch free throw? That’s data your brain can use later.

Michael Jordan talked about how he’d failed over and over—missed thousands of shots, lost hundreds of games—and that’s why he succeeded. I think people misread that quote. He’s not saying failure is fun. He’s saying he built confidence by surviving failure. He had evidence that he could miss and keep shooting.

One thing I got wrong as a younger coach: I tried to protect kids from failure. I’d pull them before they could mess up in big moments. Bad idea. They need those moments to build the confidence that only comes from being tested.

Focus and Concentration

Basketball is chaos. There’s noise, movement, trash talk, pressure, and about a thousand things competing for your attention every second. The players who succeed are the ones who can lock in on what matters and block out everything else.

I still compete in European masters tournaments at 60, and honestly, focus is harder now than it was at 20. My body doesn’t recover like it used to—seven knee surgeries will do that—so I’ve had to get better at the mental side just to stay competitive.

What’s helped me, and what I recommend to players of all ages:

Practice being present. When you’re doing drills, actually do them. Don’t go through the motions thinking about something else. Train your brain to focus during practice, and it’ll be easier during games.

Use cue words. Pick a simple word that brings you back to the moment. “Here” or “Now” or “Ball.” When your mind wanders, use it. This sounds simple because it is. Simple works.

Accept that you’ll lose focus sometimes. The goal isn’t perfect concentration—it’s quick recovery. Notice when you’ve drifted and come back. That’s the skill.

Dealing with Pressure Situations

Pressure is just a situation where the outcome matters and the difficulty is high. That’s it. It’s not some mysterious force. It’s your body and brain responding to stakes.

I’ve been in pressure situations on both sides. I’ve hit shots that mattered. I’ve also bricked them badly. What I’ve learned is that pressure doesn’t go away—you just get better at operating within it.

The worst thing you can do is pretend pressure doesn’t exist. “Just relax” is useless advice. Your heart is pounding for a reason. Instead, acknowledge it. “Okay, this matters. My body is responding. That’s normal. Now what do I need to do?”

The best pressure performers I’ve seen share one trait: they stay in their process. They’re not thinking about outcomes—making or missing, winning or losing. They’re thinking about execution. What’s the next right thing to do?

Running Vintage Run, my refereed pickup program for adults, I watch guys in their 40s and 50s deal with pressure in close games. The ones who perform well aren’t necessarily the most skilled. They’re the ones who’ve figured out how to stay present when things get tight.

Resilience: The Long Game

I mentioned my knee surgeries. Seven of them. Plus neck trauma. At various points in my life, smart people told me I should probably stop playing basketball.

I didn’t stop. Not because I’m tough—plenty of tough people make the smart choice to walk away. I kept playing because basketball is part of who I am, and I’ve found ways to adapt. That’s resilience: not ignoring reality, but finding paths forward anyway.

For young players, resilience means bouncing back from bad games, tough losses, and setbacks. For older players like me, it means accepting what your body can’t do anymore and maximizing what it still can.

Both of my kids faced adversity in their basketball careers. My eldest daughter dealt with the grind of being a D3 athlete while managing rheumatoid arthritis… which few can manage at that level. My youngest daughter, a senior at St. Michael’s in Austin is  headed to Kenyon College, has had her own challenges. Watching them navigate setbacks taught me as much as going through my own.   Setbacks are a certainty.   How we deal with them mentally is our choice.

The players who build resilience share a few things: they have perspective (basketball matters, but it’s not everything), they have support systems (coaches, parents, teammates who keep them grounded), and they’ve developed coping strategies for when things get hard.

Team Psychology

Basketball is a team sport, which means individual mental skills only get you so far. The best teams I’ve been part of—and the best ones I’ve coached—had something beyond talent. They had chemistry, trust, and shared purpose.

You can’t manufacture this stuff. But you can create conditions where it’s more likely to develop.

Clear communication matters. Players need to know their roles and feel comfortable talking through issues. The 2004 Pistons are the classic example—a team without a superstar that won a championship because everyone knew exactly what they were supposed to do and trusted each other to do it.

Conflict is normal. Good teams don’t avoid disagreement—they handle it well. That means addressing problems directly instead of letting them fester, and assuming good intent from teammates.

Leadership isn’t just for captains. Every player influences team culture through how they practice, how they respond to adversity, and how they treat teammates. I tell young players: you’re either making your team better or worse. There’s no neutral.

The Coach’s Role

Coaches shape the mental environment more than anyone. And I’ll be honest—I got this wrong plenty of times early in my coaching career.

I was too focused on X’s and O’s and not enough on the humans running them. I didn’t always understand what my players were dealing with outside of basketball. I created pressure when I should have relieved it.

The best coaches I’ve worked with—and the best ones I’ve observed—do a few things consistently:

They create psychological safety. Players can make mistakes without getting destroyed. This doesn’t mean no accountability—it means errors are learning opportunities, not public executions.

They see the whole person. A kid struggling in games might be dealing with stuff at home, at school, with friends. Good coaches pay attention and adjust.

They teach mental skills explicitly, not accidentally. Just like you teach footwork, you can teach focus techniques, confidence-building strategies, and pressure management.

Gregg Popovich gets quoted a lot on this stuff, and for good reason. He’s talked about how dealing with the human element is as important as basketball tactics. After watching thousands of coaches through BasketballTrainer.com, I’d say most haven’t figured this out yet. The ones who have stand out.

Practical Tips That Actually Work

I’ll wrap up with some concrete things you can do. These aren’t theories—they’re practices I’ve seen work with real players over real time.

Keep a basketball journal. Not a diary—just quick notes after practices and games. What went well? What do you need to work on? What was your mental state? Over time, you’ll see patterns that help you understand yourself as a player.

Develop a pre-shot routine for free throws. Same steps, same timing, every time. This gives your brain something to focus on besides pressure. Make it automatic.

Practice under game-like pressure. Add consequences to drills. Miss a free throw, everyone runs. Make it, you sit out. Your body needs to learn what pressure feels like so it’s not foreign in games.

Talk to yourself constructively. You’re going to have an inner voice—might as well make it helpful. “Stay low” is better than “don’t mess up.” Focus on what to do, not what to avoid. Think one or two word corrections… in positive frame.  

Watch film of yourself playing well. Not just to analyze mistakes, but to remind yourself what you’re capable of. This builds confidence better than any pep talk.  Make sure you note all the great things you do.  

Breathe. Seriously. Deep breath in, slow breath out. It’s the fastest way to calm your nervous system when pressure spikes. Use it at the free throw line, between plays, during timeouts.

Final Thoughts

I’ve been wrong about a lot of things in basketball. I’ve coached badly at times.  I have certainly played badly. I’ve let my own mental game fall apart in moments that mattered. I’ve watched my kids struggle and not always known how to help.

But here’s what I know for sure: the mental side of basketball is trainable. It’s not some fixed trait you’re born with. Like any skill, it improves with attention and practice.

The players who figure this out—who work on their minds as intentionally as they work on their handles—have a real advantage. And the beautiful thing is, these skills transfer. The focus, resilience, and pressure management you build in basketball serve you for the rest of your life.

That’s what I want for every player I work with, every trainer in our BasketballTrainer.com network, and every parent trying to support their kid through this game. Not just better basketball—better tools for life.

Now get in the gym. And work on the puzzle of psychology in the game of basketball. 

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Chris Corbett is the founder of BasketballTrainer.com and AustinYouthBasketball.com, and co-founder of BasketballHQ.com and CoachTube.com. He’s a certified basketball coach with USA Basketball who has helped over 200 players reach college basketball programs. A former college point guard who still competes in European masters tournaments, Chris is the parent of two basketball players and openly acknowledges he’s made plenty of mistakes along the way—and learned from them.