December 14, 2022   |   Tagged Motivation

Basketball Brain Test

Overcome disappointments on and off the basketball court-- key ways to navigate disappointment

Check out this basketball brain test to measure your mental toughness on and off the basketball court.

Your brain under stress can’t perform complex tasks. You need a peaceful, hopeful brain to navigate basketball, school, work, and life with success. Complexity in your brain that comes in without warning or welcome is a problem. Thought addiction is an example of this. Criticism from your coach comes to you and you can’t get the brain focused, instead, it wants to OD on fear about the critique. Fear is a huge robber of mental ability. Fear floods your brain and paralyzes you. Anger and bitterness do the same. After a fight with a family member, the mind can replay the argument over and over again, making work focus almost impossible.

The goal at NBC Basketball is to train our minds to be a sanctuary of peace regardless of external complexities. A peaceful mind can untangle chaos and create order.

Here are some practical ways to navigate external complexity.

Develop a mentally tough mindset. Mental toughness means that you control what you will and will not think. Fearful thoughts don’t plague you. “What ifs” and fear of the future don’t have time in your mind. Your thoughts are strong, wise, consistent, and powerful.

Those with a Mentally Weak Mindset

• Focus on the faults of others
• Perseverate on mistakes
• Entertain all negative outcomes
• Cannot stop thinking about negative events
• Have a crowded and chaotic thought life

Those with a Mentally Tough Mindset

• Focus on helping others become their best
• Learn from mistakes
• Entertain all the ways to be grateful
• Replace negative thoughts with solutions and hope
• Have a peaceful and mindful thought life

BASKETBALL BRAIN TEST (yes or no)

a. My mind is peaceful.
b. I am fully present in the moment.
c. My thoughts are positive and hopeful.
d. I can study my mistakes without negative emotions.
e. I don't replay conversations or painful situations repeatedly in my mind.
f. I never assume what my coach or someone else is thinking.
g. I control what I want to think about or focus on.
h. My mind is free of distractions.
i. I never invent stories that are worst-case scenarios.
j. I believe in my future.
k. Tough situations make me stronger.
m. I can ask for help when I am struggling with my thoughts.
n. I understand certain thoughts are poisonous and deadly and I never dwell on these poisonous thoughts.
o. I focus on words, music, and thoughts that are powerful which make me stronger.

How did you do?
If you scored lower on this test, consider getting a mentor who can help you build your basketball brain. Mental health and wellness are crucial to basketball success. Just like you would never scale a mountain without a guide, overcoming difficult thinking patterns requires professional help and guidance.

Here are some more ways to build a stronger basketball brain.

Feed your brain healthy input. What you put in your mind matters. Pornography, traumatic news stories, negativity, violence, gossip, backbiting, and empty words weaken your mind. Surround your mind with a complexity of thought that is wise, powerful, insightful, and true. Read great thinkers throughout history. Study the lives of great leaders and those who have influenced the world for good. Memorize. If you find you can’t manage your thoughts around depression or fear, memorize poetry by Gerard Manley Hopkins such as the poem "As Kingfisher’s catch fire". The difficulty of memorizing his poems absorbs the mind and keeps it from drifting toward places of chaos.

Focus on the simple gratitude of life. Notice the taste of your food. Notice the feel of your favorite fabric or the fur of a beloved pet. Breathe in the scent of a worn leather basketball. Listen in a noisy gym and try to identify all the fun and interesting sounds. Find ways to say thank you even when life gets complex.

Building a basketball brain that can handle the complexity of the game and the challenge of life is a daily discipline. Every day you are mentally tough in the small tasks, you will be building a basketball brain that can handle the big moments of life.

NBC Basketball

NBC Camps were started as Northwest Basketball Camp in 1971 and have expanded to be in 50 cities and 8 countries. NBC now stands for Nothing Beats Commitment and the belief that challenging work, wisdom, gratitude, and mentoring is key to becoming a better player and person. NBC Basketball offers camps, clinics, academies, travel teams, and more. For more information about their program visit www.nbccamps.com.