September 29, 2021 | Tagged Skills
Keys Ways to Improve Your Basketball Tenacity
Three keys to improve your basketball awareness and master the basketball court.
Tenacity
Doggedness, perseverance, persistency, purpose, steadfast, strength of will, strength of purpose
Tenacity comes from the early 15th century from the Latin word tenacitus meaning “tough, holding fast.”
It is willingness to keep at a task when other’s give up. Tenacity is a measurement used to determine the strength of fabric defined as the ultimate breaking force a fabric can withstand. Tenacity is a perfect word for what is needed in today’s young athlete and student...the strength of mind and purpose each person needs to achieve greatness on and off the court.
Tenacity, like all great character and leadership qualities, can be developed. You can improve your tenacity; it first begins with a decision. You have to have a purpose before you can have the strength to see it through. Amelia Earhart, the great female aviator said, “The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity. The fears are paper tigers. You can do anything you decide to do.”
Ask yourself—what fears have been keeping me from my purpose?
What decisions do I need to make?
7 Ways to Build Tenacity
Basically everyone who is an elite or top level athlete is tenacious. They have to be tenacious to get to the top level. The question then becomes how to help instill tenacity. How do you get tenacity if you don’t have it?
- Find your passion. Research on tenacity shows If you don’t love something, you won’t be tenacious. Tenacity springs from finding something you love.
- Make sure teachers, coaches and parents don’t take away tenacity. Research conducted on teaching, coaching and parenting methods, found students actually lost tenacity when a teacher or parent pushed a student inappropriately. For example, a parent who wants her son or daughter to lose weight and then measures food, withholds food, or criticizes food intake will ultimately create the very opposite of what she wants…a child addicted to food with limited to no self-tenacity toward eating healthy.
- Find great role models. Not only find people in history, find people to see and hang around with everyday. You will become like the people you hang around. Tenacity is contagious.
- Don't quit what you have started: finish strong. Parents, it's really key to help your son or daughter see something all the way through. As Aristotle taught, you are what you repeatedly do. If you make a habit of not finishing a project or a program because it is difficult, you will have this difficulty in the future. In fact 80% of people who start their PhD do not finish. The reason, lack of tenacity.
- Write down your goals and look at them every day. Ok, we know we harp on this a bit too often, but if you would do this one simple task, you would see how completely magical this discipline will be in your life.
- Find someone or a group of people to hold you accountable. Momentum is key. Accountability helps keep up your momentum and helps you generate momentum when you have none. When you are working out, you will definitely work harder in a group that works hard than in a group that does not work hard.
- Overcome fear. Fear causes you to want to quit and give up. Make a goal you will not quit if fear is the reason you want to quit.
Tenacity on the Court
We asked coach Helen Higgs, former D1 athlete at Oregon and former head coach about tenacity. Of all the qualities Coach Helen has, tenacity is definitely at the top of the list. We’ve seen her dive under a parked car on asphalt in a pick-up game of basketball. She is tough-minded and very tenacious. She believes tenacity is most apparent on the court during defense and rebounding. Both require incredible effort and determination. Rebounding is an especially tenacious discipline which requires the strength of will to do the work necessary to be great. The willingness to dig deep and do the little things well will help you be tenacious on the court.
To be a tenacious rebounder:
- Do not follow the flight of the ball
- Quickly locate your man.
- Pivot making contact.
- Without fouling, move the player out with your backside.
- Keep your arms up and be strong.
A great way to build tenacity in rebounding is to set a goal to box-out on every shot. See if you can hit that expectation. When a shot goes up, say aloud "box out", so that you train your mind to do the work. On defense, set a goal of holding your opponent to a certain number of points. Put a consequence on the line or a reward based on what motivates you the most.
Tenacity can be learned and developed. We want to help you gain greater tenacity and expect to see you on the court next summer at NBC Camps!
About NBC Basketball Camps
NBC Camps has grown to become the largest overnight basketball program in the world with locations around the United States, Canada, the UK, Austria, Italy and now Thailand. Campers have gone on to play in the NBA, WBNA, professionally overseas, and play or coach at many colleges and university programs. NBC Camps is a member of US Sports Camps network of outstanding summer sports camps throughout the world. Players, coaches, parents and members of the media interested in learning more about NBC Camps are invited to visit www.nbccamps.com or phone 1-800-406-3926.