Zitina Aokuso, Inspiring the Young
Take Your Game To The Next Level
Through Motivation
Are you thinking of elevating your game to the next level? Motivation can be your greatest teammate when it comes to improving your game. Whatever level you’re currently playing at, and whatever your Basketball goals are, your psyche as an athlete will influence the outcome.
“Be Like Mike”
The great legend, Michael Jordan’s story of not being drafted into his high school basketball team is an infamous tale of achieving success through tenacious motivation and is known by many hoopers worldwide. His story should inspire many Basketball players that through motivation, you can reach your Basketball goals, no matter how high it is. And so, studying these tips on how you can find and maintain your motivation, should be able to deliver results.
Know Yourself
To identify where your motivation lies or if it even exists, you should first examine your current lifestyle and what you currently possess. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs describes what our needs are as human beings. These essential needs move up from Physiological needs (e.g. food, water, warmth & rest) to Self-actualisation needs (e.g. pursuit of reaching individual potential).
To apply this theory to a Basketball player, we could say that if the player’s physiological needs are not satisfied such as proper food and diet and rest, they would have lacking motivation to play the game, let alone achieve Basketball goals. And so, we should fulfil these basic needs in order to move up the scale to help us realise and pursue our full potential.
Put In The Effort
Another question you should ask yourself is “Does my effort match my goals?”. You may want to improve your ball handling and playmaking so the coach can start you in games, but do you practice enough drills and study plays enough? If the answer is yes, then that’s great! Keep going! But if it’s a No, you need to evaluate whether you really want to achieve your Basketball goals.
Saying and envisioning yourself that you’ll be the next Ben Simmons is easy, but before reaching the top, you have to climb and often times, it gets steep. How you climb the steep faces of the mountain is what will separate you from those who will achieve their Basketball goals and don’t.
Methods to Develop Motivation
In reflection, the methods of how to develop your motivation are as follows:
- Focus on your long-term goals
- Get a training partner
- Keep yourself in check with your greatest competitor
- Have motivational cues
- Listen and talk to your coach
ALSO READ: How to Perform Under Pressure
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