mental sports help

Question
Hey my name is patrick healy  i am 17 years old and am having alittle problem with hoops i love the game first of all i play at a university pickup agaist college kids the only proplem is like ok  one day i will be on fire and then the next i won't be able to even hit the rim. This guy i play with says its mental and so does my dad but i don;t knwo how  to fix that and i will play excellant at stony brook university and then when i get to my school leage i chock i get nervous and freeze i tried do alot of things listening to rap calm music sleeping before a game relaxing before a game warming up before a game but nothing seems to be working and i got cut this year becuase i freeze up like that  my game just gets all messed up all of a sudden and i play sloppy an di relize even the greatest platers have off days but this happens often sometimes i will play great for  a week then all of a sudden the next 3 or 4 times a play my games is all messed up any advice?

Answer
Hi Patrick,

It does sound like a lot of your problem is mental. I am not saying that is a bad thing because it sounds like you care and want to fix it. I think you worry too much and put to much emphasis on your scoring. We all have days where we cannot miss and everything seems to go right. Then we have the day's you are talking about when we cannot throw a rock in the ocean. You already understand that all players even the best players have those days. It is how you react to those days. As a coach, I know my best scores sometimes have bad days, so it is up to the team to pick up the slack in the scoring, but it is also my scorer's responsibility to find another way to contribute to the game.

Okay, so your shot is not going in so figure out how to help the team in another way. Such as play great defense and shut down the opposing player, grab ten rebounds, set a good pick, drop ten assists. If you are known as a scorer, then the other team probably keys on you, so set up the defense in believing you are going to shoot and find an open teammate.

I believe you think it is mental also because you are trying different pre-game routines. It is good to relax and be positive but what will get you in that state more than music is proper practice and a positive attitude. The more you prepare the more confidence you will have. If your shot is not going in then do not settle for the outside shot try driving to the basket and getting a lay-up or fouled so you can shoot some free throws. Once you hit a lay-up or free throws many times that will get your shot on track.

I hope this helps and let me know how you do. Stop thinking about it so much and believe in yourself and your abilities. You even said you could take the college kids so build off that and play with confidence. Good luck!