WIN with your MIND!! -- Shot Science Basketball

[bamaboy212005]

i do dat all the time it helps i visualize bein kobe dat helps lol

[ShotScience]

@bamaboy212005 Great to hear that you are using these ideas to help your game.

[tigerflen]

How important is having fun in sports compared to being competitive? Which one is more important in your opinion.

[ShotScience]

@tigerflen No matter how competitive you may be, "Basketball is a GAME." Games are played for the enjoyment of competing with others. Being competitive is a driving force for most players, but in the end it should be about the fun you are having today and the fun you remember when you are 50 years old!!!! Hope you understand.

[MrReedo3]

Coach Is there a video on how to shoot your fee throws?

[ShotScience]

@MrReedo3 The free throw is nothing more than a set shot and "ALL OF THE SHOOTING ELEMENTS ARE THE SAME." We have all of the shooting info in our shooting playlist. Check it out!

[maunicomar09]

Thanks Chase for share your expeirnce!

[ShotScience]

@maunicomar09 You are very welcome. This is such an interesting topic and one that players can tap into for better preparation.

[Denielgunz]

I think a lot about plays, or imagine being in a court, i love doing that, but CONFIDENCE maybe i need some more, sometimes i get a lti afraid of playing aganisnt players more veterans, because i get afraid also of messing it up, but with people of my age, i do it well, till now.

[gunnz021]

Another question: Is "shadow shooting" a form of mental training? What i mean by "shadow shooting" is that i perform the actual motion of shooting jumpers, catching and shooting, shooting off the dribble, etc, etc. when i dont have a ball available. I'd like to think of it like what boxers do to perfect their form. Sounds crazy, but just wondering!

[ShotScience]

@gunnz021 This works!!! Keep on using whatever tools you need to to achieve your goals.

[gunnz021]

Every time i do this before a game, my butterflies get WORSE. Is this a confidence issue?

[ShotScience]

@gunnz021 Probably, but we bet the butterflies Fly as you get into the feel of the game!

[IwantTobeTheBest23]

so when i play at the ymca they give me the ball and tell me to shoot or run it in i get scared that i may mess up and then they may get mad or something so i just pass the ball what can i do to get over that? also i feel like i cost the team im playing on the win

[ShotScience]

@IwantTobeTheBest23 You aree experiencing a real "CONFIDENCE PROBLEM." You can only gain confidence by really developing your skills and taking them to the gym. Don't be so hard on yourself! No player is perfect. Grow your game and the confidence will come.

[bletma281]

@IwantTobeTheBest23 You shouldnt care what others think. If your getting scared develop confidence by driving it in or shooting it If you miss or get blocked WHO cares, U LEARN FORM YOUR MISTAKES!!! At the end of the days who is trying to get better u youself or the team. Focus on getting better for future challenegs

[ShotScience]

@bletma281 This is very good advice!

[MiRr0RrZ]

i guess its also how you view the game and what happens during the game. because i remember, my team always played harder when we were considered "the underdogs". i guess it helps when you have an inspiration in your mind when your playing. but thanks for the vid, recorded an average of 21+ assissts per game and 16 ppg averaged

[ShotScience]

@MiRr0RrZ It sounds like you understand the important factors needed to win. Your stats sound great. Thanks for your comment.

[bigmacjaheen]

Because of this, I scored 38 points in my last game and I got 7-11 from 3 point range.

[ShotScience]

@bigmacjaheen It's amazing what you can do with mental preparation. Glad this works for you. It worked for Chase.

[TheLegendaryRappers]

when r u guys making ur next video?

[ShotScience]

@TheLegendaryRappers: Should be out in a couple of days.

[98639816]

Hey, Shotscience. I am usally a good basketball player, im fast, i can shoot and I can rebound because of my vertical leap but since new years iv'e become a really bad player. One of the biggest problems is that when I am on offense and I get the ball I dont know what to do with it, before I could just cross them and go for a easy lay up. But now I either go through them so its a charge or when actually get past them I go for a weird lay up and miss.I really dont know whats going,So please Help.

[ShotScience]

@98639816: Sorry, we have no real solutions for you. This situation is pretty "abnormal" and it may just pass. Keep us up to date on any changes and if we come across som info we ill get it to you. Good luck.

[DTrain7294]

@98639816 Sounds like you may have had a bad game or two and now it's snowballed into a slump. Foreget the past, get back into the gym and build your confidence up. Come gametime, TRUST YOURSELF. If you get lost in the moment and just react instead of thinking how to react, you'll do better. And if you make a mistake, that's okay. No player has a flawless game. Good luck!

[ShotScience]

@DTrain7294: Good response DTrain.

[EricMichaelRemo]

coach, is it possible to increase vertical leap to 12 inches in 3-4 months? and do you think i would improve dramatically in that span of time if i work a lot?

[ShotScience]

@EricMichaelRemo: Well we think that this much growth in that time span is not realistic even though you will find some people stating that you can. It takes time to develop the strength and flexibility. Sorry.

[ortizdabeast12]

i visualize my self doing good but i do worse am i putting too much pressure on myself to perform? plz write back

[ShotScience]

@ortizdabeast12: The visualization is good! Make your goals reasonable in your visualizations, that way they become more achievable. Some times we put undue and unreasonable pressure on ourselves and then are disappointed when we cannot achieve these lofty goals. Make all goals reasonable.

[PieceOfShait]

I am a new player. I can score basket playing with my friends. but when it comes to match I'm really not good. I really have to confident and very nervous. so what should i do?

[ShotScience]

@PieceOfShait: Just continue to play and your confidence will grow as you get better skill wise. This is pretty common with in-experienced players.

[alittlerock]

HI Shot science - what specifically is therecent research youre talking about in 1.40 please? I'm a research geek hypnotist

[Sicc559]

i think confidence helps alot, before i would just expect a lost, but now i end up with the win most of the time.

[ShotScience]

@Sicc559: Confidence is so important. No quit is also imperative. You can do a lot of things to prepare yourself mentally to play well.

[FieldBoy111]

i can visualize myself doing something fairly ok but what i have a hard time mentally rehearsing is what my legs and feet are doing during the given activity

[ShotScience]

@FieldBoy111: Don't try to think in such concise terms. Think about your entire game and not the little aspects.

[exchamelot]

well said..for me my mental rehearsal and mental imagery..is watching chase's highlights and seeing my self as chase..knocking that treys..

like that line..

"seeing my self as chase and knocking that treys"

it does inspires me whenever i see chase's highlights

[ShotScience]

@exchamelot: As a father and a coach He inspires me too. He is what a "competitor and winner" is all about. Thanks for your comments.

[unknownsungod3]

So basically i should play shadow basketball? (Pretend theirs other ppl in da court?)

[ShotScience]

sungod: Thats the idea. We can learn and develop using this mental imaging or rehearsal as well as can actually physically doing it. This is a strong learning skill. Try it, you will like it.

[kb826062871]

If i cant dunk, can i imagine that im dunking?

 Can i visualize the things that i cannot do?

[ShotScience]

kb:  You can imagine dunking, however, this visualization will not allow you to dunk unless you are tall enough and can jump. Sorry!

[SickofInsanity]

It's not about height

It's only about flight

EX; Allen Iverson, 6'0", can only dunk Nate Robinson, 5'7", does between the legs and 360s

[ShotScience]

Sick: Thanks for your comment!

[chokchok605]

shot science , so if when i stay at home ,

i cannot go out to play , i keep thinking about my shot mechanics , high release , two finger release .

does it ingrain into my muscle memory .

[ShotScience]

chok: Yes, it does. This is referred to as "Visualization" and is key in learning motor skills. Chase has been a real believer in visualization for a long time and feels that it really helped him as a player. Keep it up!

[clericstar]

now that i know visualisation helps does it matter if i visualise myself? because i always tend to visualise kobe bryant knocking down shots from the 3-point line or more like remembering what i see on youtube

[ShotScience]

Ryan: The visualization is about you and your quest for success. Chase used this tool to assist him in his H.S. and college careers. It served him well. "It's all about you". Kobe probably uses visualization for himself!

[clericstar]

i see then i guess i have been visualizing almost every minute because now that its vacation for students here in singapore i really want to focus on improving my gameplay and after much discouragement from my coach, he said that i was already at my limit and would not improve, i really want to prove him wrong so i hope you guys will continue with your good work! cya around

[ShotScience]

star: just keep workin hard and grow your game. It's a little ridiculous for a coach to tell you something like that. Who can know what our hard work might allow us to do. Prove him wrong!!!!!

[clericstar]

Thanks for the encouragement and i will always support shotscience all the way! cya around

[ShotScience]

star: Take those words to the bank and live by them and you will succeed. Thanks for your support and maybe one day we will cya. Good luck and stay tuned.

[aloysiuslee]

hey, i usually temp to get nervous before matches. any ways to overcome it???

[ShotScience]

Hey, you are normal!!! Most players are nervous before they play. Go with the flow and you will usually relax after the first few minutes of the game. Even the best have "butterflies" before the game is on. Once it begins they tend to disappear.

[joshua1813]

hey i need a little help like every time i play with my closer friends I play really good, but when it is with ppl that are really good, I don't play as good. i just really need help eliminating negative thoughts

[ShotScience]

josh: Sounds to us like you have a confidence problem. You are probably worrying that you will fail and so that is what will happen. We all fail before we can succeed! Think about riding that bike the first time. Fell over a bunch and then off you went. When we worry too much about failure we often do just that. "Let's get Positive, man" and kick some booty!!!

[EricJN73]

Joshua1813: I have the same problem except in vice versa...

When I play in my school I miss everything.. and I mean EVERYTHING! I miss layups, jumpshots, I lose control of the ball and I become a really bad passer. (I throw the ball with a spin causing my teammates to lose control of it once the catch it or I throw it too soft or I do a horrible bounce pass...) But when I play in other places, I start making my J's, my layups, I start dribbling fast and I make amazing passes ! D: Help ?

[joshua1813]

can u also tell me wut to do if i am playing defense on i guy who is faster than me? like how to keep up with them so the don't blow past me easily

[ShotScience]

josh: You can give them a little more room, but in reality defense is a team thing. If you lay off too far they can shoot over, if you crowd them they go by us. Being beaten on defense is such an ego thing. You should always be backed up by your team mates. If they go by, turn and run them to one of your team mates who should help. These mis-matches are a part of the game. Just remember, your ego can't get in the way and call for help if you get beat.

[joshua1813]

hey i need a little help like every time i play with my closer friends I play really good, but when it is with ppl that are really good, I don't play as good, but that's just one thing, like some days when i play with much better ppl sometimes I just play good, so it makes me wonder why I can't always play as good.

[hotmvman]

it's okay if it stumps you; at least you gave your best effort. I have been thinking, how does a player keep their confidence up and agressive mentality intact? One time, a player might be nervous or not as aggressive as others. Or someone might mess with their confidence. What are some tips that will keep my cofidence up and how prevent myself from thinking a lot in games? Also, i'm just too nice; i don't feel as agressive as others, so how could i change that?

[ShotScience]

hot: Confidence is usually the result of having skills that you trust. This trust grows from constantly working on your skills and then taking them to the court. On the court you can challenge yourself against live players and your successes here will help develop your confidence in yourself. If others players are messing with your confidence you are paying WAY TOO much attention to them and their comments. You can develop aggressiveness, but not if you allow others players into your head.

[hotmvman]

i daydream a lot, but does daydreaming ruin your confidenece in a way? when i daydream, i just feel like i don't appreciate what i have in reality.

[ShotScience]

hot: This one stumps us! You will have to discover this on your own. Sorry.

[hotmvman]

can you help me? whenever i play in a game, i feel like i am better than most of those guys who are playing becasue they can't handle the ball or shoot. But when i paly in a game, i can cross anyone over and my my jump shots are not falling in. I end up playing worse than them. What am i doing wrong? How can I overcome this?

[ShotScience]

hot: We believe that you must be putting a lot of pressure on yourself and your confidence is kind of low. Sometimes we really "press" trying to look good and we sabotage ourselves. Relax and don't try to do too much and let your game happen. This should help out the confidence. Good luck.

[TheAntman]

Thanks for this advice. Sometimes i need a little reassurance and your advice helps me get it together. Appreciate it.

[ShotScience]

Glad we could be of assistance. Spread the word.

[TheAntman]

I'm a walk-on college freshman at a D-III school who only played for 1 year of H.S. basketball. I go to every open gym and work hard on the fundamentals to be better. However, everytime I have the chance to play in open gym agaisnt the recruits, I feel that I have too many flaws and choose not to. Any advice on how to break out of that mindset?

[ShotScience]

TheAntman: What have you got to lose? Many of us forgo opportunities because of our lack of confidence. How can you grow your confidence unless you challenge yourself. What an opportunity to take advantage of. Your coaches are probably hoping that you will jump in and play. Figure it's another moment to work and get better. Remember, we usually don't jump on a bicycle and ride off. There are those small "failures", or fall offs before we can ride. Jump on this bike and ride!

[DJJmoneymaka13]

I luv basketball so much i spend literally hours watching tutorial videos wenever i can. My basketball hoop got stolen and now i cant practice cuz nobody will take me to the gym, but wen skool starts if i make the basketball team i can go to basketball practice. How can i become a better player without a hoop. PS my bball iz out of service and up until then i had been practicing my dribbling.

[ShotScience]

It's pretty tough without a ball or a basket... Try working on your shooting form without the ball, maybe with a mirror and make sure that you're pulling all of the elements together. Also, footwork is an often overlooked aspect that you can work on without basketball gear. Things such as ladder drills or star drills are great for that. There's tons of things you can do!

[uzman1243]

thanx but 1 question. after i take a shot and when i miss (even once) i get discouraged and tend to miss the rest. how do i stop getting discouraged if i miss my shot?

[ShotScience]

You've got to realize that you will miss a shot eventually, no matter what you do. The best players out there don't let a miss get to them. You have to grow your confidence and expect every shot you take to be money, but if it isn't you're ready for the next one. If not, you'll mentally sabotage yourself!!!!

[kleanchap]

You are very young and presented this material so succinctly!! I am very impressed! Thank you for this great video!

[ShotScience]

Thanks for your comments. We really like to know that we can help.

[RobSchFan]

thx! it is true guys visualize your shoot then it will effectivly work! . . . thx for posting this video helps alot!

[ShotScience]

Thanks so much for watching!!!

[MrCamchris]

This is really what my dad tells me how confidence and the way you decide to play is the way u will turn out to play in the game thanks!! my teaches me everything i know about basketball and these videos are helping alot!!

[ShotScience]

MrCam:

Your dad sounds like a good coach. Sometimes we don't listen close enough to our dads. Glad the videos are helping. Stay tuned there's more on the way.

[MrCamchris]

chase your videos are the best!!!

[ShotScience]

Thanks!!!

[KZPwned]

5/5 for you guys!

~RadiCaL

[ShotScience]

Thanks so much!! Hope it helps you!

[SanskritZ]

i visualize my self playing with my favorite player ..lebron....before i play any major games. it actually helps knowing that you can maybe one day help win a game and be at a professional level. this helps your self-esteem and confidence glad you guys made this vid thanks again!

[ShotScience]

Thanks for the awesome comment! Keep up the hard work and you'll do great!

[darkwiz999]

Shotscience,

When are your next videos coming out? its been a while

Thanks! i cant wait for them to come out

[ShotScience]

Chase has a new video on "How to Create Your Shot" coming out in the next day or so. We decided to reshoot some supporting video to make it even easier to understand.

We promise that we put the videos out as soon as we can!

[razgriz04]

I read somewhere that Phill Jackson takes about 5 min. in the locker room so that his players practice this. I did this while I was playing on a basketball team and man did it work? (The answer is yes, if your wandering). This makes you a better player because it prepares you for the game, and gives you confidence. It also kinda warms you up a little bit for mental gameplay and response time like reflexes, using your quicks and IQ in the basketball game. Am I correct?

[ShotScience]

raz: You are on it. Imagery and visualization are becoming more respected as preparation tools for competition. Glad to hear from you on this. Stay in touch.

--The Shot Science Guys

[GuitarHeroHarun3]

Ok Shot Science all ur videos help. BUT i am trying to get a really good form, like i want to shoot higher so it looks better and i dont get blocked, but i am WAY more consistent when i shoot from the chest area but i dont want that. and even when i try to shooot higher the ball has no arc and it just straight. What can i do. i tried my legs and that helps a little more. what can i do i really want to shoot from a higher place but i cant. and im almost 13 yrs old so its hard. what can i do??????

[ShotScience]

GuitarHero: If watched our vids you noted that the set point should be above and in front of your head and viewing the basket from underneath the ball. From this point remember that the elbow must elevate and not push the ball outward toward the basket. 'ELBOWS ELEVATE". These stroke mechanics will need to be worked on quite a bit before they become your new stroke. Send us a good quality vid and we will analyze it for you. Close up is best. Good luck.

[darkwiz999]

Chase, I always use visualization in my head,but when i do what i thought i could do in my head. i always miss or mess up most of the time. Help? Also, i thought it was about all of the practice not all the mental imagery and stuff.

PS: I visualize my sel shooting 3s but dont make ti for example.

Are you guys going to have a video on shot motin and mechancis and followthrough and all that stuff in a video? i cant w8

Great Video Chase! You Rock!

[darkwiz999]

Um soory Chase, but ive heard that you played for the US national team and sports will always be part of your life. Im sorry if one of your best friends died. Did that happen?

[chasecurtiss]

Sorry for the late response I was at the IHRSA convention in San Fran.... Its really important to have proper mechanics before using mental imagery to build confidence and hit big pressure shots. Focus more on the mental rehearsal and really learning the shooting mechanics!!

And yes, I did play for a US team in Australia. I dont play basketball competitively anymore, just coach in my spare time, my 8th Grade girls won a state championship!!

[ShotScience]

Right on, Chase!

[dannyych]

Yes,i do visualize myself playing post moves.But after certain time,i found out that although i still remember my favourite post moves,the feeling is different from usual.Example,my post moves is much weaker and easy to be counter by another people.Can you teach me how to strenghten my post moves against another more stronger person?I cannot use post moves if against another stronger guys because of their strenght keep giving pressure on me.

[ShotScience]

Hi, thanks for the comment!! We have actually filmed some post move stuff, but we'll have several videos that might be just what you're looking for. We'll try to get them up and ready as soon as we can!

If you post your question as a video response to our Ask Coach video, we might be able to get to it sooner!

[Bow2HSwipeVids]

THE BEST ^^

haha, thank you Shot Science again!

This is an interesting topic

I wish you could post more

I checked youtube everyday to see if you have a new video haha

Hmm, I bet this will work soo well :)

[ShotScience]

Thanks again, Bow!! Yeah, Chase comes up with some pretty interesting stuff that you might not think about otherwise, but he's a proven competitor and really knows what he's talking about! And we wish we could put videos up every day, but it takes a while to shoot them and then edit them! The more support we get and the more people we have as subscribers really motivates us though, so we're always working on new stuff. Tell your friends so we can really kick it up a notch ;)

[darkklegacy]

hey thank you shot science this advice really helps!

one question though, I am fairly tall, fast, and decent at shooting, but I really fault in dribbling

are you guys going to have a dribbling/ manuvering video or is it just a basic skill I should master

Thanks a lot :)

[ShotScience]

Thanks so much for the comment! Yes, we will have some ball handling videos in the works that we're sure will help! We have some good drills that really develop those skills.

[SejoG9788]

do it all the time its great!

[ShotScience]

Awesome! So it works for you then?

[SejoG9788]

yeah it definitely works for me ive been doing it ever since i could remember. great way to keep focused

[tommy7113]

thanks for the help

[ShotScience]

No problem! Thanks so much for the comment!