Calming nerves in basketball/sports (any experts?) ...

... does anyone know how athletes calm nerves when gearing up for big games, or when the opposing team goes on big runs? Just curious. Sports are as much mental as physical, and it seems that the Gophers play too hard often. They overpursue on defense leading to open 3's and open dribble penetrations; they miss open shots that they'd normally hit; when nerves are high passing isn't as sharp.

You'd think that a polished D-1 level athlete would be able to stay away from nerves; and for the most part, they seem to handle it better than say, your typical high school or intramural level team. But look at what happened to Purdue (vs. Duke). Those guys were as geeked as any team I've seen in the past couple of years. They were so geeked that they couldn't do anything right. I recall a Gopher 1st round tourney game some years back against St. Louis that they only had 3 points through the first 10 minutes...

Upsets happen not because of physical prowess, they happen because the better team chokes. Were we really worse than Illinois in all 3 games last year or did that nasty ongoing losing streak have a lot to do with the results? What can be done to put nerves to rest such that the better team wins?

How does Bostick get out of his funk? How do the Gophers keep from losing a lead when an inferior team goes on a big run and everything seems to go wrong? How does Brommer start the season 3-15 from the foul line for Iowa, including shanking the front end of a game-tying 1-and-1 set? I'm sure if any of you knew all the answers to these, you'd be very rich, but any suggestions?

How does Brommer start the season 3-15 from the foul line for Iowa, including shanking the front end of a game-tying 1-and-1 set?

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Lord, I saw that replayed about a hundred times over the weekend. You could just see when he stepped up to the line that he knew he wasn't going to make it. I felt bad for him.

These are tough questions. Our niece is a D1 softball player. They have a few books that are required reading. One is Heads Up Baseball which I guess is THE book for the mental game of baseball. I suspect it would certainly apply to basketball, other sports, and probably other life situations.

http://www.mhprofessional.com/product.php?cat=109&isbn=1570280215#gsignin

What does it mean to play heads-up baseball? A heads-up player has confidence in his ability, keeps control in pressure situations, and focuses on one pitch at a time. His mental skills enable him to play consistently at or near his best despite the adversity baseball presents each day.

"My ability to fully focus on what I had to do on a daily basis was what made me the successful player I was. Sure I had some natural ability, but that only gets you so far. I think I learned how to focus; it wasn't something that I was necessarily born with." -- Hank Aaron

"Developing and refining my mental game has played a critical role in my success in baseball. For years players have had to develop these skills on their own. This book provides practical strategies for developing the mental skills that will help speed you toward your full potential." -- Dave Winfield

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I honestly think some kids are just born with a better grip on the mental game, others have to get help to recognize proper mindsets, still some when faced with adverse situations enough times learn how to deal with it ( the importance of senior leadership ) and there are some that never are able to come to grips with it.

It's an interesting subject.

My Stepdaughter (Now Retired From WNBA) Listened To Music

Her gameday routine was (1) eat a good lunch, (2) take a good nap, and (3) listen to her favorite music for at least an hour.

Never saw her nervous, even at the Olympics.

Not have nerves in the first place. Some people are just cool as cucumbers. I think this will serve Ralph Sampson III well.

repetition

These guys have been playing basketball all their lives...traveling basketball, summer leagues, junior high ball, more summer leagues, more traveling, high school ball, AAU ball and now they are here. Over the course of their basketball careers they have played in a bunch of pressure packed games at every level of competition.

Obviously its all relative to the level of play, but playing in a big 10th grade AAU championship game is good practice for not feeling pressure for a big time Big Ten game in the future.

They have played in so many games that I bet very few of them get nervous anymore unless its a really big spot.

Practice, practice, practice and faith in yourself, your coach and your teammates. That's called team chemistry. It doesn't come easy and usually separates the good from the best.

Watching the Gophers on www.ESPN360.com right now...

...they are down 25-30, Cornell is hitting some big shots, the refs are making some questionable calls, and we are losing to a team we should be beating. Appears to me, that like my original post, the Gophers are getting a bit nervous. This nervousness is leading to over-aggression on D (leading to open Cornell players/shots), us missing open shots, and making bad passes.

The psychology of an athlete is hard to control. There aren't very many cool customers in sports that I can think of that never get rattled. Kobe Bryant might be one of the closest to it.