Danger Zone
The season just seems to be dragging on. You’re past the excitement of the first matches of the season, but not yet to the exciting playoffs of the end of the season.
Don’t forget that in order to enter the playoffs with the highest seed possible, every game counts. Every performance is scrutinized and every point scored against you is judged. Did the last place team take a game off of you? You may look weaker because of it.
Dropping a game or a match to a team that you should beat with ease looks terrible on a record and can effect your placement when the end of the season finally comes around. It can also give your opponents reason to believe you’re beatable and take away any psychological edge you may have enjoyed when the playoffs do come around.
Escape Route:
The key to riding out the mid-season lull is to keep your eyes on the prize. This may be just another game against another so-so team, but it is a piece of the puzzle that makes up the big picture. Keep your goals at the forefront of your mind and dwell on them often. Take the time to visualize yourself at the end of your successful journey.
Use timeouts and the minutes between games to relax and give your mind a break. But once you step out on the floor again, gather up all your intensity and put yourself to work.
Use these methods in a game, but this attitude starts in practice. Make sure your team knows how to turn on the intensity day in and day out with drills that make them fight through tough situations and to keep their intensity up from start to finish.
Work on plowing through and scoring points in every rotation and keep an eye on when your team loses focus in a drill or at a certain point in practice so you can decipher what it takes to get them back in it. Use drills that require long-term concentration and your team will be able to call upon this skill in matches when they need it.
