Next Level Mentality

HAVING A NEXT LEVEL MENTALITY MEANS DOING WHAT YOU NEED TO HAVE A MENTAL EDGE IN EVERYTHING YOU DO, WHETHER IT BE ON OR OFF THE COURT.

NEXT LEVEL MENTALITY is a content series dedicated to helping kids stay active and healthy while also learning the importance of mind-body connection and improving their mental approach to sports and life.

The Jr. NBA and NBA Academy have teamed up with professional mental performance coaches from the NBA and WNBA to help young people gain a mental edge using sports performance techniques.

  • Overview

    OVERVIEW

    Our goal is to help kids TRAIN THEIR BRAIN, LIKE THEY TRAIN THEIR GAME.

    Next Level Mentality will cover a series of 10 mental performance topics consisting of a video and facilitator guide for each topic. The videos are targeted for kids ages 9-14, and the facilitator guides are targeted towards coaches and educators, to help them teach this content to their youth.

    • Each video episode features tips and resources from a mental performance coach, personal insight from NBA and WNBA players, and associated warmup and basketball drills.
    • The facilitator guides will help deepen your knowledge of the subject matter as well as provide additional resources and ideas for both individual and group activities.
    • Check back here for a new episode every week!
    • If you are interested in additional mental wellness resources, please visit nba.com/mindhealth.

     

    **The health and safety of the entire youth basketball community – including players, parents, coaches and staff – remains paramount. Any in-person activities should be conducted in accordance with local and state guidelines. We encourage all coaches and educators to continue to consult with medical experts and local officials to determine the health and safety guidelines that must be met when conducting in-person activities, if deemed safe to proceed. 

  • Goal Setting

    GOAL SETTING

    Goal setting is the process of identifying something that you want to accomplish, and then establishing measurable ways and timeframes to accomplish it. It’s extremely important to set goals for yourself personally, academically, athletically – in anything you do!

    Check out the Goal Setting Facilitator Guide for more information on goal setting including how it can benefit you, how to utilize it daily and ways to practice it individually and as a group.

  • Concentration

    CONCENTRATION

    Concentration is all about being present and in the moment. When you are focused, you can understand things more quickly and better ignore distracting thoughts. Having strong concentration skills can help improve your performance both in sports and in life!

    Check out the Concentration Facilitator Guide  for more information on concentration including strategies to train it individually and as a group.

  • Teamwork

    TEAMWORK

    Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common goal. We use teamwork skills not just in sports, but in the classroom, with friends and at home. Learning how to be a good teammate can improve our own social skills, create stronger bonds of trust, and improve our productivity.

    Check out the Teamwork Facilitator Guide for more information on teamwork including steps to follow to improve teamwork among a group of students/athletes and the importance of an individual’s role in team settings.

  • Effective Communication

    EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION

    Effective Communication is the process of exchanging ideas, thoughts, and information both effectively and efficiently. When we communicate effectively, we are clear in delivering our messages while also actively listening to the messages of others.

    Check out the Effective Communication Facilitator Guide for more information on effective communication including ways to practice and improve it both individually and as a team.

  • Self-Confidence

    SELF-CONFIDENCE

    Self-confidence is the trust in your abilities and belief that you can successfully achieve your goals. The higher your confidence, the more you can accept and learn from any situations you deal with in sports and in life.

    Check out the Self-Confidence Facilitator Guide for more information on self-confidence including how it impacts your performance and ways you can practice it daily.

  • Managing Pressure

    MANAGING PRESSURE

    Pressure is the stress that is associated with expectations to perform well in a situation. In sports and in life, we deal with different types of pressure often, so learning how to manage pressure is extremely important to our individual performance and mental well-being.

    Check out the Managing Pressure Facilitator Guide for more information on how to identify when you feel pressure and strategies for managing it.

  • Habits and Discipline

    HABITS & DISCIPLINE

    Self-discipline is the practice of controlling your own actions and feelings, and habits are behaviors you do on a regular basis. Therefore, self-discipline is the conscious effort to create a habit. Practicing self-discipline and building habits are two great skills to develop to help you achieve your goals and improve your performance both on and off the court.

    Check out the Habits & Discipline Facilitator Guide for more information on ways to implement good habits into your daily routine and tips for how to stay disciplined.

  • Positive Self-Talk

    POSITIVE SELF-TALK

    Self-talk is something we do all the time without realizing – it is our internal dialogue. Positive self-talk means speaking to yourself with kindness and compassion. Focusing on making your self-talk positive is important because how you talk to yourself can make a big impact on how you feel and how you perform.

    Check out the Positive Self-Talk Facilitator Guide for more information on positive self-talk including on how to keep your self-talk positive and how that impacts your daily mindset!

  • Relaxation

    RELAXATION

    Relaxation means feeling calm both physically and mentally. When your body AND mind are both relaxed, you feel calmer and more confident and are therefore able to concentrate better, solve problems, deal with pressure, and ultimately improve your performance!

    Check out the Relaxation Facilitator Guide for more information on relaxation including strategies to relax your mind and body and tips for incorporating relaxation into your daily routine.

  • Imagery & Visualization

    IMAGERY & VISUALIZATION

    Imagery and visualization are forms of deliberate daydreaming where you use all your senses to either create new mental images or recreate a scene in your mind that you want to manifest. If you can learn how to use imagery and visualization in both your daily routine and your sports training, you can use it to improve your concentration, enhance motivation, build confidence, and so much more!

    Check out the Imagery & Visualization Facilitator Guide for more information on imagery and visualization including keys to developing mental imagery skills and how it can become part of your sports training.

  • Contact

    CONTACT

    The staff of the Jr. NBA is happy to answer questions regarding Next Level Mentality. Please email JrNBA@nba.com and a representative will be available to assist.