Doubting Yourself At The Line

How do I help my players with the mental part of shooting a free throw?  Their form and technique look good, but mentally they are doubting themselves and lacking  confidence?
Phil Miller

Thanks for the question, Phil.  You can practice mental stuff -- concentration drills, rating confidence 1-to-10, rating how much you trust yourself with each shot, etc. -- but if the stroke is ultimately flawed, the concentration, confidence and trust will fall apart very quickly.

Work first of all to get a stroke that is flawless.  One that can send the ball the same distance every time, a motion that is so aligned, simple, accurate and repeatable you can almost do it in your sleep.  You can, certainly, do it with your eyes closed if itís that kind of stroke.  If your release has any variation in it, youíre in trouble.

Find a Release that is everytime the same, same speed and force, a constant rather than a variable. Then work on the mental stuff.  And it will be easier to do because you will come to trust your stroke.  Confidence will follow the success of the stroke, rather than the other way around.