Mental Skills Training with Coach Joey Hewitt
November 30, 2023
By: Dylan Tehada
Mental skills training is becoming more important to the game than ever and there are plenty of resources and methods to hone these skills. While there are nuances to mental skills training compared to other aspects of the game, the common thread that yields success is repetition. Putting in the time and being committed to training the mind can elevate one’s game to new heights and teach an athlete a lot about themselves.
Unlimited Potential Basketball’s Player Development Coach, Joey Hewitt, understands the importance of training the mind and leads mental training sessions at the facility to help young athletes with this aspect of the game. During his sessions, he goes into depth about one specific mental skill and talks at length about with his athletes on Zoom. He deliberately chooses to focus on a specific skill one at a time to avoid overwhelming his athletes and give them techniques and insight that can be applied directly during their next practice or game.
Some skills he focuses on are: confidence, routines, visualization techniques, and many more. Sessions usually include talking about the athlete’s experience with a certain mental skill, watching videos from professionals and coaches, and finishing with a mental exercise. Exercises can range from meditation to breathing exercises to journaling.
“The goal is to give the athlete something to focus on before, during, and after performances to help them remain focused, calm, and centered,” Hewitt said.
Hewitt lives and breathes basketball. He seeks to spread his love and passion for the game and leading these mental skills training sessions are the perfect way for him to do so. He understands how vital confidence is to success and even acknowledges that mental skills go beyond the game of basketball. Having a good mindset is what separates good players from great ones and Hewitt is dedicated to spreading this message.
“Mindset is the separator. It’s what separates good from great, and bad from good… I want to pass this valuable knowledge to the next generation of hoopers at a younger age,” Hewitt said.
As with any skill, in order to see results when it comes to mentality, consistency is key. Hewitt considers repetition as the key to success when it comes to training the mind. Through these mental skills training sessions he seeks to instill dedication and commitment to honing mental skills into his athletes. He acknowledges that there are a lot of outside forces that put pressure on athletes on and off the court and he seeks to help athletes manage and cope with these pressures.
“I would say that 90%+ of youth basketball players do not focus on the right things while they’re playing their sport. The most common questions we ask our kids after games are ‘did you win?’ and ‘did you score?’ “ Hewitt said. “Our society is trained to fixate on results. These sessions will help you learn how to focus on the right things in basketball, and in life. They will give you a blueprint for how to maximize your potential on and off the court.”
If you are interested in training the mind with Coach Joey, you can email him at joey@upbtraining.com. He also offers a combo package of mental training and basketball training for athletes to get in person reps for both physical skills and mental exercises.
