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Confidence and building momentum

Most players have at some point felt like they were in the zone, and you've probably felt that too.  Every shot you take feels like it's going straight into the basket.  Every pass you throw is right on the mark and seems to lead to an easy basket for a teammate.  Every rebound seems to fall right into your hands.  And it seems like you can play like this forever.

That's the zone.  And as mentioned before, most players have felt that kind of feeling before, even if it was just for a few minutes in a game or practice.

One of the frustrating things about the zone is that it sort of seems to pop up when you least expect it, and you can never really figure out how to keep that feeling around as long as you'd like it to.

So invariably the question arises:  how can you create the zone, and how can you keep it going?

First off, let's explain what the zone really is.  In short, it's the feeling of confidence, of unbelievable confidence that you can do what you want when you want on the floor.  Basically, it's a feeling that you can't be stopped, not matter what your opponent does.

If you can't hit a hot, have terrible ball handling ability, and can't get a rebound, then you can't really expect to get in the zone, can you?  So the basis for even getting yourself into a position to play at a high level, and at the top of your game, is to put the time and effort into practice and training, so you can play the game at a high level.

Putting the time and effort into your training routine, and getting yourself to a position where you can play well, and do so consistently, will give you the confidence that when you take the court, you know you can excel, and dominate the competition.  This confidence is the first step to playing at a high level.

Building on a high level of confidence, another key element of getting into the zone is building on the good plays you make, and creating momentum.  When you really think about it, the zone is really just about making plays, time after time after time.  Put another way, if you make a great play, then another great play, and then another one...you're really getting yourself in a groove, or the zone.

Playing in the zone is really about playing at a high level, and being at that level consistently.  To play at a high level, you have to have the ability to do so.  That takes time and practice.  Once you have that ability, you need to take the floor with the confidence that you can dominate the competition.  At that point, it's a matter of building on one success after another, and keeping the momentum of your good play going.

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