To improve your skills, you must practice your skills consistently. Period. End of story.
In other words, practicing for 4 hours, taking 3 weeks off and then getting back in the gym again for 4 hours… just doesn’t do much good. It’s better than nothing. But it is FAR MORE effective to practice your skills consistently 3-7 times every week for 15-60 minutes at a time.
Or for say 30 minutes every other day. That’s also an effective schedule that will help you improve a lot more than 4 hours every 3 weeks!
Bottom line, if you work on the right things, CONSISTENT practice will really pay off for you!! I can go into more reasons as to why, but just trust me, consistent practice every week is the key to improving.
So how do you stay motivated to continue practicing and working out on a consistent basis?
Here’s exactly how (this works like magic, I promise)…
1) Set Your Workout Schedule in Stone
First, you need to set your workout schedule in stone. Pick times that work for you each week. Plan everything else around your workouts. Put the schedule on your calendar or on your fridge. It doesn’t matter where. Just get it documented and set in stone.
Plan all your other activities around your workout. Your workout is priority.
2) Treat Your Workouts Like Doctor’s Appointments
Change your mentality right now. The workout is not optional. It’s required. You have to go, it’s an appointment.
3) Create a Realistic Workout Schedule
Look, I know some players will workout for 5 hours every single day and they will NEVER burn out. On the other hand, I also know players that 15 minutes a day is the max before they burn out. Their heart just isn’t into it and if they try to do more than 15 minutes a day, they just give up.
You know yourself. Pick an amount of time that is doable for you. Something you can do realistically without burning out.
The key is to keep working out consistently, every week, every month and every year. Even if it’s just 30 minutes for 3 days a week. That cumulative and consistent practice will eventually add up to A LOT.
This is one of the biggest mistakes players make. They practice hard for a week or two and then they stop. This is a HUGE mistake. Consistent practice over a long period of time is the key.
So whether it’s 15 minutes every other day or 4 hours for 7 days week, pick a schedule you will realistically stick to for the long haul (years).
4) Incorporate At-Home Workouts
If you can’t drive, the gym is too far to walk, and you don’t have control over when you get to the gym… then incorporate at-home basketball workouts. You can still work on your agility, strength, ballhandling, footwork and shooting inside your house — you don’t even need a hoop.
Ideally, you use a hoop, even if it’s a neighbor’s hoop or in your driveway. But if that’s not possible, you can still get your workouts done inside your house, in the garage, or in the driveway.
Here are a few workouts you can do at home (no hoop needed):
- 10 Min Ballhandling & Conditioning Workout That’ll Transform Your Handles In Less Than A Month
- 5 At-Home Shooting Footwork Drills (No Hoop Needed)
- 9 Minute Workout to Improve Dribbling, Conditioning, and Footwork
- 7 Speed & Agility Drills to Transform Your Defense & Reaction Time
5) Consider Getting One or More Practice Partners
Here’s another tip. Consider getting a reliable partner or two to meet you at scheduled times and workout with you.
Now, if you miss, it’s not just you you’re letting down. You have a partner that is relying on you and counting on you. I promise this will help keep you on track. You can’t let your partner down. You need to be there.
6) Get a Trainer or Coach or Relative to Hold You Accountable
Along the same lines, if you have a trainer or coach you need to meet, you’re going to be there right? You’re not going to skip that workout.
This could even be a relative. I know some players that will meet their dad at the gym at a certain time 5 days a week. They have a schedule and it works really well because the player knows their dad will be there and his dad went out of his way to be at the gym to pass and rebound for them.
Again, by having someone else counting on you, this helps motivate you to stay on track.
