Mental preparation and developing mental toughness consists of employing sports psychology planning, consulting, tools and techiques which aid an athlete in developing her "mental skills".
It is in part learning how to be comfortable being uncomfortable.
It is the ability to focus on what you can control and stay in the moment.
In addition to the tips below, here is an article with some helpful suggestions from USA Basketball on training your mind.
Assess your mental strengths and weakness as an athlete. You need to know where you stand and what you need to do to improve your mental approach to the game. Click here to take the Mental Inventory Quiz.
Guide your goal setting. Create a vision for success and develop a master plan to help avoid the many challenges and potential wrong turns in a sport career.
Work better with your support staff. You need productive working relationships with the key people who support you in your sports such as your parents, coaches, trainers, teammates and anyone else who can help you.
Learn more from you coaches. You need to know your learning style and how to communicate that to your coach so that you can work better as a team.
Enhance your mental readiness. You must know how to prepare mentally and emotionally in your sport. Think about how to devise a customized mental readiness plan for lessons, practices and competitions.
Learn how to motivate yourself. You need a combination of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation.
Enter the Zone. The zone is the master key to your performance success.