I once spoke with the mother of a player.
“It looks as though she’s afraid,” I said. “Afraid of playing. Afraid of contact.Afraid of getting hurt.”
The mother paused, then replied, “It doesn’t look like she is. She is.”
That distinction matters.
Fear doesn’t always announce itself. Often, it simply governs behavior.
Fear Is Central to Player Development
Progress in basketball, especially at the competitive levels, requires confronting fear, not pretending it doesn’t exist.
Players are afraid of:
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Bigger, stronger, more physical opponents
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Being embarrassed or exposed by better players
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Defensive pressure and turning the ball over
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Having shots blocked
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Taking the meaningful shot
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Not making the team
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Injury
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Re-injury after returning from one
These fears are rational. They are human. Ignoring them doesn’t resolve them.
Diagnosing Fear
Sometimes fear is obvious.
You see avoidance behaviors:
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Passing up the ball before pressure arrives
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Drifting away from contact
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Relinquishing responsibility by not moving to get open to receive the ball
Other times, fear only becomes clear after missed opportunity, hesitation, not competing.
That’s why it’s often better to ask about a player’s concerns early, before fear hardens into habit.
“What worries you when the game speeds up?” “What do you think about when the ball comes to you late?”
Treating Fear
There are no shortcuts. But there are two reliable paths.
1. Skill development
Competence breeds confidence. Players need tools to handle the ball under pressure, to finish through contact, to separate with footwork, to make better decisions. Fear falls when players know what to do.
2. Desensitization
Avoidance reinforces fear. Exposure dissolves it.
If a player fears pressure, they must face pressure. If they fear contact, they must experience contact. If they fear the arena, they must enter it.
That may mean practicing against better, older, more physical players. In girls’ and women’s basketball, it may include selected practice against boys or men, not to intimidate, but to normalize speed and chaos.
Advantage-disadvantage drills, 2 on 3, 3 on 4, and 5 on 7 accustom players to numerical disadvantage.
The Work Is Courage, Repeated
Speeches or a single drill won't dispel fear. It yields to preparation, repetition, and confrontation.
Players don’t become fearless. They become braver. And bravery, like any basketball skill, improves with practice.
Lagniappe. Match effort to dreams.
Coach K once said, "You can either lower your goals to match your effort, or you can raise your effort to match your goals."
— Greg Berge (@GregBerge) January 16, 2026
No Deposit - No Return.
Everything is earned. pic.twitter.com/Ilr905YHaS
