do u get scared to play new good players in a pickup game?

[therammingman]

I'm just decent....but get scared. Anyone else?

[Joey Zaza]

why be scared. Just basketball. you'll play, you'll shoot, you'll hit or miss. No big deal.

[Legends66NBA7]

No, not all.

It's always great to meet new experiences and challenges, whether you win or lose. Bottom line also is to have fun, no pressure.

Unless, it's one of those intense pick up games.

[Clippersfan86]

I get amped up for it and play better. Think of it as a challenge.. that you're not about to let yourself get shown up and just do your best to hold your own man. If your shot isn't falling put 100 percent into defense and crashing the boards. Anyone can play basketball. I've taught friends to play that had never touched a ball. I just told them to work their ass off for rebounds and they made a huge difference right away.

[chips93]

i get anxious, not scared. once you get into the game and stop thinking, it usually all goes away

[Joshumitsu]

No, I find it fun.

I'm not good or anything but I always try to pride myself on defense. I just want to completely shut down an opponent and get in their head.

[Rnbizzle]

I get a little nervous yeah, sure.

[G-train]

I get a little nervous yeah, sure.

The truthful, honest, human answer is to be a nervous, ranging from slightly to very nervous.

But one you get out and play it leaves after a couple of mins.

[DuMa]

you got nothing to lose really so play like it

[Go Getter]

I get an icy feeling in my veins idk how to explain it but I like it.

I played against a whole bunch of pro athletes when I was at Ohio State....some b-ball players and a lot of off season NFL guys.

One time I got matched up against Joey Gallaway.

Dude was THE fastest, strongest guy I've ever guarded.

It was fun.

[Big#50]

Hell no. Throw some elbows, lower your shoulders and play ball.

[G-train]

Hell no. Throw some elbows, lower your shoulders and play ball.

:facepalm

[therammingman]

why be scared. Just basketball. you'll play, you'll shoot, you'll hit or miss. No big deal.

I wish I had that attitude. I'm so self-conscious. Worried ill play bad, do something dumb, get embarresed.

Its how I feel about everything in life.

[BlueandGold]

Well seeing how it's just a pickup game and there's no pressure whatsoever (except maybe pride/ego) for me to win I don't get scared to play new good players..

It's already been said by a couple of posters but that's essentially how you get better.. by constantly playing against players who are better than you. I even notice this trend when i play against players who are considerably worse than me in that they get better over time when they play against me.

[L.Kizzle]

I'm just decent....but get scared. Anyone else?
Scared, wtf!! Scared of what?

[DMizzle]

only if they are black i get a little nervous

[BlueandGold]

only if they are black i get a little nervous
lol i hope this is a joke

[therammingman]

Seriously, I caant do it.

Can't tell u how many times my friends have asked me to fill in for someone on their recreation team and I say no bc I'm scared....

I hate myself.

[L.Kizzle]

Seriously, I caant do it.

Can't tell u how many times my friends have asked me to fill in for someone on their recreation team and I say no bc I'm scared....

I hate myself.
Once you get some psuuy, you'll never be scared of anything again.

[G-train]

Seriously, I caant do it.

Can't tell u how many times my friends have asked me to fill in for someone on their recreation team and I say no bc I'm scared....

I hate myself.

All good man. I played ball for 2 years as a 13 year old and didnt take a shot. No confidence.

When I was 15 before a game I said as soon as I get the ball I'm gonna drive straight to the basket and lay it in. The tip went to me and I did just that. Scored about 14 points in that game. Went on to play at a pretty high level.

Just believe in yourself bro, ok to be nervous if you havent played much, but you have to decide in your mind that you are good enough and even visualise some plays you can make prior to playing.

Big thing is not to be too hard on yourself, and to play within your abilities.

Cant shoot? Play d and set screens. Be vocal. Make the right pass. High five. Heck some NBA players made a career outta that.

[L8k3r5]

I get amped up for it and play better. Think of it as a challenge.. that you're not about to let yourself get shown up and just do your best to hold your own man. If your shot isn't falling put 100 percent into defense and crashing the boards. Anyone can play basketball. I've taught friends to play that had never touched a ball. I just told them to work their ass off for rebounds and they made a huge difference right away.
Same here, if a player shows up who can compete with me I take it as a challenge and play hard against them. It makes you better as a player and its not a bad thing to have competition against you.

[Clippersfan86]

Seriously, I caant do it.

Can't tell u how many times my friends have asked me to fill in for someone on their recreation team and I say no bc I'm scared....

I hate myself.

I only get scared when playing in front of a big crowd the first few times. If you mean a regular pickup game dude.. nobody is watching really so just do your thing.

[LebronairJAMES]

Hell no. Throw some elbows, lower your shoulders and play ball.
you dont play basketball

[Bosnian Sajo]

Def get nervous, but Bball just like soccer is my passion :)

[The Macho Man]

Nah but I prefer playin people I know, go hardest against people I know and who are good. People who aren't that good I play incredibly bad defense against.

[IGOTGAME]

this question just sounds absurd to me because im usually one of the best people whereever I play. But recently(3 months ago), I gained 20 pounds so I was out of shape and and couldnt do all the things I wanted. I ended up playing pick up and going against an old friend who makes a living playing bball overseas and is also a pg. I end up guarding him all game and I still found myself going at him even though physically I just couldnt cut. It is just a mindset.

Moral of the story: Just compete. People will respect you for it. You can learn a lot about someone by seeing them on the bball court.

edit: where do people go where they don't play against new people regularly..I have been going to the same three parks for over a decade and it is an everyday occurance. Guess you guys are playing much pick up ball.

[Rake2204]

I feel a range of emotions before playing against new, unfamiliar players. The uncertainty of it all is what throws me off I think. I don't like the unknown. I don't want to give the wrong impression though. I always step up to the plate when I'm there in it. It's just the initial thoughts that run through my head are doubt, anxiety, nervousness, and yeah, maybe a little fear.

Over time I've become very accustomed to working my way through all those thoughts logically. There's so many reasons to never be scared of new good players. Even knowing many of my best basketball moments have come when I've played in new areas and/or against new good players I'd never seen before, those anxious feelings always sit in the back of my head anyway (prior to playing). I took solace in hearing Bill Russell's pre-game routine used to include vomiting in part due to anxiety.

To add to the ridiculousness, I have a court I always play at. It's local and it's sprinkled with a super wide variety of players. In fact, chances are good that I'm almost always one of the higher-end players there (which probably says something about this particular park). Anyway, when I'm playing down there, it's about as comfortable as I can get. It's my court. And yet, when I happen to drive by that court some days, and I see players down there playing I don't recognize (and they look skilled from my vantage point), that anxiety creeps right back in.

Thankfully, like others have said, all those feelings tend to propel me when the game actually begins. In the rarest of cases, when I'm in a completely new environment on my own, my mouth drys up from nervousness. That's not cool. I'm not sure if I'd chalk much of this up to fear though. I just take a lot of pride in my game and somewhere along the line, I developed a need for everyone to recognize that I'm good at the game of basketball. I've thought about being less emotionally needy than that, but I think it drives me to get better.

I've also come to the realization over the past 7 years or so that my ability is one that can functionally mix on most levels of basketball I'll ever come across. So, the old fear I probably developed as a young teen of "what if I'm just the worst player ever out there by far and they all hate me" is just about impossible now. Of course, if I happen to run into an open gym featuring 4 NBA stars, a couple of Euro-pros, and a couple college all-Americans, maybe my day of reckoning will have finally arrived. However, in most other basketball cases I think I'll ever come across, I'll at least be able to function adequately, and that's comforting.

[Burgz]

i play hard in general

if i had it in me to play hard against "new good players" i should have it in me to play hard all the time

[IGOTGAME]

i play hard in general

if i had it in me to play hard against "new good players" i should have it in me to play hard all the time

nah, I usually play really hard. People say I have always hustled a lot but it is just because I hate to lose.

But, if Im playing bums I don't go as hard because it is those type of people that hurt you. I also hate being guarded by midgets, it just isnt fun for me.

[Rake2204]

But, if Im playing bums I don't go as hard because it is those type of people that hurt you. I also hate being guarded by midgets, it just isnt fun for me.
While I find it true that players at or above our own level physically and psychologically leave us no choice but to push ourselves to the max, I still try to push myself just as hard when playing against so-called bums. As I alluded, I don't know if I can ever get to the same "push" level against less talented players, but I try.

As a player and coach, I used to have a real problem with players in our program who'd refuse to play against competition they didn't deem worthy. I've found that pushing against all levels of play helps you and it helps your opponents. Further, even if I'm being guarded by a horrible defender with wretched lateral quickness, I can still experiment with moves (while keeping an eye on his body's natural reaction) to develop and improve different aspects of my game.

And I know that's not exactly what you were speaking on IGOTGAME, but I just wanted to use your quote as a jumpoff point.

[Burgz]

nah, I usually play really hard. People say I have always hustled a lot but it is just because I hate to lose.

But, if Im playing bums I don't go as hard because it is those type of people that hurt you. I also hate being guarded by midgets, it just isnt fun for me.

i know what you mean, it can seem hard to play against people at a lower level
but honestly it doesn't help their game if you go easy on them.

If I am faced with the situation of playing against people at a significantly lower level, i either dont play or try to work on something in my game that especially needs work

I agree with you, playing hard should always be a given but it is sometimes hard to do so without looking like an ass lol

[Rake2204]

i know what you mean, it can seem hard to play against people at a lower level
but honestly it doesn't help their game if you go easy on them.

If I am faced with the situation of playing against people at a significantly lower level, i either dont play or try to work on something in my game that especially needs work

I agree with you, playing hard should always be a given but it is sometimes hard to do so without looking like an ass lol
I see where you're coming from, but I like basketball too much to not play or try less against players on a lower level. Of course, I guess it all depends upon what we both mean when we say "lower level". Obviously, if it's a bunch of fifth graders, it'd get weird and I wouldn't go hard. But against normal aged people who are all trying to compete and win, I figure it'd be more disrespectful to act as if I'm not trying my hardest than it would be to play hard and dominate.

I agree with the idea of working on things that need it though. I use those games where I'm head and shoulders above the competition to experiment and implement new maneuvers in hopes of carrying them over into the higher quality games.

[JellyBean]

Nope. It just makes me play harder.

[OmniStrife]

The better the contest, the better I play...
So I love me a challenge.

[tontoz]

No. It all boils down to how you feel about your game. If you are confident in your game then it doesn't matter who is on the court with you.

I was playing in a casual game one time and Tony Massenburg was on the other team. Nobody wanted to guard him so i took him (Im 6'2"). On one play i posted him up under the basket and of course he didn't try to deny position. Why would he? Then i did an up and under that faked him out of his shoes and everyone started laughing. He was saying "good move" in mid-air.

He almost knocked me out with a dunk. It was an outdoor court with no net and i just barely dodged it. Whew.

[thejumpa]

Nervous? Yeah, especially if you know the guy is a baller. Scared? Nah. It makes the game that much more fun. Especially if you just happen to score on them or something.

[EoJ]

nope, i love it. I'm 6'1 and I choose to guard the biggest, fastest guys.

[thatoneblackguy]

only if they are black i get a little nervous
:oldlol:

[inclinerator]

i befriend them, then crush them when they think they are my friend (sounds familiar?)

[GOBB]

I'm just decent....but get scared. Anyone else?

No heart, thanks for telling me. I rather play with 4 players if I had the last pick and I saw you standing there.

[IGOTGAME]

honestly, I don't I would ever be scared on a ball court. If Kobe showed up I'd be the first one calling to guard him. I'd also

[GOBB]

honestly, I don't I would ever be scared on a ball court. If Kobe showed up I'd be the first one calling to guard him. I'd also

:roll: Good luck with that.

[IGOTGAME]

:roll: Good luck with that.

what's to be scared of. You go out there and ball. Nothing bad can happen. I have guarded elite talents before and it is a fun experience. Being scared on bball court is foreign to me...

[GOBB]

what's to be scared of. You go out there and ball. Nothing bad can happen. I have guarded elite talents before and it is a fun experience. Being scared on bball court is foreign to me...

You can get Mamba'd, I'm good. I'll guard Derek Fisher instead. :pimp:

[alwaysunny]

I was never scared of playing basketball with better players, but football for me was on a whole another level because it's a full contact sport. I played with college players one time and it was as if they can sense weakness on the field. They let scrubs like me get open on purpose just so they can tackle the shit out of us. It was all fun but I was literally beaten up afterwards. Basketball is really nothing compared to this.


No heart, thanks for telling me. I rather play with 4 players if I had the last pick and I saw you standing there.

damn you're brutal :lol

[IGOTGAME]

You can get Mamba'd, I'm good. I'll guard Derek Fisher instead. :pimp:

true. But I'd have no prob telling kids that. Much better than dudes on here who are scared of former hs bench players at the park :roll:

[GOBB]

true. But I'd have no prob telling kids that. Much better than dudes on here who are scared of former hs bench players at the park :roll:

Hell its much better than the OP admitting he gets scared to play new good players. :oldlol: Give me you who is doing squats like the white guy in the Michael Jordan hanes commercials saying "I can take Kobe, I got him" over the guy who left a wet spot on the court. :cheers:

[L.Kizzle]

If you're good, you shouldn't be scared. You must not think you're that good? A brothers ego wouldn't let him be scared. Somebody "supposedly" good come to the court, you should say to yourself "these nighas ain't got nothin"

[Rake2204]

If you're good, you shouldn't be scared. You must not think you're that good? A brothers ego wouldn't let him be scared. Somebody "supposedly" good come to the court, you should say to yourself "these nighas ain't got nothin"
I'm wondering if the original poster truly meant fear. I can't recall if he clarified. The nerves and uncertainty portion seems to be more common and maybe he couldn't think of a better way to describe it.

I'm not the type of guy who assumes or pretends my opponents "ain't got nothin'" though. In my experience, that thought process has gotten me in trouble. I respect their abilities, but I don't over-respect them (which was a problem I had as a youth). I can see where your thought process can work though. I say I don't over-respect, but I do have to check myself sometimes. In those rare moments, sometimes I do need to get a little cocky with myself, in a "Shoot. These fools should be scared of me" type of way (even if I'm lying to myself).

Regardless of any thoughts running through my head pre-game though, they all fly out the window once the game begins. Having time before a game to over-think something is one of my worst enemies.

[inclinerator]

honestly, I don't I would ever be scared on a ball court. If Kobe showed up I'd be the first one calling to guard him. I'd also
ud also wat?????????