An Understanding of Mamba Mentality

Its been somewhat disheartening to see Mamba Mentality become a slogan and a catch phrase. There are so many people that say it and attempt to apply it their approach to the game. It doesn't apply to everyone. Very few people have any idea of what it means or the dedication it takes to have it.

Us as fans have selective memory for most of our favorite players. Kobe is one that truly fits in this category. If you were to break his career down into quarters, he only had the Mamba Mentality for the 2nd and 3rd quarters of his career. The beginning of his career was spent chasing Jordan. Then throughout the middle of his career he started to find his own game to play. This is when the mentality started to come into fruition in his professional life. The last quarter of his career is when it changed. He let the Mamba Mentality go from the game of basketball and transferred it to his family and business.

Let's be honest, nobody likes Mamba Mentality in practice. Everybody loves it in theory. Nobody likes dealing with others that have it and nobody likes what comes with having that mentality. I wholeheartedly believe it was something within Kobe from a young age. I don't think it took much for it to come out of him also. If you ask people what Mamba Mentality means, most likely they will tell you it entails long hours in the gym or having a super competitive nature. In reality, that's not it at all. That is merely the description given so it makes sense to those that can't understand it. A simplified explanation is the constant pursuit of improvement. Each shot you take is an improvement on the last, each defensive stance is an improvement of the last one. There is a level of dedication and focus necessary for this mentality. This can be done in one hour or it may take five hours. The time is irrelevant. The adage of "100 good shots is better than 1000 shots" applies. If your drill is to make 10 shots in a row, Mamba Mentality is making the 11th and then the 12th and then the 13th being all net. Then when you eventually miss, after surpassing the drill requirements, you're not moving on to the next drill until you make one because you never end on a miss.

That is just one example but then when you apply that to all aspects of the game, it physically becomes tiresome. Another aspect is the emotional and psychological toll of the mentality. It is draining on anyone that tries to maintain the Mamba Mentality for an extended period of time. You are putting your all into every thing that you do. Your breathing, shooting, ball handling, IQ, etc are all getting your absolute best each time you perform it. That goes from practice to watching film to playing the game. Every workout and wind sprint you participate in is requiring your best. That takes so much out of you. That amount of concentration is tiring within itself even before adding the physical part of it.

The hardest part of it all is understanding that you can't turn it on and off like a light switch. By the time you have wound down and are able to switch it off, its time for the next practice or game or workout. Therefore, you must keep it on in order to not have a let down. Stay ready so you don't have to get ready. The unintended consequence of having the Mamba Mentality on is the effect it has on you socially. The intensity is often too much for people to handle. It pushes people away. It doesn't allow you to do anything in moderation. You don't get to enjoy what you are doing because the focus is constantly on the moment. It takes the attention away from family and friends. Even if you are there physically, you are not there mentally. For those that don't understand that mentality it makes you seem socially awkward. As it pertains to Kobe, he didn't become well liked until he let it go with respect to basketball. That's when he became beloved by all.

Imagine having all of these situations going on at the same time. Are you willing to go that far for the game? Are you willing to say it is worth it even if you don't receive the accolades? Are you willing to take the criticism that comes with the Mamba Mentality? None of it is fun. Pushing yourself til you break is not fun. Working and studying constantly is not fun. Concentrating for that long is not fun. Missing family functions and social events is not fun. Being misunderstood by the masses and even those closest to you is not fun. Mamba Mentality is not fun. What it is though, is the mindset that sets one apart from all.