The Mamba Mentality

Lesson 1. Introduction.

Kobe Bryant’s The Mamba Mentality provides insight into all that went into the making of a remarkable basketball career. Bryant became the youngest person to play in an NBA game at 18 years and 72 days. In 1998, he became the youngest All-Star in NBA history, and continued to dominate the game for his entire 20 year career. 

Bryant was known for his ‘Mamba Mentality’, which was what he used to describe his attitude towards his game. This mentality involves developing a ‘killer’ instinct on the court, and completely dominating over the opponent.

The Mamba Mentality is a result of a number of things. Focus, determination, passion are essential ingredients that go into the making of a great player.

One also has to observe the game painstakingly, and learn constantly from one’s teammates and opponents. A superior athlete also has to invest immense effort into maintaining a body that would allow them to give their best on the court. Bryant also reveals how maintaining one’s top form is even more difficult than reaching it.

Basically, Bryant’s Mamba Mentality describes in detail what goes into making a legend. 

Lesson 2. Importance of physical training.

In order to be a superior athlete, you have to make sure that you’re in the best physical shape possible. Kobe Bryant always focused on maintaining his body, right from when he had just got to the NBA at the age of 17. 

He began doing weight training for 90 minutes, four times a week. These weren’t ordinary training sessions though: Bryant performed intense lifting workouts designed for specific muscles. He would train each of the muscle groups to exhaustion. Intensive cardio training too was core to his workouts, so that he could be strong as well as fast. 

Bryant’s Midnight Workouts became famous among his teammates and across the NBA. Technically, it wasn’t a ‘midnight’ workout. Bryant used to start his day with a two hour workout at 5 a.m., so that he could rest for four hours before his main workout between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. He would then again rest for four hours before his third workout from 6 to 8 p.m. This method of training took his physical fitness to a different level altogether. 

However, excelling in any sports is not just about physical training. Bryant considered basketball as a complex game, which needed lifelong study. So along with training his body, Bryant also used to study the game, and learn from other players. This mental investment allowed him