Mental Toughness In Sport

There is no agreement on the variables relating to mental toughness, to include the definition. Some say it depends on the sport, some believe it's what athletes do while other believe it’s a player’s ability to maintain a high level of personal performance under a variety of conditions, such as when conditions are difficult, when conditions are competitively tight, or when suffering from fatigue, for example (Weinberg, Freysinger, & Mellano, 2016).

Mental toughness is the mind-set to meet a challenge and overcome the obstacles that stand in the way of success. It is the inner strength that creates resolve and dedication, the courage to fight back from failure (Kuehl, Kuehl, & Tefertiller, 2005).

Crust and Clough define mental toughness

They don’t make excuses or blame others. They are focused and so disciplined with their concentration that they are not easily distracted. They prepare for each day with an intentional focus on a process toward improvement, growth, and goal achievement. They anticipate contingencies and have backup plans to continue their pursuit for the day. They also bounce back quickly when faced with adversity, setbacks, injuries, or just having a bad day. Successful athletes believe that training the mental side is just as important as training the physical. They know the process of using the mind to gain the most from their abilities. They understand fear, as well, and how to execute by reframing the fear or using a compartmentalization technique (Crust & Clough, 2011)(Kuehl, Kuehl, & Tefertiller,

(Kuehl, Kuehl, & Tefertiller, 2005).

Without mental toughness, failure eats at the soul, erodes confidence, and can snowball into disaster (Kuehl, Kuehl, & Tefertiller, 2005).

The foundation for building mental toughness is the environment. Then, tough character (stable personality, resilient, confident, and competitiveness) is built next. Tough attitudes are next in the development process. Tough attitudes include belief in preparation and self-talk that states to “never say die”. Tough thinking is at the top of the pyramid structure. It’s the ultimate level of mental toughness and gives the athlete the ability to go and push through the pain to achieve the goal and attain the extra mile with confidence in the moment (Krane & Williams, 2013).

In contrast, there are negative attributes that can thwart mental toughness. Examples are rewarding an athlete in order to control or correct their behavior, using negative type communication such as ignoring behavior until the athlete performs correctly, and using intimidation such as yelling to correct a technique, and excessively trying to control and athlete’s personal life (Mahoney et al.,