Mental Toughness In Sports

In recent research, 82% of coaches rated mental toughness as the most important psychological attributes in determining success in sport. Unfortunately, only 9% believed they were successful in developing mental toughness in their athletes (Weinberg, Freysinger, & Mellano, 2016). General Sun Tzu believed that knowledge of self as well as the enemy was required to have confidence and lack of fear in battle (Tzu & Cleary, 1988). We all have battles within or on the court or field, for example. Every athlete has to have a drive with self-determination to fight the battle until the end regardless of the outcome, regardless of the score in the 4th quarter or the last inning, for example. Understanding one’s mission, destiny, purpose, passion,

Mental toughness has a variety of meanings depending on the individual. My curriculum aims to develop fire in the athlete’s soul so that they can dig deep and learn through the challenging situations of life and sport to develop girt from within.

Regardless of the name and the opinions, my definition of mental toughness is based on my life experiences backed by sport psychology literature. My definition of mental toughness is very deep and thorough. The below definition will not be read directly to the athletes. My definition is for me to read prior to giving the lesson in order to ignite me with the right words to express to them for short time I will have with them.

Mental toughness was never discussed in the fighter pilot community. It was assumed. My program aims to humbly dial back the intensity for young athletes, teach them GRIT (Goal setting, Regulation of self, Imagery, and self-Talk) to develop an understanding of Mental Skills needed for sport, then start gradually dialing the intensity back up by allowing the athletes to practice the mental training tools in order to figure out works best for

It requires meticulous planning covering every detail, a variety of contingency plans based on the forecasted environment (e.g., multiple backup plans that are flexible and covering all aspects of the competition), the ability to adapt to dynamic environments, and the awareness skills to be prioritized and proactive in the moment with high situational awareness. The athlete needs to have the confidence in their planning, training, pre-competition preparation that the outcome is going to be successful. Hope should not be in my athlete’s mindset. Self-determination that they are going to do whatever it takes to “make it happen” will be the foundational attribute for their inner strength. They should never hope that they will have mental toughness. They need to believe that they are and will remain mentally tough when engaging the adversary (e.g., the task, the situation, or the opponent, for example). “It is going to happen,” not that “I want it to happen or I hope it happens.” Mentally tough athletes know when to “be there in the moment” when it counts. They know when they can take mental breaks and then reignite in a flash. They know how to execute the plan with the right amount of intensity to remain in an ideal