How Do You View Mental Toughness?
Do you admire certain athletes for their “mentally tough” play?
Do you wish you were more mentally tough in competitions?
Athletes are constantly told by coaches the importance of being mentally tough in competitions, but are unclear on its meaning; let alone how to develop mental toughness.
Many athletes view mental toughness as a genetic trait believing some athletes are just born with the trait for mental toughness.
These athletes often feel they are not capable of becoming more mentally tough which only serves to lower an athlete’s self-worth and confidence.
While personality does contribute to mental toughness, you can raise your level of toughness through disciplined, effective strategies.
If you define the characteristics of mental toughness, you can learn ways to strengthen your “mental toughness” skills through consistent practice.
Jim Golby and Michael Sheard conducted research to investigate the area of athletic mental toughness in their study published in the journal Personality and Individual Differences (2004), “Mental toughness and hardiness at different levels of rugby league.”
The aim of study by Golby and Sheard was to investigate the relationship between mental toughness of rugby players and their level of at which they perform.
Mental toughness is the one mental skill most frequently identified as the key contributor to peak sports performance.
Golby and Sheard found that mentally tough performers distinguish themselves on three interrelated levels: (commitment, challenges and control).
- Mentally tough athletes tend to be more committed to their sport. Mentally tough athletes view potentially difficult situations as opportunities for personal and professional growth, and not as a threat. Mentally tough athletes don’t give up on themselves or their sport when faced with problems, pressure, mistakes and competition.
- Mentally tough athletes view adversity as a challenge and respond positively to pressure in ways which enable them to remain feeling relaxed, calm and energized. Mentally tough players are more able to cope with highly stressful sporting contests and maintain high levels of competitive performance. Mentally tough athletes have developed the ability to focus and block out distractions.
- Mentally tough athletes believe control their own destiny and remain relatively unaffected by tough competition or adversity. Mentally tough athletes feel more able to positively influence the outcome of competitions allowing them to view competitions in a less stressful manner. Mentally tough athletes are better able to keep their emotions in control and remain calm under pressure situations. If they momentarily lose their composure, mentally tough athletes are better equipped to regain psychological control.
So, in theory, all of this sounds great. The big question is how to develop the commitment, challenge and control aspects of mental toughness.
It is important to remind yourself that nothing happens overnight and any progress towards mental toughness will benefit your performance.
Try these tips to further develop your mental toughness:
- Tip #1: You want to examine your attitude about adversity. Challenge those beliefs that hold you back from excelling during critical moments in competition. Debate your fears. Remind yourself that challenges help you grow as an athlete and a person.
- Tip #2: Learn to use your emotions to your advantage in competitions while remaining in the present moment. Peak performance is all about focusing in the moment on the task at hand!
Successful athletes have learned how to eliminate distractions and boost concentration in competition!
We’ve created The Focused Athlete Workbook and CD program to help you do this.
Boost Your Self-Confidence With Mental Game Coaching!
Master mental game coach, Dr. Patrick Cohn, can help you or your athlete(s), ages 12 and up, overcome mental game issues with personal coaching.
You can work with Dr. Patrick Cohn himself in Orlando, Florida or via Skype, FaceTime, or telephone. Call us toll free at 888-742-7225 or contact us for more information about the different coaching programs we offer!
What are our students saying?
“WOW!!! What a week I had. I was able to perform with a confidence that allowed my style to shine through–no more entering the arena with that “deer in the headlights” look or feeling. I stopped evaluating myself while I was performing, and I actually left the arena after my patterns feeling like I had experienced a lot of fun. Thank you so much.”
~Julia Dreyer, National Champion Equestrian
For All Athletes – Learn Confidence-Boosting Techniques!
D you have a negative self-image of yourself as an athlete that stifles confidence?
No matter ow positive you try to be, are you unable to shake the doubt that rushes into your head when you size up your competition?
Have you labeled yourself as a loser, poor closer, or mediocre athlete and these labels keep you stuck in a rut of self-pity and indecision?
If you’ve answered yes to any of these questions, check out The Confident Athlete!
The Confident Athlete CD and workbook program is a 14-day plan for ultimate self-confidence. This program is ideal for any athlete or coach that wants to discover proven confidence-boosting techniques guaranteed to drastically build self-confidence and improve sports performance.
Learn more about one of our most popular CD programs in The Confident Athlete Series…
The Confident Athlete: A 14-Day Plan For Ultimate Self-Confidence
Check out all of the products in The Confident Athlete Series!
What are customers saying?
“I first purchased The Confident Athlete to see how the program went and immediately saw results. I then purchased the rest of the confident athlete series and have noticed a dramatic improvement in my level of play or should I say consistency. I currently play NCAA Division 1 baseball for Lamar University, and even my coaches have noticed a change in the way that I approach the game. My attitude and confidence at the plate.”
~Tylor Prudhomme (Listen to his success story)
“I am a ASP world qualifying professional surfer and after beginning the ‘The Confident Athlete’ I had an almost instant change in attitude about my own surfing ability and my mindset going into competition. By using the Confident Athlete strategies, my confidence has done a complete 180 degrees. I won a local pro/am a few weeks back, and just had my best result of the year in one the last big events on the world circuit this last week in Brazil! It is my secret weapon!”
~Shaun Burrell, Professional Surfer (Listen to his success story)
For Young Athletes and Parents – Learn More About How to Help Kids Improve Confidence Quickly!
We’ve got a great program for you called “The Confident Sports Kid: A 7-Day Plan for Building Ultimate Self-Confidence.”
The Confident Sports Kid is a 7-day program for sports parents and kids to boost young athlete’s performance, happiness and success… in sports and life!
The Confident Sports Kid is two programs in one. There’s a manual and CD for parents/coaches, and a workbook/CD for young athletes.
Packed with mental strategies that you and your kids can start using immediately, this program teaches your athletes how to identify confidence busters, proactively deal with them, manage expectations that undermine confidence, and mentally prepare to stay confident when faced with adversity.
What’s more, our program teaches you, as sports parents and coaches, how you may be hurting your kids’ confidence and gives you instructions for changing your behavior in ways that will improve your athletes’ performance, confidence and enjoyment.
Learn more about one of our most popular CD programs in The Confident Sports Kid Series…
The Confident Sports Kid: A 7-Day Plan for Building Ultimate Self-Confidence
Check out all of our products in The Confident Sports Kid Series!
What are parents and coaches saying about our program?
“I appreciate the advice to parents as to how to help your child become more mentally resilient to bullying in sports. The specific advice and scenarios are extremely helpful for any child on a team and very helpful in guiding parents, coaches and administrators in how to deal with bullying in sports. I cannot thank you enough for your input, and I am so reassured to know that there are people like you who are writing articles and doing interviews on such timely and important matters.”
~Julie Goot
“Dr. Patrick Cohn and Lisa Cohn are to be congratulated! Together, they offer a wealth of knowledge, information, and practical mental tools for sports parents on the substantial “mental game” challenges and pressures facing today’s young athletes.”
~Marc D. Anderson, LCSW, MGCP, Mental Game Coach
For Mental Coaches – Add More Value To Your Mental Training Programs!
This workbook series was designed for coaches and mental coaches to use with their athletes.
The Athlete’s Mental Edge workbooks complement your existing mental training program. Each of the 15 workbooks in the Athlete’s Mental Edge System teaches your athletes a specific mental skill to improve their performance.
For mental coaches, this system is ideal for between session education.
For sports coaches, you’ll be able to conduct 15 team seminars using the workbook system.
In the Athlete’s Mental Edge workbook system, you receive 15 easy-to-read, practical Mental Edge Workbooks on PDF, as well as 16 coaches’ game plan MP3 audio files.
Athlete’s Mental Edge Workbook System
What are coaches saying?
“I am really pleased with the Athlete’s Mental Edge workbooks – they are fitting in really well with my coaching! I find they offer a great framework for doing workshop sessions. I have also used the workbooks with a few individual athletes – for the younger ones (12 and under). They are giving a good structure and framework to our sessions. The workbooks have worked well with all of them!”
~Kerri Morgan, Mental Game Coach
“I am impressed with the willingness and openness of Dr. Cohn to share all of his assets (intellectual, products, etc.) with the MGCP students. You have developed an incredible model/package for mental training. Even though we are paying for your service, you are passing on a legacy built on your contribution to the world of sports. Thank you for that.”
~Tony Melito, MGCP
It’s okay to be frustrated when you don’t play as well as you know you can. But a mentally tough athlete also knows that they can bounce back immediately and play their best, no matter what just happened. Don’t get stuck in your own head!