Wilson’s Mental Toughness
Losing can be particularly difficult to handle. Some athletes take it harder than others questioning their athletic talent or ability to play under pressure.
Nonetheless, adversity will cross paths with every athlete during their career in sport.
How you handle adversity, your level of mental toughness, will determine if and how quickly you rebound from tough times.
Mental toughness helps you rise above the adversity you face instead of allowing a loss to define you.
There is an insightful expression by author Robert Schuller, “Tough times never last, but tough people do.”
The question is then how mentally tough are you?
Few athletes will experience the magnitude of the heart-wrenching loss as did the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XLIX.
With two minutes remaining in the game and down 28-24, Seahawk quarterback Russell Wilson engineered a 79-yard drive to put his team on New England’s 1-yard line and in position to win with 26 seconds left in the game.
The Seahawks appeared on the brink of the second consecutive Super Bowl victory when Wilson threw an interception that ended Seattle’s hope for victory.
After the game, many Seahawk players described the loss as “devastating,” “hurtful” and disappointing… and it was! Losses can be tough and the only way to bounce back is to be tougher, mentally tougher!
Russell Wilson is well-known for his mental toughness. Despite throwing the critical interception, Wilson was positive in his post-game interview.
WILSON: “I can use this [loss] for life, or I can use it for another game. It’s tough to process in the sense of I hate losing… [But] our goal is to get back next year. Our goal is to prepare the right way. Our goal is to keep your mind right, stay strong mentally and just keep fighting.”
An important aspect of mental toughness is to learn from setbacks and use the experience to be a better player in the future.
WILSON: “I want to know everything I can. I want to understand everything… You continue to grow, you continue to learn from the lessons.”
By learning from tough times and committing to improvement for the future, you become mentally stronger.
WILSON: “Every time I’m in that situation again. I believe I’m going to have success again.”
In fact, Wilson refuses to allow the past define him writing on the team’s chalkboard after the loss: Let’s keep the focus on the future, not what’s behind.
Try these tips to become mentally tougher after a loss:
- Take time to process the loss – You can feel bad after a loss but process it and move on.
- Look for the lesson – You should review the loss and determine what you need to do to improve for future competitions.
- Don’t take it personally – you should never allow a loss to define you or how you feel about yourself. Start getting ready for the next competition.
- Take action – You need to commit to action. What will you do to perform better in the future?
A mental coach can help you process the loss and develop a specific action plan to improve future performances.
Successful athletes have learned pregame preparation strategies to stay calm, focused, and perform with poise. We’ve created The Relaxed 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