Chris Mance II - Mental Skills Coach

Too often coaches think of mental toughness in vague terms instead of its practical application. Yet, coaches understand that athletes can’t follow a vague game plan. So, coaches must not be vague when coaching an athlete to be mentally tougher.

With this in mind, I have a go-to research paper I use to formalize mental toughness as a practical application. It’s written by sport psychologists Sheldon Hanton, Graham Jones, and Declan Connaughton. The title of it is “A Framework of Mental Toughness in the World’s Best Performers.“

The authors do an excellent job putting rigor around the idea of mental toughness. In short, the authors conclude that the best way to be specific about mental toughness is through how athletes train. Their research suggests that athletes who are mentally tough train differently than everyone else. Moreover, these differences have 6 attributes.

6 Attributes that Break Down Mental Toughness

1. The ability to use a long term “why” to motivate themselves through difficulties, pain and fatigue. “Mentally tough performers acknowledge that they are tired but realize and remind themselves that if they are to achieve their goal they have to get back in the gym and work.“
2. Intense focus on specific tasks and performance goals with realistic deadlines for achieving, while not wasting any “time wishing for the impossible or the unrealistic.”
3. Maintaining a “strong sense of independence in training” i.e., owning the process and accepting responsibility for their destiny. “Not relying on the coach or other people.“
4. The ability to use adverse training environments to their advantage and can get the best out of themselves even in a bad training situation.
5. Uncanny ability to embrace training pain. Derives “pleasure from being able to give absolutely everything.”
6. Treats everything like a competition. Puts maximum effort into winning every warm-up, drill, rep, and scrimmage. Treats everything like it’s important. “They thrive on opportunities of beating other people and are not afraid to put themselves on the line.” 

From a coaching perspective, the next time you see an athlete who needs more mental toughness, force yourself to be specific. Identify one or more of these six attributes that the athlete needs to work on. Then work on a game plan to help that athlete gradually improve in that area.