We've all heard the term "Mental Toughness" and of course we all want to know what it is and how to get it so we can be the best we can be. For the elite athlete, this precious asset means the difference between winning and losing. It sets those that have it apart from those that don't.
So. What exactly is "Mental Toughness"?
Mental toughness can be defined as: " having the natural or developed psychological edge that enables you to:
- Generally cope better than your opponents with the many demands (e.g., competition, training, lifestyle) that are placed on you as a performer
- Specifically, to be more consistent and better than your opponents in remaining determined, focused, confident, resilient, and in control under pressure.". (Jones et al, 2002)
To really understand "Mental Toughness" we have to look at the different types of motivation.
The "Mentally Tough" individual is said to have what sports psychologists call "intrinsic motivation".
This type of motivation is based on taking pleasure in the activity rather than on an external reward. Individuals that have this type of motivation are self determining, self starters who are willing to go all out for the sheer love of what they are doing. They do well at setting goals for themselves and need little encouragement to put forth their best efforts.
The other type of motivation is "Achievement Motivation". This type of motivation refers to an individual's degree of desire to accomplish and control the mastery of skills and to hold a high standard.
Achievement Motivation is often related to the degree of difficulty of a task an individual chooses to undertake. People with low "Achievement Motivation" choose simple tasks in order to avoid the risk of failure while those higher in this motivation tend to choose tasks with a moderate degrees of difficulty that can be challenging but are perceived as doable.
We all have varying degrees of these types of motivation so how do we develop Mental Toughness and get the best performance from knowing this?
- Start with the right mental attitude: Be positive!
- Take control of your negative self talk. We all have negative and positive self talk. Develop mental toughness by re-framing your negative and self critical thoughts with positive affirmations, focusing only on those thoughts that make you feel better about yourself. This will help you develop that all important self efficacy; the unshakeable belief in your ability to achieve goals.
- Be well prepared for your event by anticipating potential problems, practicing and giving your all to your training but be able to revise your goals and your outlook on possible failures. Let them go and view them as learning experiences that will lead to your future success.
- Get out of your comfort zone. You need challenges and different stimuli to make progress. You have to have periods in your training where you take it to the limit.
- Practice mediation and relaxation techniques and combine them with visualizing and rehearsing the steps you will take to perform at your highest level. Your subconscious mind will view it in real time and already done.
- Learn to respond to your athletic challenges by finding "The Flow" or "Zone". This is a learned state of mind that is much akin to meditation where you respond to high pressure situations with a reduction of brain wave activity. This allows you to reduce the impact of distraction and discomfort in order to give an optimal performance.
References: 1. Mental Toughness in Training by Sean Hyson, C.S.C.S. Mens Fitness, www.mensfitness.com
2. What is Mental Toughness and how to Develop It?
David Yukelson, Ph.D., Coordinator of Sport Psychology Services , Morgan Academic Support Center for Student-Athletes, Penn State University
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