Sport Psychology Professionals Encourage Coaches to Develop Mental Toughness
So many athletes have depended on traits or characteristics of mental toughness that the concept is now a staple in sport. Or, has it become a cliche? Hearing coaches (myself included in the past) say to athletes that they have to demonstrate greater mental toughness for this adversity or that particularly difficult time is frequent. However, after asking hundreds of coaches over the years what they mean, many different definitions pop up.
Let's zoom in on how well established members of the sport psychology community suggest mental toughness can be fostered in athletes.
Be Purposeful in Thoughts and Actions: This means a statement cannot be a cliche. It needs to be clear, concise, and, precise; void of banter or negative verbal sputum that serves only to express the frustration a coach may be experiencing in the moment. We have all been frustrated. And, most of us, this means we are not likely communicating clearly or with any precision. To be purposeful means to take deliberate action in planning and creating opportunities to strengthen the mind muscle. EXAMPLE: Define traits or characteristics through actionable behaviours and deliberately create opportunities for self-evaluation and reflection.
Be Challenging but Encouraging: This means an athlete is well aware of the physical and mental challenge for an upcoming task (how are they aware? Spoiler alert....you have shared with them and dialogued with them about these challenges). Dictionary Definition: Hard: Solid, firm, rigid. Challenging: Testing one's abilities. Which one sounds more like a coaching style? SIDEBAR: I recall a short segway cartoon growing up. It was a competition between the sun and the wind as to who could get the man to remove his jacket. The wind went first and blew harder = man hung onto coat more. The sun then went next and shined brightly = man removed coat and enjoyed the stroll. Moral of the story = persuasion is better than force. Hence, be encouraging not degrading.
View Each Athlete as an Individual: Yes, we may have a team...but we have a team of individuals and each one is just like all others in some ways, like some others some ways, and like no other in some ways. Your job as a coach is to lean into the "like no other", then into "like some others", and THEN "like all others". Getting to know what motivates an athlete (second spoiler alert: autonomy is KEY) is massive when creating a culture for your program. Whether it is a team sport or an individual sport, we all value relationships. ALL OF US. Foster them. As a coach, if you are struggling to connect with some of your athletes, this is where we can help. Please, do not blame them for "not being the way you need them to be", but rather, find out how they want to be on your team and blend your needs with their needs. It takes purpose, precision, and a clear focus for a coach to do this well. Professional development alert!
Citing an article from Weinberg, Freysinger, and Mellano (2018) from THE Miami University (The "U") extends an important way for how professionals in the sport psychology field can help coaches sharpen their skills in developing mental toughness. If you have questions, feel free to ask. One of my mantras has always been: "The more I learn, the less I know". Keep learning!
Weingberg, Freysinger, V., & Mellano, K. (2018). How can coaches build mental toughness? Views from sport psychologists. Journal of Sport Psychology in Action, ((1), 1-10. doi: http://dx.dol.ord/10.1080/21520704.2016.1263981
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