A large part of an athlete's performance is their mental state. Dr. John F. Murray, a widely-known sports psychologist said, The mind is a huge component of performance and outcome. The mental state that the player is in, either healthy or not seems to reflect on how the athlete plays on game-day, which often affects both the individual athlete's and the teams overall performance. It doesn't matter how small or big you are, the mind moves the body; the body is like the machine and the brain is like the engine." Murray said "Both the body and mind are always key aspects of an athlete's performance and neither should be ignored."
Why am I interested in this?
Because as a college coach, I don't want to recruit athletes solely based on their athletic abilities. I have experienced both positive and negative effects of mental toughness as an athlete and as a coach. I may have been the smallest or least talented player on the court but I really believed that I could outwork, outplay, and beat my opponents. On the other hand, I've coached a couple of players that were clearly the best players on the court but mentally they didn't see or believe that they were. In fact, they ran away from the challenge, because they lacked the mental toughness or confidence to lead.
So instead of looking for the best looking car or athlete, I'm looking under the hood to check the engine or brain. I don't want to be left stranded when the game is on the line.........
Although some players have it and others don't, Mental Toughness requires maintenance.
Check out the components of Mental Toughness:
