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What is mental toughness?

Key psychological characteristics associated with mentally tough elite athletes Jones et al (2002):

Self-Belief:
• Having an unshakable belief in your ability to achieve competition goals
• Unique qualities that make you better than your opponents.

Motivation:
• Having an insatiable desire and internalized motivation to succeed (you really got to want it)
• Ability to bounce back from performance setbacks with increased determination to succeed.

Focus:
• Remain fully focused on the task at hand in the face of competition-specific distractions
• Able to switch focus on and off as required
• Not being adversely affected by others performance or your own internal distractions (worry, negative mind chatter)

Composure/Handling Pressure:
• Able to regain psychological control following unexpected events or distractions
• Thriving on the pressure of competition (embracing pressure, stepping into the moment)
• Accept that anxiety is inevitable in competition and know you can cope with it

Key component of mental toughness is learning how to condition your mind to think confidently and be able to overcome frustration/self-critical negativity (reframe self-talk into what it is you want to occur).

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What makes a Wimbledon champion? Mental Toughness.

0 Comments - Add comment Written on 04-Jul-2010 by jimrettew

Why do Nadal and Serena keep winning Wimbledom? Mental toughness. Check out these articles.

http://tennis.fanhouse.com/2010/07/02/andy-murray-falls-short-of-rafael-nadals-mental-toughness/

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/more-sports/serenas-mental-toughness-matches-her-physical-gifts/article1622062/

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/413793-rafael-nadal-heavy-favorite-for-wimbledon-too-mentally-tough-not-to-be

http://blogs.bettor.com/The-One-Attribute-Serena-Williams-Doesnt-Have-a14212

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Tags: wimbledon,nadal,serena,mental toughness

Tebow: The Intangibles are Tangible.

0 Comments - Add comment Written on 24-Apr-2010 by jimrettew

The debate over Tebow's arm has received more debate than the health care bill. Many people ask, "did the Broncos draft Tebow just because he's a nice guy?"

Now, I think Tebow is a first class athlete. I know I'm in the minority when it comes to thinking about his physical ability in the NFL. He has a QB rating of 200, won the Heisman, and a National Championship. It's not like the Broncos drafted Rudy from Notre Dame.

But what made Coach McDaniels trade up to draft him, I think, is because he realized the 'intangibles' of him being a nice guy, team leaders, and a person of with a great work ethic are very tangible!

Look at teams with prima donnas (any team with TO on it.) How well did they fare? Even Denver itself with Brandon Marshall couldn't get past 8-8 last season.

Now look at organizations with a focus on the team and a blue-collar work ethic - Patriots, Colts, even New Orleans. Yes, they have stars and talent, but the stars aren't whining about their contracts all the time and saying, 'look at me!" Brady, Brees, and Manning are like a rising tide where all boats elevate.

Joe Torres's book "The Yankee Years" validates these points. He talks about the team chemistry when they won 4 out of 5 World Series in the late 1990's where the only true star was a rookie named Jeter. The year after they bought in A-Rod and Clemens, they went on a nine year World Series drought.

The bottom line: physical talent isn't everything. It's important, but so is FIT and CHARACTER.

Brandon Marshall and Culter have gobs of talent, but their narcissism corrodes the team into mediocrity. People like Tebow and Denver's first round pick Demaryius Thomas will build a team ethos, a work ethic, and a winning spirit that will catapult the Broncos into the post-season. Why? Because the things they bring aren't intangible. They're winning ingredients.

What do you think?

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Tags: team,broncos,winning,tebow,intangibles,mcdaniels

People Skills Please...

2 Comments - Add comment Written on 23-Dec-2009 by jimrettew

What's the secret winning ingredient missing from many coaches? People skills. Many coaches are hired for their knowledge of the game, but what good does it do if no one will follow you? If you can't connect to your players, know your players, and motivate your players, it doesn't matter what you know.

My current two poster children for this -- Brad (Chilly) Childress and Charlie Weis. Childress may think that Farve is calling the wrong audibles from the line, but he motivates his teammates and wins games. Why call out your QB for one loss when you're vying for a bye-week spot in the playoffs? The timing alone of Childress' comments causes me to question whether he really knows how to motivate a team, or is he just an Xs and Os guy.

Weis had the same rap sheet -- a guy who was brilliant at New England but couldn't connect with his players. The result was losing season after losing season. Whether its football or business, the biggest thing you can do as a manager, coach, or director is let your people know you care about them. If they feel cared for, they'll go to the ends of the earth for you.

I hate to quote pop culture, but I'll do it anyway. This dynamic was well demonstrated in the movie "The Blind Side." In it, the coach can't get Michael Oher to block. It take Sandra Bulluck's character to walk on the field in her high heals to make him relate to his blocking responsibilities in a meaningful way but describing his QB and RB as family and his job as protector and guardian.

ADs...before you hire the next football genius as your coach, make sure they can also act as friend, parent, and care-giver.

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Tags: coach,people skills

Say it Ain't So Tiger...

1 Comment - Add comment Written on 23-Dec-2009 by jimrettew

Look around this website and you'll see many examples of mental toughness as portrayed through Tiger Woods. Alas, even he has cracks in the armor. What does that say about Tiger? Does he still have mental toughness or do his short-coming off the course show that his success must be attributed to something else...like sheer will or raw ambition? Should I take off all the examples of Tiger Wood's mental toughness off this website, or do they still justify to be here? Let me know your opinion.

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