MENTAL TOUGHNESS PART 1

As described by sport psychologist James Loehr, the following seven qualities are basic building blocks of mental toughness. For participants in the 2016 Rick Mahorn Big Man Camp, these descriptions apply to the Mental Toughness Profile which you filled out.

Self-Confidence

Self-confidence is considered one of the best predictors of how an athlete is going to play in competition.  Self-confidence can be defined as belief in your abilities to successfully perform to the level of the challenge that faces you. One of the biggest struggles that most athletes have is the so-called loss of confidence that results from mistakes, errors or perceived failures.  Mentally tough athletes have developed strategies to maintain strong feelings of self-confidence even when they have made mistakes or are losing.

Negative Energy

Negative energy (being brought down) can result as a player feels such emotions as fear, anger, frustration or envy of others. Athletes who are successful at managing negative energy are better able to accept difficult situations as challenges rather than threats to their success or egos. Athletes who attempt to play with such feelings rather than managing them will usually show inconsistent play, excessive muscle tension and poor concentration.

Attention Control

The ability to maintain consistent focus of the task at hand during competition is critical to athletic success.  It means tuning in to what is important and central to the moment and tuning out all other distractions.  An important mental skill is learning to catch yourself when you lose focus and become distracted and also having strategies to quickly re-focus. This also includes the ability to focus on small details of execution as well as the large picture.

Visualization and Imagery Control

Successful athletes have the ability to see in their mind what they want their body to do and successfully execute those mores or skills. They typically use mental rehearsal techniques to visualize the actual skills which also helps strengthen the connection between our thoughts, the pathways of our nervous system and ending in the muscles where performance takes place.

Motivation

Motivated athletes set short term and long terms goals for themselves which place demands on themselves but are not so high as to be unreachable, and have the self-discipline to work in an uninterrupted way to reach those goals. Motivated athletes persevere, even though some measure of discomfort and self-sacrifice is involved. Motivated players set high standards for themselves and expect excellence of themselves to reach their highest level, no matter what the extent of their talent.

Positive Energy

Mentally tough athletes draw energy from their passion for the game, and often play with great intensity while at the same time feeling rather calm inside (untroubled) and even feel as if their game is effortless.

Attitude control

Mentally tough athletes are quickly able to turn negative thoughts into positive ones.  Most importantly, they NEVER offer excuses or look to blame others or circumstances when they come up short. They pump themselves up and ALWAYS give 100% effort.