The Mentally Strong Athlete
‘Mental toughness’ is like good food or good weather: it often means many different things to many different people. Like ‘mental training’, ‘peak performance training’ and ‘sports psychology’, the words and images that connote these terms are incredibly diverse. Despite the wide range of definitions, most coaches and athletes agree that a fairly common definition is the athlete who can compete to their full potential in the big games that count the most, i.e. the playoffs, regardless. of the distractions they may find. . Sounds pretty easy, right? But when we consider an entire postseason game, replete with opponent intimidation, fan noise, outside pressures, increased media attention, difficult situations (demanding concentration and composure), not to mention the fear of injury due to the high playoff aggression. , mental toughness for many individuals, teams, and athletes is a bit more difficult to achieve.
Great coaches and players understand very well the importance of mental toughness. In fact, in the midst of the euphoria of the NBA, WNBA and college national championships, sportswriters and broadcasters across the United States want to ask each of the winning coaches a host of different questions. But among these questions, one common question always seems to arise: “Tell us what brought you here, Coach?” And since every coach is full of admiration for his team, the most frequently mentioned attribute is that special character trait known as mental toughness.
Pursuing mental strength…
The search for mental toughness should be seen in a similar way to the search for that ‘perfect practice’. Almost all coaches understand that in the history of sports there has never been a ‘perfect practice’. Many teams have been shut down at times, but it’s the process of aggressively pursuing perfect practices that wins championships. The development of mental toughness should not be viewed any differently. Above all, developing mental toughness is an ongoing process that requires time and dedication. Great teams and great athletes spend many seasons developing this all-important athletic trait. Let’s take a brief snapshot of a world renowned athlete to illustrate this point.
Although many do not consider Lebron James to be the best scorer in the NBA, nor the best passer, defensive player or rebounder; At the tender age of 21, Lebron is already considered by many to be the best overall player in the game today. He is, without a doubt, one of the most exciting and talented players in the world, and if he continues to stay healthy, he will no doubt continue to produce top 10 plays of the week with the regularity of another player who used to be ranked 23rd. The question on the minds of some of the NBA’s most respected pundits has less to do with individual production and stats, and more to do with Lebron’s overall mental toughness and the degree to which his toughness will translate into golden orb trophies. and studded diamonds. rings – in shorts, NBA championships.
Lebron obviously has time on his side. MJ only started consistently winning championships and ‘mentally tough’ tags after many years in the league enduring frustrating playoff exits.
However, a common argument against the ‘Lebron has a lot of time’ school used to be that he had yet to experience a single championship series beyond high school. The deep postseason is both the ultimate test and the ultimate training crucible of toughness where you only get true value when you actually participate.
Last year, Steve Kerr, certainly familiar with the grit of the playoffs and great performances in playoff clinchers, wrote a Yahoo web article highlighting additional concerns.
“In losses to the Lakers, Portland and Denver, James missed or missed several game-winning shooting opportunities, and he missed several key free throws. What puzzled Cavaliers fans was not missing big shots, even Kobe Bryant does that.” -but his reaction. James seemed distraught at the thought of letting his teammates down, hanging his head and waving his arms in disgust every time…Kobe, Reggie and Michael…when they failed, they never showed any negative body. language that could be perceived as weakness. They held their heads up and defiantly got up off the ground.”
Mentally Strong Body Language
Why did Steve Kerr pay special attention to Lebron’s body language and behavior in these situations? This question is best answered by asking an additional question. How would most players feel if, at the end of a game, their coach met with the opposing coach and said “here you go, coach, here’s the last play of the game… we’ll serve the ball on the goal line.” point guard and we’ll run a double screen from the elbow for our best shooter, and she’ll take a nice comfortable shot from 12 to 15 feet to seal the win.” Players would probably get ‘mad’, and understandably so! Similarly, it is important for athletes to understand that their facial expressions and body language are responsible for letting their opponents know exactly what is on their mind. Opponents have an advantage when they know that we are frustrated, tired, or experiencing any other negative thought or feeling.
An even more important reason to maintain great body language is the positive or negative effect that body language can have on the athlete. As an example, try to answer the following question. What do all great actors have in common? Well, one of the things they have in common is the ability to convince us that they have become the people they pretend to be. But even more remarkable than that, they have the ability to often convince themselves that they are playing a role. Great actors often immerse themselves in their roles to the point where they are able to physically experience intense emotions such as anger, fear and confidence, to the point where they can produce tears of joy or sadness. How are they able to achieve this kind of control? Great actors achieve this kind of physical response through tremendous imagery and word suggestions in their mind and they also take on the body language of the emotions they are experiencing to add to these emotions. Think about the last scene in the movie you saw in which an actor laughed or cried, and think about the body language that contributed to these different emotions.
The lesson is that even great performances contain some mistakes. How we physically react to these mistakes will help determine our ability to “bounce back,” stay “strong,” and continue to maintain the 4 C’s of peak performance: composure, focus, confidence, and commitment. We must never allow a mistake to cause our eyes, chin, or chest to droop after the mistake. We may not be able to play a totally bug free game, all games, but we can always control our body language.
Finally, mentally tough players can establish a mentally tough team culture.
Championship teams have an identity: they know who they are and who they aren’t. They know what they do best and they know their weaknesses. They almost always play to their strengths. Mentally tough players create a mentally tough culture and ensure team buy-in so that strengths are maximized and weaknesses (often in the form of common distractions) are minimized or eliminated. The following 7 common distractions often hold many teams back from reaching their full potential.
1. Negative on-court response to opponent intimidation
2. Negative attitude on the pitch when substituted
3. On-Court Response to Questionable Officiating
4. Lack of intensity on the pitch in the first two minutes of each half
5. Off-court lifestyle entertainment
6. Negative on-court response to an error
7. Low intensity on court during big leads/during big deficits
Think about some of these strengths and weaknesses in terms of MJ and the Chicago Bulls in their multi-year championship runs. Many of these traits were actually team strengths vs. weaknesses, and not coincidentally, strengths that were modeled most effectively by Michael.
In support of Lebron’s tough traits
So overall, how well does Lebron model many of these toughness traits? A recent ESPN The Magazine interview provides some key insights:
“Right now it’s important to establish my credentials as our leader. When you come into the league, you think it’s all basketball, but basketball is only 10% to 20% of what it takes to be in the NBA. You have the obligations off the court and the distractions. You have the things on the court, you have the means. Now that I understand that, I am 10 times the leader that I was in the last two seasons.”
Just as Michael initially struggled with key leadership behaviors and toughness against the Pistons, before finally moving on to capture the first of many championships, Lebron will occasionally experience a few hiccups. I also agree with many who feel that Lebron’s overall level of maturity (well beyond his age), combined with a clear understanding of his role as team leader on and off the court, will one day allow him to write his own. own chapter in the yearbooks. in NBA history as an NBA champion and as one of the toughest competitors in league history.
During last year’s NBA playoffs, Lebron exhibited these traits as a seasoned champion and enjoyed a history-breaking playoff series, leading his team to the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history. .
Another notable first from last season was Diana Taurasi’s first WNBA championship with the Pheonix Mercury. As one of only 6 female athletes to win an NCAA championship, Olympic gold, and a WNBA championship, the former college player of the year and perennial WNBA All Star added to her growing legend as one of the most toughest and most talented in the game. This day. However, despite her many gifts, Diana has continued to work, grow and improve throughout her college, university and professional career, committing herself to the continuous improvement of both her physical and mental abilities. And this is the important thing to remember about developing the mental toughness needed to win championships. Every athlete must recognize the importance of fully committing to the process of developing mental toughness, as real and tangible a predictor of championship success as outstanding defense and rebounding.
This article contains excerpts from a multi-CD and booklet training package called Icebox – The Ultimate Mental Skills & Toughness Training System. Icebox is used in championship programs in the US, Canada and Europe, and is the preferred mental skills and toughness training provider to elite organizations like the WBCA.