To what extent does “mental toughness” impact sport success?
I think it is important to first define what exactly is mental toughness! In my opinion “mental toughness” is actually a set of skills athletes draw upon (i.e. focus, composure, confidence, etc.) throughout the game which in turn allow them to execute perfect, “muscle memory” type movements. Athletes who have a high degree of mental toughness seem to play effortlessly with their minds and bodies in synchrony — this mindset, of course, allows for precision focus, high confidence, and the ability to qucikly bounce back from stress and adversity. As far as the degree mental toughness impacts sport success, I think it’s actually more advantageous to identify the inter-related pieces that impact athletic success (as opposed to trying to figure out the absolute value of each). When I teach athletes about the variables that impact athletic success, I emphasize training in the following areas:
* Physical development - includes strength, speed, agility, nutrition, hydration, and rest.
* Technical instruction – includes learning the skills related to the sport, including offensive and defensive sets and strategies
* Mental toughness – includes setting goals, journaling progress, refining focus, developing self-confidence, and increasing human resiliency
What is the first mental training skill you would teach kids learning about mental training skills?
Every athlete, regardless of age or skill level, can begin a mental training skills program by starting with goal setting. Goals, when written properly, can become a road map to future success and help with focus, motivation, perseverance, and sports performance. Athletes can begin by brainstorming all the things they want to happen this year (i.e. start all games, score x number of goals, etc), and then refine the goals afterward. Effective goals need to be controllable, specific, measurable, and realistic. Every athlete can begin each season with a few specific goals, and then measure the progress of the goals throughout the season — this is a very important aspect to athletic development and success!! For more information on successful goal setting, click here!
While almost everyone says mental toughness is key for sport success, too often times its merely talked about but not taught – why is this?
Unfortunately, I agree — everyone I know admits that mental toughness is critical for athletic success, yet when you talk to athletes the vast majority have no idea of how to improve their confidence, focus, concentration, and resiliency. In my opinion there is still a negative stigma associated with the word “mental,” and people still want to assume that if an athlete is developing mental skills than the athlete obviously has mental problems!! The reality is that mental training skills are useful for all athletes, regardless of whether the athlete is experiencing mental distress. Hopefully in the future as more visible, high profile athletes turn to sport psychology, increasingly more amateur athletes will embrace the significance of mental training skills as well.
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If you are a youth sports coach, it’s likely you have never been formally trained and prepared to respond to many of the current issues regularly seen in sports. Some of these newer concerns include youth sports burnout, kids using performance supplements, sport specialization, and year-round training, to name a few. In addition to these newer problems, “traditional” issues including dealing with playing time concerns, player cuts, and learning how to motivate kids will always be challenges for coaches, regardless of level of coaching.Unfortunately, most youth and interscholastic coaches are not afforded professional training and development so that they may excel in their role as a coach. As a result, the youth coaching experience can end up being very different than what was originally hoped for, mainly as a result of upset parents, team problems, and even off-field issues and concerns related to a lack of sports leadership.Peak Performance for Youth Sport Coaches is a professional program designed to help coaches prepare and respond to many of the issues just mentioned, and provides coaches with the needed tools so that they can create a positive, healthy, and winning sports culture on their team.If you are a coach this program is a must-have, and if you know a coach this program will make a great gift for him or her!www.drstankovich.com
As a graduate student at The Ohio State University many years ago, I studied the sport retirement transition that elite-level D1 athletes and the athletic pressure they experienced as they approached the ends of their careers (in fact, this was my doctoral dissertation). I worked alongside a terrific colleague, OSU Athletic Counselor Mr. Darin Meeker, to develop an actual course designed to help athletes prepare for their lives after sports, naming the course “Positive Transitions for Student Athletes.” Through our experience in developing the academic course, we were fortunate to also secure a college textbook deal, enabling us to write “Positive Transitions for Student Athletes” (Holcomb Hathaway, 2000).While the book is ten years old now, it still has great applicability to many athletes today, as well as parents, coaches, and related sports personnel. In fact, the book is useful to student athletes of all ages (even before they face sport retirement during college recruiting), something we didn’t originally focus on doing while writing the book for college student athletes.If you have a personal relationship with a student athlete today, please check out Positive Transitions for Student Athletes book download. The digital version of the book is almost half off the original book price, and ready for immediate download.The book includes light theory, real-life scenarios, case studies, and exercises. Student athletes will learn about a number of life skills, especially athletic transferable skills, designed to help them gain self confidence while developing coping strategies to successfully transition from sports, regardless of when this transition occurs.Please feel free to send me any questions you might have about Positive Transitions, including my research findings from the original course and study, as well as how the book can be applied to student athletes today (chris@drstankovich.com)www.drstankovich.com
So the Miami Heat just picked up a couple big-time all stars, and just about every NBA expert is predicting they will become instant title contenders. “On paper” the team looks unbelievable, but games aren’t played “on paper” and championships have never come because a team should win “on paper.”Sport psychologists know the real question is how well team chemistry will develop as a result of inter-player dynamics and mental toughness, influenced by the overall team culture that exists within the organization. Miami’s future sports performance level will depend on the success of this marriage.Generally speaking, stacking a team usually leads to a greater likelihood that the team will do better in the future, but not always. On the team level, the biggest question will be how each individual athlete maintains his ego. Of course, during these off-season pep rallies the guys are doing, things look pretty good right now – but will they be this way when trailing in big games? Each player will need to communicate effectively, make compromises, and resolve team problems quickly and efficiently. The big three stars will also need to develop trust in one another – as well as the other guys on the team. If a successful balance occurs, the team will likely play very well, yet could still come up short of a championship. Sometimes, things just don’t work out, even when things aren’t bad – this is sport competition we are talking about, where anything can happen.On the team level, the organizational culture will play as a back-drop to daily team climate. How will management handle delicate new egos? If the team doesn’t win right away, how will conflicts be resolved? And what about national media pressure – will unrealistic expectations lead to team dissension?These are just a few key questions that will need to be addressed if a championship is to be won. Throw in the possibility of injuries, trades, suspensions, and even luck, it’s easy to see that just because Miami seemingly “loaded up,” they are still far from a lock to win multiple championships (or even one).The science of sport psychology reveals that successful teams are built on more than just having talented players. Winning teams also need positive player dynamics and an overall positive and goal-driven team culture in order to be successful. Unfortunately, players alone don’t make teams, and games are never won “on paper.”
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Check out my latest column on parents and the potential damage that can happen when they let things get out of control during summer sports. Parents need to prepare ahead of time for issues like playing time, player cuts, and making the transition to varsity sports in order to ensure a positive and successful youth sport experience.While most parents “get it” and do it right, we still have some that allow their emotions to get the best of them at youth sporting events. Additionally, summer travel leagues can contribute to increased chances for youth sports burnout, so it is important to keep an eye on symptoms like low motivation and lack of excitement (Sports Success 360).Make this summer the best one yet — youth sport success depends on parents and coaches working in tandem to ensure kids are safe and having fun while competing. Whether you are involved in pop warner, AAU, little league, or pee wee sports, the success your child experiences in sports depends on your sport role modeling and sports leadership commitment.Also, be sure to check out our always expanding product line designed to immediately help with holistic training and development:www.drstankovich.com
The two newest Sports Performance Assessments launched over the weekend (baseball and softball), adding to our growing line of sport performance apps on itunes! As with all SPA performance improvement products, the baseball and softball versions offer sport-specific questions and feedback, allowing users to develop a mental toughness improvement plan and take what they have learned to the diamond.Each SPA is only $1.99 and can literally be used over the players entire career. With summer ball just around the corner, now is the time to prepare to make this season the best one yet!Refine your focus, improve self-confidence, and learn how to better handle stress and adversity on the field by using the SPA-Baseball and SPA-Softball apps!www.drstankovich.com
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