Mental Toughness is The Key to Comebacks
Is it possible to become mentally tough or is mental toughness only something reserved for elite athletes? What can mental toughness do for you?
To start, how many 8 year-old athletes are described as mentally tough? Probably none.
That’s because mental toughness is not a genetic trait but a skill set learned over time. If you are capable of learning, you can learn to become mentally tough.
If you have developed physically and technically as an athlete, you can grow your mental game and become a mentally tougher athlete and that is a fact!
Mental toughness is the one skill that can help you beat the odds…
Mount a comeback when you are down late in a game…
Play your best during championship moments…
Beat teams that seem unbeatable…
And perform with consistency and confidence.
Take for example the Cleveland Cavaliers… Of course the team is talented but talent is never enough.
It requires mental toughness to beat a team who defeated you the previous year to win the championship.
It takes mental toughness to come back in an NBA final when you are down 3-1 when no team in NBA history accomplished that feat.
It takes mental toughness to beat a team who had a record-breaking season with 73 wins.
It requires mental toughness to successfully defend a team who has the two-time NBA MVP.
It requires mental toughness to win a championship in a hostile environment when the opposing team had the most dominant home records over the past two years.
It takes mental toughness to overcome a 52-year championship drought suffered through by an entire city.
And it was mental toughness that was the key for the Cleveland Cavaliers to beat the odds and win the 2016 NBA Championship.
Mental toughness helped the Cavaliers despite all the pressure hoisted upon the team. Not only did the team thrive in that pressure-packed championship moment, the team looked forward to competing under those circumstances.
Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue expressed the overall mindset of the team when he said after Game 6, “I wish every game was an elimination game.”
When you are mentally tough, you have the confidence to know that you are never out of the game.
Mentally tough players have a sense of calm and focus because they feel they can still affect the game no matter the situation.
MVP LeBron James was often admonished early in his career for an inability to perform when the game mattered most. But in Game 7, LeBron was a picture of poise under pressure due to his mental toughness that he cultivated throughout the years.
JAMES: “I was calm. I was focused. I was locked in.”
Your success as an athlete depends, not only on your physical skill set, but on how much time you dedicate to growing your mental toughness.
Tips for growing mental toughness:
There is a saying, “If you don’t know the answer, find someone who does.” The same is true of growing your mental toughness.
Seek out the advice of experts. Just like hiring a personal coach to hone your physical skills… Find a mental game coach to help develop your mental toughness.
Mental toughness will be the skill that launches your career further than you thought possible.
Learn about our mental coaching programs here:
Mental Training Programs For Athletes
Related Sports Psychology Articles
- What is Your Self-Doubt Comeback Statement?
- On Comebacks, Meltdowns, and The Mental Game
- Using Your Mind to Mount a Comeback
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