Mindset Training to Perform at Your Best
What is the opposite of mental toughness? The counter to mental toughness is mental fragility.
The mentally fragile athlete tends to experience apprehension in big moments, become overwhelmed when playing tough competition, and feel inadequate compared to other athletes.
Mentally fragile athletes are anxious even before the competition starts and have difficulty controlling their emotions after a mistake.
Mentally fragile athletes are anxious even before the competition starts and have difficulty controlling their emotions after a mistake.
Another misconception is that mental toughness is a genetic trait. Mental toughness is a skill, not a product of your genes. Since mental toughness is a skill, you can build your mental strength through training.
You cannot expect to go through the motions in practice and hope you will be mentally tough in a game. Mentally tough athletes focus on being mentally strong in practices and training sessions.
Mental toughness is particularly on display late in games. Low levels of mental toughness cause athletes or teams to not close out games or crumble after mistakes.
The 2021 Penn State University men’s hockey team has had difficulty bouncing back after the opposing team scores and playing hard for a full 60-minute game. The two areas are a result of low levels of mental toughness.
Playing all-out for the entirety of a game requires being tough-minded. When you play with total effort and focus, you can bounce back from mistakes, maintain confidence, focus on your game plan and compete aggressively.
In a game against Michigan, Penn State seems to give up early in the game. After the loss to Michigan, Penn State head coach Guy Gadowsky commented on his team’s mentality:
GADOWSKY: “We didn’t finish. I thought we were very fragile…I thought that we played really well [in] the first half of the game, but the fragileness comes from [how] we gave up after (that))… It’s a 60-minute game.”
If you want to play hard through an entire competition, you must work hard and remain focused during every minute of practice and training.
Practicing for greater mental toughness will give you the confidence needed to perform at your peak and overcome mistakes or obstacles.
Mental toughness is a skill. Mental toughness is a part of your preparation for a game. When you are not working on your cognitive skills, you are not thoroughly preparing to compete at a high level.
Building Mental Toughness
One strategy for building mental toughness is to train your mind during practice by imagining situations you’ll have in competition.
If you want to compete aggressively late in a game, create that scenario in your mind during practice. For example, tell yourself, “This is a playoff game, and we are tied 1-1. Be aggressive.”
In this scenario, you are training your brain as to how you want to perform in competition.
Practicing mental toughness will help you play with mental toughness in games.
Related Sports Psychology Articles
- Mental Toughness as an Underdog
- Mental Toughness Tips for Athletes
- The Importance of Mental Toughness
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