Mental Toughness - Essay Example

Mental Toughness: How This Term Relates to the Teachings of Sports Psychologists and how Athletes Understand the Meaning of This and how it Relates to and Affects Their Chosen Sporting Discipline Mental Toughness: How This Term Relates to the Teachings of Sports Psychologists and how Athletes Understand the Meaning of This and how it Relates to and Affects Their Chosen Sporting Discipline There is much information that needs to be discussed and examined when it comes to the term 'mental toughness', and in order to understand this term and how it relates to the teachings of sports psychologists, and to how athletes themselves understand the meaning of the term and how this thus results in affecting their chosen sport discipline, we have to analyze this information, such as what sports psychology is in particular and what the actual meaning is behind the term mental toughness, as well as all of the other key and related issues that are influential in this regards. In order to do this, we are going to have to address and examine research that has been done in regards to this subject matter, as well as take focus on the opinions that have been made in this regards, and conclude with a proper and reasonable result in the end. This is what will be dissertated in the following. Sports psychology is an incredibly intricate and complex issue, and mental toughness is one of the terms that is actually most referred to in regards to all issues within this sports psychology forum. Sports psychology is a type of science which deals with both the mental and emotional aspects of physical performance, and it is considered as being "a specialization within psychology that seeks to understand psychological/mental factors that affect performance in sports, physical activity and exercise and apply these to enhance individual and team performance. It deals with increasing performance by managing emotions and minimizing the psychological effects of injury and poor performance". (Wikipedia, 2007). There are in fact many different skills which are taught within sports psychology, and this includes such things as goal setting, relaxation, attribution training, concentration, and periodization, for instance. There is much history that is behind sports psychology in general, and, as it is considered as being the scientific study of people and how they react and their behaviors in regards to sports. Those who work in this field are known as sports psychologists, and the main job of a sports psychologist is to "recognize how participation in sport exercise and physical activity enhances a person's development". (Wikipedia, 2007). In regards to how the term 'mental toughness' relates to the teachings of sports psychologists, there is much to be discussed, and for one, mental toughness relates to the teachings of sports psychologists because sports psychologists spend a great deal of time teaching their pupils and their clients to be able to be prepared for whatever lies ahead and for whatever is going to happen in the future in regards to their chosen sporting discipline, and thus mental toughness is incredibly critical here. There is much that is included in the term mental toughness, as when you learn how to have mental toughness, they you have learned how to get yourself how to get psyched up, how to get motivated, and how to get ready and focused and prepared both mentally and emotionally. The biggest question that most sports psychologists are asked is how the athletes can be more mentally tough, how they can get a better attitude than their opponent and mentally beat them, and this is why the term mental toughness is so influential and incredibly significant in regards to the teachings of sports psychologists overall. Many people do not full understand just how important the mental aspect is in regards to sports, and this is why it is considered as being one of the most relative issues in regards to sports in general and as well why it is so mental toughness in sport very much relates to the teachings of sports psychologists. According to Dr. Andrew Jacobs, who has been a sports psychologist for over 25 years and who has worked with all levels of competitive athletes from youth sports to the professional and Olympic level, "Mental toughness relates to your ability to handle adversity, to perform when the pressure is on and to be focused enough that you are able to block out all of the negativity and adversity you may face in the heat of competition. In today's constantly growing world of youth sports, we all too often hear stories about kid's coaches who scream, yell and get out of control at practices and at games". (Jacobs, 2006). In his opinion, the ways that these coaches in particular act is going to do nothing to help the children's mental toughness, as they are instead basically degrading them and this is going to make them shy away and react aggressively and defensively, rather than become mentally tougher. He does not believe that mental toughness can be achieved through fear, and so acting this way is only going to result negatively. Rather, he believes that "it develops from one's ability to understand their own personal motivations to succeed. 'Mentally tough' athletes usually are the ones who don't flinch when the pressure is on. They look forward to coming up with the bases loaded and their team down by three runs in the bottom of the ninth. They want to have the ball in their hands with five seconds left and their team down by two". (Jacobs, 2006). In regards to the matter of how athletes themselves understand the term mental toughness and how this relates to their chosen sporting discipline, again this is an incredibly important and significant and complex issue. Most athletes have at least a somewhat firm grasp on what the term mental toughness refers to and what it is all about, however it is the best athletes that understand it the most, and this is why their game play results so positively. Typically, especially in regards to high level sports and athletes in particular, there will be one or more sports psychologists that work with the athletes, in order to help them out with such things as mental toughness. There are many different issues that are involved here, that the psychologists make sure to include, such as the fact of teaching the athlete how to properly concentrate. Proper concentration is key in regards to attaining mental toughness, and this is particularly so when they are under pressure. A good athlete will be able to have full concentration even when they are under extreme pressure, however it can often be difficult for an athlete to be able to gain this part of mental toughness, regardless of their level in sports in general. In order to work with the athletes on this matter, the sports psychologists will integrate concentration practices into their daily workouts, so that they can continuously and consistently work towards gaining better concentration, and thus better mental toughness overall. They also work to allow the athletes to gain mental toughness by teaching an awareness of the inner/body connection, and what they do here is basically help the athletes to understand that of the main difference between their best and worst performance, and then as well what this has to do with their pre-performance self-talk and thoughts; the pre-performance self-talk and thoughts is an incredibly large part of mental toughness overall, and so it is critical that the athletes are taught what they should think and tell themselves before they go out to play. How the athletes understand the meaning of mental toughness incredibly relates and affects their chosen sporting discipline, because it is going to substantially affect the way they play, and thus not only their chosen sporting discipline but their entire life as well. Coaches and athletes alike are able to identify someone in terms of their mental toughness, and yet, at the same time, despite this apparent and believed understanding, there has in fact been little that has been done in order to actually develop the concept itself from that of a theoretical basis. "Indeed, the term mental toughness remains inadequately defined and conceptualized. Stemming from these inadequacies, measurement of mental toughness remains illusive elusive" (Middleton et al, 2004). Sports psychologists more than anyone understand the importance of mental toughness, and how significantly it relates to overall performance in regards to an athlete's sporting performance, and "Despite widespread agreement on the importance and benefits of mental toughness and calls to identify psychological attributes that create champions, high quality research into mental toughness is limited. In one study of mental toughness, Fourie and Potgieter (2001) analyzed written responses from 131 expert coaches and 160 elite athletes. Their analysis identified twelve components of mental toughness including: motivation level, coping skills, confidence maintenance, cognitive skill, discipline and goal directedness, competitiveness, possession of prerequisite physical and mental requirements, team unity, preparation skills, psychological hardiness, and ethics". (Middleton et al, 2004). Motivation is one of the most key characteristics of all in regards to mental toughness, and thus this is one of the most major characteristics that sports psychologists attempt to deliver upon the athletes; however, although the importance of motivation in this regards to widely accepted and receives overwhelming support, the actual comparison of the range of motivation factors that have been reported in regards to the mental toughness literature as well as the answer in regards to what type of motivation is best suited for mental toughness, is actually yet to be confirmed. However, "The general theme that appears to be emerging is that motivations are internally derived are seen to be of most importance to mental toughnesscurrent studieshighlight personal bests and tasks that are personally significant". (Middleton et al, 2004). Overall from this review, we can conclude many things. For one, we can conclude that there is much behind the term mental toughness, and that it is easily one of the most important parts of all in regards to sports psychology overall. As well, we have been able to see how mental toughness relates to the teachings of sports psychologists, including the fact of how these psychologists are able to allow the athletes to attain better mental toughness through practice and teachings; through certain concepts and understandings, as we have seen, sports psychologists are able to get athletes to better understand and thus gain improved mental toughness, thus helping to significantly improve their game overall. We have also seen how athletes themselves understand the term mental toughness, and how this results in relating and affecting their chosen sporting discipline. From this review we have seen quite clearly just how integral and influential the term mental toughness is within the sports world, and how greatly it can affect the overall performance of a player. We have also been able to understand about what strategies have to be - and are - used in order for athletes to be able to gain a better mental toughness, and through examining and addressing studies and research that has been done on this matter, we have been able to come to an incredibly more knowledgeable and informative view on this subject matter overall. Mental toughness is a term that is used in fact throughout many different forums in the world today, however it is considered as by far being most important when discussed in relation to the sporting world and to athletes, and the significance of this term here is incredible. In order to have a full and promising game, all athletes have to be able to have serious mental toughness, and although this can take some time, even a significant amount of time for some, all athletes are able to attain proper mental toughness if they take the necessary steps that are involved. This review is just one of many which shows this, and from this review even more conclusions will be able to be made in regards to what techniques can be used in order for athletes to gain better mental toughness, as well as make more people understand just how important mental toughness is in regards to the sporting world overall. References Cockerill, I. Solutions in Sport Psychology. London: Thompson. Greenlees, I. A. et al. (2005). The Impact of two Forms of Opponents' Non-Verbal Communication on Impression Formation and Comparative Self-Efficiency Judgments. Psychology of Sport & Exercise, 6, 103-115. Jacobs, A. (2006). Mental Toughness: What is it and how do you get it Retrieved February 28, 2007, from http://active.typepad.com/teamsports/2006/10/mental_toughnes.html Kremer, J. & Scully, D. (2001). They Just Won't Gel. London: Thomson Learning. Kuehl et al. (2005). Mental Toughness: A Champion's State of Mind. Chicago, IL: Ivan R. Dee. Lavallee, D. et al. (2004). Sport Psychology: Contemporary Themes. London: Palgrave. Loehr, J. E. (1995). The New Toughness Training for Sports: Mental Emotional Physical Conditioning From one of the World's Premier Sports Psychologists. ISBN: 0452269989. Middleton, S. C. et al. (2004). Discovering Mental Toughness: A Qualitative Study of Mental Toughness in Elite Athletes. Retrieved February 28, 2007, from http://72.14.205.104/searchq=cache:04xKD8vPz20J:self.uws.edu.au/Conferences/2004_Middleton_Marsh_Martin_Richards_Perryb.pdf+how+athletes+understand+mental+toughness&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=15 Scully, D. et al. (1998). Exercise and Psychological Well-Being: A Critical Review. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 32(2), 111-120. Scully, D. et al. (1999). Psychological Well-Being and Physical Exercise. London: BMJ Books. Trew, K. et al. (1998). Sport, Leisure, and Perceived Self-Competence Among Male and Female Adolescents. European Physical Education Review. Wikipedia. (2007). Sports Psychology. Retrieved February 28, 2007, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sports_psychology Read More