What is Mental Toughness?

What do you think of when you hear the words ‘mental toughness’? I tend to
think about athletes who never quit or give up. I think about athletes who love working
hard and welcome any challenge presented to them. Mentally tough athletes can deal
with adversity and struggle in a way that ends in positive outcomes for the individual and
his/her team. Athletes who set high standards for themselves and their teammates, then
hold themselves accountable to those standards show mental toughness as well. The
pitcher who can hit his spot in the bottom of the ninth, the goalie who makes the save on
a penalty kick, the volleyball player who makes the serve on match point, the Olympic
weightlifter who trains for 5 years to improve by 2 kg, the fullback who makes the block
to allow his tailback to gain an extra three yards, and the shooting guard who follows her
shot and scores off her own rebound, all show mental toughness as well.

To know the definitions of mental toughness are important, but what is more
significant is to understand how to develop this ability in yourself and those around you.

1. Never accept failure (from yourself or anyone around you) without first giving
every ounce of effort you have. If failure does occur, immediately re-set a goal to
achieve whatever it was in a realistic time-frame.

2. Stop talking about how you feel. How you feel is generally not important to
whether or not you achieve an athletic goal. The game must go on whether you
feel great or not.

3. Get used to being uncomfortable when training to become your best. If you’re
comfortable while preparing for your endeavor, your body probably isn’t adapting
and improving.

4. Once you decide on a goal, don’t change it. Too often athletes change their
expectations based on difficulty of the challenge. Don’t be beaten so easily.
Be fiercely determined to achieve your objective.

5. Never sympathize with yourself or your teammates over a challenge or hardship.
You can understand their tribulations and difficulties, but sympathy gets nothing
but a loss of respect.

Want help with mental toughness. Check in with Psych Mike. Mike Margolies at www.themental-game.com and let him help you to reach another level of performance. He can also be found at (425) 241-6539 His new book is for sale in our office. It is called “The Athlete within You” and is also available through Amazon.com http://amzn.to/nt8svv

At Maximum, we believe in complete athletic development. Our training and developmental goals are based on improving performance, decreasing injury potential, and helping athletes reach their goals.

Athletic development includes all activities which enhance athleticism and sports performance. These include strength, power, speed, agility, mobility, flexibility, endurance, durability, balance and stability. To maximize each of these aspects takes careful programming based on scientific research.

We believe that all the systems in the body play an important role in maximizing biological power. We use an integrated approach, but base our methodology primarily from the research that has come from the Eastern block countries.

We believe all training activity should have a purpose, and
should have some direct transfer to the sport-specific goals of the athlete. For example, the athletic activities that a swimmer performs need to develop her ability to compete in the pool. The same goes for the activities of a football player. We don’t believe in doing weight room activity just for the sake of doing activity. There should be a purpose to every workout.

At Maximum, we do not accept anything less than 100% effort when training. If an athlete gives less than 100% they are wasting their time. An athlete’s genetic potential can never be met if they do not exert every ounce of effort, and every bit of concentration on every rep.

Come work out with us at our new facility. 

Fall Schedule continues through December 15th, Check the Calendar Tab!

13415 SE 30th St.
Bellevue, WA 98005

Phone: 425-641-4310

Email: maximum@maxsc.net