Introduction:
Hi I’m Max – A High Performance Coach.
I’ve spent over a decade of my life working with some of the most high performing athletes in the country, mostly tennis players and martial artists.
With a lot of conflicting views around what mental toughness is and how to develop it – here’s a clear cut definition – Mental Toughness is the ability to make effective decisions while in physical or emotional discomfort. That’s it. Despite its importance, many athletes and coaches focus far more on their physical, technical, or tactical abilities and neglect the mental side of the game, believing it to be a nice to have rather than a must have. The truth is, without a strong mental foundation, even the most skilled athlete will falter when it matters most.
So how do you build mental toughness?
Let’s dive into three powerful habits that can help you cultivate this vital skill and elevate your performance on and off the field.
1) Become Hyper-Aware of Your Mental Patterns in Competition
The first step to mental toughness is self-awareness. You need to understand how your mind reacts in different high-pressure situations. Notice that it’s not in ALL scenarios where your mental game falters, it’s probably in two or three key moments, tops. Maybe it’s when you’re facing a match point in tennis, taking a penalty shot in soccer, or heading into the final lap of a race. These moments of heightened tension are when your mental game is most challenged – when does this show up for you?
Begin to notice when these triggers occur. Ask yourself, “What’s happening in my mind when I’m under pressure?” Are you doubting yourself? Fearing failure? Avoiding the possibility of making mistakes? Worried what mum and dad will say when you get off the pitch (this one I’ve seen a lot) – Start to recognize these patterns without judgment, and observe them as a scientist would: objectively and with curiosity. And most importantly – don’t assume that you know.
The more clearly you can see your mental patterns, the better you’ll be at managing them. You can’t interrupt a pattern that you’re not aware of. Instead of being overwhelmed by the discomfort, you’ll know it’s coming and be prepared to respond in a way that enhances your performance, rather than detracts from it.
2) Make Discomfort Your Ally
Here’s the thing—discomfort is inevitable in any competitive endeavor. For the best athletes that I’ve worked with, they make friends with this discomfort – this is a crucial step. I’ve seen so many athletes, particularly younger athletes crumble under this discomfort, when the best thing they could do is allow that pain to be there, and recognise it as an inevitability. Whether it’s physical pain from intense training or psychological stress from competition, discomfort is part of the game. The key to developing mental toughness is to stop resisting discomfort and start welcoming it.
Think of discomfort as a training partner. By seeking out situations that challenge you, you become more familiar with the feeling of being pushed beyond your limits. That discomfort is NOT YOUR ENEMY! Push through grueling workouts that test your physical and mental endurance. The more you expose yourself to discomfort, the less power it has over you.
Over time, you’ll stop seeing discomfort as something to fear and start seeing it as an opportunity for growth. When you become comfortable with discomfort, it no longer controls you. Instead, it becomes a source of strength and even excitement that fuels your determination and focus in high-pressure situations.
3) Develop Yourself Beyond the Sport
Athletic performance is often a reflection of personal development. I worked alongside one of the best tennis coaches in the UK who said once, “What happens inside the lines is a reflection of what’s happening outside the lines.” What he meant is that the challenges you face on the court, field, or track are often mirrors of challenges you’re experiencing in life. The way you handle pressure, frustration, or setbacks in sport can reveal areas where you need to grow as a person.
If you find yourself choking under pressure or reacting poorly to mistakes, ask yourself where else this might be showing up in your life. Are you holding yourself to impossible standards? Struggling to cope with failure in other areas? The thing to grasp here is it’s not your game that needs to develop, it’s YOU.
To strengthen your mental toughness in sport, work on developing your mindset outside of it. Focus on personal growth, self-awareness, and emotional resilience in everyday life. When you improve in these areas, you’ll find that your performance on the field improves as well. The stronger and more grounded you become as a person, the more mentally tough you’ll be as an athlete.
How do you do this? Well, I’ve got dozens of research articles to go through as a start.
Conclusion:
Mental toughness is, in my view, the difference between good athletes and great ones. It’s the ability to keep pushing forward when everything in you wants to stop, to make smart decisions under pressure, and to embrace discomfort as part of the process. And my claim is that the mental side of sport is more crucial than the physical, and it’s something every athlete should be working on regularly.
If this resonates with you, and you’re ready to take your mental game to the next level, let’s connect.
Developing mental toughness isn’t easy, but with the right guidance, it’s absolutely achievable. Don’t let your mind be the thing that holds you back from reaching your full potential.
Reach out to me for a conversation here.
Max – High Performance Coach
