Saturday, December 1, 2012

Mental Toughness Training As A Suitable Strategy In Sports

By Alicia Hunter


For people who are often exposed to intense situations like the battlefield, or even the sports arena, it is true that it takes more than physical strength to survive. More than anything else, psychological interventions are crucial in maintaining over all fitness. The concept of a mental toughness training is now fully embraced by society, given its relevance to your actions.

The whole concept of it is primarily involved with the state of your mentality. If you are able to tell yourself that you will overcome the hardship, apparently, your body will respond to the brain signals. Reportedly, some can testify that once they get over such ordeal, they become stronger inwardly.

In the face of adversity, indeed, they say that your resilience building trainings will pay off. Psychologists even back up the claim that it is a beneficial mechanism for people who would like to gain dominance and maintain power over the opponent. This is both applicable for men in the military and men who fight for a title.

That being said, it is also important to look into an opposite view of it. Athletes who deal with different kinds of sports may not be united in saying that it is counterproductive, but some can still attest that it is. It is a hindrance in a sense that instead of motivation, it subjects you to pressure, which would then make you nervous and lose focus.

To illustrate, some runners admit to getting slowed down by the mere focus on staying mentally tough throughout the game. What could serve them better is if they dedicate their attention to being quicker instead. On the other hand, some ice skaters are also taught to block out external factors for concentration. Reportedly, some athletes perform when they get to feel their surroundings and its rawness.

In addition, a golfer also struggles between staying tough mentally or viewing the obstacle with a relaxed mind. With the complexities involved in trying to calculate distances among points, surely, being pressured with your mentality would hinder you from performing well. Chances are, you would end up swinging sooner or holding on to your club too tightly.

Again, for some people, they have learned to use several coping mechanisms which may differ from others. There are those who prefer to be left alone from the immediate environment, as if to mimic isolation amidst the preying eyes of the audience. However, in team sports, it is always better to internalize the game and be in touch with the action.

What is best is to find something that you are comfortable with. Mental toughness is best used in areas wherein you have to bring out your dominance to intimidate an opposing force. If you are not comfortable dealing with more pressure caused by yourself, then you will find this training unsuitable for your personality.

Whether you go for the stubborn, rigid approach or the light and fun one, it is crucial to master one that suits your personality. A mental toughness training may or may not work for you, but nonetheless, it has its benefits. It is your decision to decide which strategy brings out your strength and drives you to success.




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