What is Mental Toughness?

If this is your first time visiting this site, or hearing about me, this is a common question….this sounds great, but what is mental toughness really?

Put simply, it is performing consistently to the best of your abilities – with focus, confidence, determination, and resilience; even when under pressure.

Mental Toughness Is Always Important

We see athletes at every level who bring their A game in practice, but then fall short when it really counts.  They know the mechanics inside and out, but their mental game is suddenly stunned. That’s because athletes rarely spend much time training the most important part of the equation: their mind!  At best, most coaches and trainers are telling athletes things like, “be strong!”, “calm down and focus”, or “just believe in yourself”. While those are great ideas, young athletes usually don’t know how to really do that!

Plus, those things don’t get into the root issues that are causing the problem.

How are you different?

Although there are some similarities to what others teach, my process gets to the core of the performance destroying behavior.  I don’t just address symptoms and offer general tips on how to live with the behavior. I am all about training how to go deep and clear the interference.  That equals long-lasting results!

Here’s an example:  Let’s say Brad is a 14 year old baseball player with a rocket of an arm, and one of the league’s leading short-stops.  His fielding is great, and he can turn and throw on a dime. He is usually in the zone, but lately has been fielding the ball and consistently missing the out at first base.

He has developed an autonomic physical response to put too much on the throw, especially during a close play. This response, coupled with the negative thoughts of previous mistakes (“I overthrew last time – I might do it again”) are creating the off-target throw again, and again.

Telling him to simply focus, or visualize a good play, will only go so far. Because, those negative emotions are right below the surface and will come to the forefront when experiencing a clutch situation, or stressful moment.  Even if he’s playing in the zone, those fears and emotions can pull him out and leave him with negative results, when it really needs to count. He has a mental interference.

“In my program, I teach players a formula.  I teach them how to not only play in the flow state (zone), but how to clear out the underlying, negative pattern.”

Clear Out the Underlying Issue

By clearing out the underlying negative beliefs, emotions, and fears, an athlete is no longer blocked and can perform to their full potential, consistently!  When negative mental responses don’t arise, then the negative physical response no longer shows up to impede performance. That flow state can be achieved, and maintained, even in those clutch situations.

If you are an athlete, or parent or coach of an athlete, this probably makes complete sense.  I’ve seen that ‘aha’ moment many times, and it is awesome! The mental game is so crucial, but hardly any time is spent on really digging in and training that piece of the puzzle.

If this makes sense, and you know you could benefit from working together, contact me today.  I offer a completely free strategy session (seriously…no cost and no obligation) where we can talk about your goals and how we can clear out what is standing in your way of having the mind of a champion.  Email or call me today, and let’s rock this!

Gregg Pruett – The Mental Toughness Trainer
Columbus, OH