As a former sports coach, I can relate to the frustration coaches feel after witnessing how their athletes falter during critical moments of competition due to the perceived lack of mental toughness. During these times, mental toughness can seem elusive, especially when it is one of the most used but least understood terms used in sport psychology (Jones et al., 2002). We should explore some of the misinformation related to this construct to gain clarity.
“It is silly for me to say things that I do not believe, try to ignore all the bad stuff, and pretend that I can do it even when I am not confident.”
The above is a common argument against using self-talk, even though self-talk is one of the most common psychological skills performers utilize. For many, it is perceived as just “lying to yourself.”
So, is self-talk simply about saying positive things, and exactly how effective is self-talk in enhancing performance?
Continue reading “Positive vs Effective Self-Talk”As the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games draw to a close, all eyes are focused on the medal tally, and the media is abuzz with inspirational stories about how athletes have triumphed over adversity to win medals. These stories are perfectly fine, except that the focus here is on the fact that they have won medals, and any challenges along the way are justified only by the outcome. Specifically, we are evaluating an athlete’s progress and abilities based entirely on their achievement of a medal.
What about the athletes who faced and overcame challenges and gave their all during the games but did not end up with any medals? Are their efforts still justifiable?
Continue reading “Medals do not tell the whole story.”
Coach Hansen 