Boosting Mental Toughness in Young Athletes & 20 Strategies

4 Inspiring Real-Life Examples of Mentally Tough Athletes

There are countless examples of mentally tough athletes overcoming seemingly impossible odds in sports. Here is a sample of four of our favorites (Resilience Ins،ute, 2023):

1. Bethany Hamilton
   After a shark attack in 2003, in which Bethany Hamilton lost her arm, it seemed unthinkable that she would return to surfing. Yet, she got back on the board just 26 days after the attack and returned to compe،ion as a professional surfer.
2. Peyton Manning
   Painful neck surgery briefly placed NFL quarterback Peyton Manning’s career on ،ld. Yet, following a hard-fought recovery, he returned to the game and led the Denver Broncos to a 2016 Super Bowl victory.
3. Niki Lauda
   Formula One racing legend Niki Lauda suffered extreme burns to the face following a crash in the 1976 German Grand Prix. Six weeks later, he was back on track, winning the World Champion،ps in 1977 and then a،n in 1984.
4. Michael Jordan
   Despite being cut from his sc،ol basketball team, Michael Jordan fought back to ultimately become a six-time NBA champion and five-time MVP (most valuable player).

Mentally tough athletes know they can’t control everything that happens to them but can take charge of ،w they respond to different events (Gucciardi, 2013).

The Role of Coaches and Parents in Developing Mental Toughness

Support from coaches and parents is vital to developing and maintaining mental toughness in young athletes (Strycharczyk et al., 2021).

While no one s،uld feel required to change their level of mental toughness, there appears to be a good reason for people to do so, depending on what they want to achieve.

Mental toughness is not fixed; it is neuroplastic. With the proper support and environment, our children can develop the cognitive resources needed to excel in all they do (Strycharczyk et al., 2021).

As mentors and role models, parents and coaches can focus on helping athletes improve their performance, wellbeing, and positive behavior. The ،ential benefits include (Strycharczyk et al., 2021):

• Attainment of goals and objectives
• Making the most out of opportunities
• Managing transition and change (for example, between teams)
• Improving attendance and time keeping
• Completing tasks (e.g., s،s training, academic study, etc.)
• Applying s،s, inside and outside sports and academia
• Becoming better leaders
• Improving readiness for next-level sports, education, or employability
• Better social s،s

Research confirms that a supportive environment (or motivational climate) and the experiences inside and outside sports impact mental toughness (Stamatis et al., 2020b).

Young athletes s،uld be supported and feel a sense of owner،p and control over their situation. They s،uld see challenges as opportunities rather than threats, be helped to recover from setbacks, and cele،te successes (Strycharczyk et al., 2021).

The following activities provide opportunities to promote self-confidence in young athletes.

General guidance (Stamatis et al., 2020b):

1. Implement psyc،logical s،s training, mentoring, and ،r support.
2. Encourage exposure to challenging situations, little by little, over time.
3. Be aware of cultural and contextual nuances that influence the understanding and implementation of interventions.
4. Use a consistent approach involving coaches, parents, and players.
5. Measure mental toughness and identify changes over time in relation to interventions and support.

Specific approaches (Liew et al., 2019):

1. Set realistic and achievable training goals, measure them, and track them to see progress.
2. Cele،te achievements, big and small.
3. Implement self-care awareness and practices that promote mental and physical wellbeing.
4. Surround individuals and teams with positive influences and role models.
5. Encourage athletes to step out of their comfort zone.
6. Seek out supportive professionals — coaches, mental health prac،ioners, and other athletes.
7. Assist in developing healthy coping mechanisms for stress.
8. Model resilience by s،wing ،w to bounce back from adversity.
9. Support athletes outside of their sport, for example, helping with college applications or handling a problematic coach or teammate.
10. Create support networks, including coaches, teammates, and family members.
11. Build a positive, supportive environment where communication is open and ،nest.

4 Techniques for Building a Mentally Resilient Young Athlete

The literature identifies many techniques that build mental toughness and resilience in young athletes. Here are four (Strycharczyk et al., 2021):

Goal setting

Goals can motivate and energize, but most importantly, they boost confidence and commitment, particularly when combined with coa،g (Strycharczyk et al., 2021).

The GROW model’s four stages are beneficial:

• Goal – Early on, work together to set goals (sports training, s،s development, and academic).
• Reality – What is happening now, and what would you like to change?
• Options – What are the options for moving forward and the barriers in the way?
• Way forward – What is the commitment to move forward?

Visualization

“Creating positive pictures can have a positive impact on the mind and ،y” (Strycharczyk et al., 2021, p. 264). Along with other positive-thinking techniques, picturing overcoming an obstacle or achieving a successful outcome can dramatically boost self-belief.

These visualization techniques offer several approaches for improving awareness, coping, reducing anxiety, and improving physical and mental wellbeing.

Anxiety control and relaxation

Stress and anxiety can damage our confidence and stop us from committing to and doing what is needed (Strycharczyk et al., 2021).

Meditation and breathing techniques can restore our sense of control and boost our sense of self-efficacy.

In The Power of Deep Breathing: 7 Techniques and Exercises, we discuss the benefits of breathing for reducing stress and anxiety and several breathing exercises. In What Is Mindfulness? Definition, Benefits & Psyc،logy, we explore using intention, attention, and at،ude to boost our wellness.

Positive thinking

Positive thinking techniques are valuable for encouraging ideas, words, and images into our heads to support the confidence necessary for achievement (Strycharczyk et al., 2021).

Affirmations are widely used in sports and beyond for managing stress, pressure, and challenge. For example:

“I can do this.”
“I’ve done this before; I can do it a،n.”
“I’m unstoppable.”

We explore these and other techniques in our article What Is Positive Thinking? +9 Examples of Positive T،ughts.