How important is mental toughness?

[philtenn]

Compared to natural athletic ability, how important is mental toughness or the mental part of the game in being successful in high school sports and upward?

 

Your opinions are greatly appreciated and may be used in an upcoming article.

[sls]

A mentally tough team will defeat a team with superior athletic ability almost every time in a pressure game. Now if the athletic team has a point guard that can think his/her way through the game, that is different.

Example: in the past when Princeton makes it to the big dance, under their now retired coach, no one in the country wanted to draw them, no one.

[coachgat]

QUOTE(philtenn @ Feb 11 2007 - 03:23 PM) 826367492[/snapback]

Compared to natural athletic ability, how important is mental toughness or the mental part of the game in being successful in high school sports and upward?

 

Your opinions are greatly appreciated and may be used in an upcoming article.

 

 

 

Mental toughness is vital to playing in high school sports. I often compare two types of athletes to my players. On one side you have a "hard" athlete that doesn't want to look bad in front of his/her peers when pushed or "disrespected" during the game and they retaliate. On the flipside, you have a mentally tough athlete that will endure whatever it takes and not put themselves before the team when a personal crisis of will versus want arises on the court. I tell my players that being "hard" will get you a technical foul and put the game in jeopardy. Being mentally tough will get you two shots and the ball. You must be mentally tough and not "hard" to play for me.

[knight2]

A mental tough team will do what ever it takes to win they will dive for the ball play tough D and not worry if they score as they will look for an open player. Where most Athletic team most of the time are only looking to pad their points they will try to score on their on rather than pass to an open player not all the time but most time and you wont find to many dive for a ball or play great D. Just my thought I would take a mental tough team any day over an athletic team any day.

[bball3522]

QUOTE(philtenn @ Feb 11 2007 - 03:23 PM) 826367492[/snapback]

Compared to natural athletic ability, how important is mental toughness or the mental part of the game in being successful in high school sports and upward?

 

Your opinions are greatly appreciated and may be used in an upcoming article.

 

 

 

The mentally tough player is the most important. They have a mind set that makes them superior. They put that extra effort in hustle. They feel that every ball to be rebounded belongs to them or their team. That every shot they take is going in the basket. They are focused and do not rattle easily. Give me a mentally tough player any day.

[swanson71]

I would rather have a team who knows the game and able to break the game down...If your just running on athletic ability most of the time your going to make a crucial mistake at a crucial point in the game...

[RARip]

QUOTE(sls @ Feb 11 2007 - 06:02 PM) 826367657[/snapback]

A mentally tough team will defeat a team with superior athletic ability almost every time in a pressure game. Now if the athletic team has a point guard that can think his/her way through the game, that is different.

Example: in the past when Princeton makes it to the big dance, under their now retired coach, no one in the country wanted to draw them, no one.

 

 

 

Although that may have been true, Princeton rarely got past the first or second round. They were always outdone by the more athletic team.

[Morton]

Definitely mentally tough, and here is why... A mentally tough team does not rely on one or two players to win the game (especially when those players have 'off nights'). A mentally tough team does not draw stupid desperation fouls (charges and techs). A mentally tough can come from a 20 point deficit by staying with their game vs. playing the athletic teams game (no matter how tempting... especially if the other team is run and gun). Athletic ability is key to winning, but a championship team is not only athletic, but smart!! Note to coaches...you know the players that get frustrated and keep driving into the lane over and over,to no avail, pull them and let them sit a while (even if they are a leading scorer), and let the cool-headed players get the game in hand. There's a place for both on the court, just learn when to play them.

[sls]

Agreed Princeton did not usually make it too far. There is usually not that much athletic difference in high school as say a Georgetown or UNLV vs Princeton though.

[notanathlete]

Mental toughness wins every time.

 

Good example:

Monday night's game of Riverdale vs. Shelbyville girls. Although Riverdale is a great team (athletic ability, etc.) their mental toughness, or rather, Shelbyville's LACK of mental toughness is what won the game by such a great margin.

 

Shelbyville is not used to losing, and certainly not by that much. They were down 25 for at least 2 quarters, and trailed after the 1st quarter for the rest of the game. It was VISIBLY noticable how the girls panicked and became frustrated. It showed that they didn't know how to lose - which is sometimes just as important of a lesson as it is to know how to win. Shelbyville lost their composure and never regained it.

 

Maybe having the name SHELBYVILLE can get you so far, but I think this team (and all teams) need to acquire mental toughness as much as skill.

 

My two cents....

QUOTE(philtenn @ Feb 11 2007 - 03:23 PM) 826367492[/snapback]

Compared to natural athletic ability, how important is mental toughness or the mental part of the game in being successful in high school sports and upward?

 

Your opinions are greatly appreciated and may be used in an upcoming article.

 

[coachh17]

Basketball is a game of size,speed, strength, and athleticism. Give me five long rangy athletes of average mental toughness and I'll beat your group of 5'4" mentally tough average athletes every time. Mental toughness and intelligence are both important, but they can still be physically overwhelmed. As the seasons wind down and the champions emerge, they are usually the teams who have done the best job of maximizing the athleticism and mental toughness that they have. As a general rule, I would say the best teams have the most athletes that are mentally tough. Great coaches combine the two and enhance what is there.

[bigdave25]

QUOTE(coachh17 @ Feb 13 2007 - 11:20 PM) 826370956[/snapback]

Basketball is a game of size,speed, strength, and athleticism. Give me five long rangy athletes of average mental toughness and I'll beat your group of 5'4" mentally tough average athletes every time. Mental toughness and intelligence are both important, but they can still be physically overwhelmed. As the seasons wind down and the champions emerge, they are usually the teams who have done the best job of maximizing the athleticism and mental toughness that they have. As a general rule, I would say the best teams have the most athletes that are mentally tough. Great coaches combine the two and enhance what is there.

 

 

 

 

Me 2 I'll take all of em I can get!