Become a Psychologist

"Great souls have wills; feeble ones have only wishes." Chinese Proverb

Mental toughness means backbone, daring, determination, fortitude, guts, mettle, moxie, nerve, perseverance, resolution, spirit, tenacity, toughness. It is is the ability to persevere in pursuit of a goal; no matter how long it takes.

Here are five ways to become more mentally tough on and off the court.

1. Do the hard things first. Pick your weakest spot and work on it first every practice. Choose the weight lifting exercise you like least and do it right away. Pick the subject you need the most work in and always start with it. If you wait, chances are you won’t want to work on your weakness or you will not give it your best effort. When we choose the hard things in life we develop mental toughness and life becomes easier. When we always choose the easiest we get weaker.

2. Be specific. If you want to work on upper body strength, write down the specific number of push-ups you will do. Counting backwards can help motivate you to finish. When working on math, pick a time limit and the number of problems you want to get finished in that time limit. For shooting, decide how many shots you will make in a row from different spots on the court, if you miss more than two shots in a row, sprint dribble down and back with the off-hand. Write down your goals and put them somewhere you can see them everyday.

Be accountable. Whether you are working on your game, your attitude, or your grades have someone hold you accountable in areas you are likely to give up and not work on. Choose someone you can work together with or someone who is a mentor who can help teach you how to develop mental toughness. For example, in ball handling, compete against a good player for the highest score, then whoever loses does one push-up. Make a goal to encourage each other and pick someone who will motivate you to keep going.