Is mental toughness real?

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Bigtenchamp

Well-Known Member
I want to start a thread on this... because some people in the Eric May thread are telling me it doesn't exist.

It's making me think I live in a different/alternate universe.

Being a coach, father, teacher, boss in my life mental toughness is everything in all walks of life.
 
Eric May was captain of a team that went 2-7 in games decided by 4 points or less and you think he was mentally tough LOL.
 
Mental toughness is 100% real. Along this same line of thinking...When I coached I had guys that could do no wrong in practice. However, they couldn't perform at the same level in a game situation. I had kids that were marginal in practice and lights out in a game. I attribute this to mental toughness.
 
It is real.

The Problem: If another guy who isn't mentally tough possesses ONE attribute that actually does go on the statsheet it immediately replaces the intangible difference the other guy had.

May shot 3s well and was smooth with the ball. Played decent defense, but was actually a liability vs other guards. Find a 3-baller who can D it up and rebound and every ounce of May's mental toughness has been instantly replaced and made irrelevant.
 
Bigtenchamp said:
I want to start a thread on this... because some people in the Eric May thread are telling me it doesn't exist.

It's making me think I live in a different/alternate universe.

Being a coach, father, teacher, boss in my life mental toughness is everything in all walks of life.
Click to expand...

The question is what determines mental toughness. Hitting a free throw in the last minute when down 1 point? Throwing a TD when down 6 with 30 seconds to go? Getting a strikeout with a runner on 3B with less than 2 outs with a one run lead? IMO, mental toughness cannot be qualified necessarily by any one statistic. And, sometimes, both players in a one on one matchup (like the pitcher vs hitter) can have mental toughness, but someone has to win the matchup at that time.

Finally, can someone have mental toughness, but not the talent to be on the floor? Sometimes, the toughest players contribute in practice doing the little things to get the starters (and subs who play) ready for the game, but they just don't have the overall talent to contribute. Mental toughness is real, but not a measurable entity at all times. Tim Duncan was mentally tough throughout his career with 4 titles, then missed a bunny with the title on the line last year. A couple of other Spurs missed late free throws in Game 6 to put the game away. Not mentally tough, or just missed a shot?
 
yes, it is real.


as a track coach, I knew which kids I had who would never crack in a workout or in a race, and I knew who would fold. same thing when I had basketball for a couple of years. as an athlete, I know which guys will not give an inch, and I know which guys you can screw with and get them to do something impulsive.

you don't really know without coaching the athlete or going up against them -- a lot -- but yeah, it's there.

as a fan? who are the guys who never do something impulsive or rattled in late-game pressure situations. it's not whether the shot goes in -- it's whether the decision to shoot and the shot selection/technique were good, or reckless.
 
Ask the coach of Baylor if mental toughness is real. I'm sure he'd say yes. And Baylor has a lot more athletic talent than Iowa.
 
Calling a player mentally weak is a reaction from a mentally weak fan who can't comprehend that sports are a cluster**** of weirdness and randomness.
 
Yup. It exists. Fair enough. But don't you guys all think that there are plenty of things that Iowa could have done in its losses that would have made the difference? Guard the three better? Stop dribble penetration? Box out better on the defensive glass? Shoot better? Cut down on turnovers?

Hard to say how much mental toughness is or is not coming into play when the team doesn't play well unless we hook these guys up to electrodes and monitor their brain waves.

My whole point is that "lack of toughness" seems like a stock explanation that people (including some coaches) often use when a team is losing. But if champ wants to interpret that as my saying that there is no such thing as mental toughness, then that's up to him. I never said it doesn't exist.
 
WindsorHawk said:
Mental toughness is 100% real. Along this same line of thinking...When I coached I had guys that could do no wrong in practice. However, they couldn't perform at the same level in a game situation. I had kids that were marginal in practice and lights out in a game. I attribute this to mental toughness.
Click to expand...

This is the thing that a few people... its really only a few.. can't seem to understand.
 
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