Guest Blog
By Amanda Schultz
Wiping the sweat from my eyes, I took a deep breath
as the referee handed me the game ball. This was my moment: the biggest match
in the history of my 15-year-old volleyball career was tied up at 26, and I had
the chance to win it all for my team with this last serve. All eyes were on me.
The gym was so quiet. It felt as though I was underwater. My heart was pounding
so loud I was convinced everyone else could hear it too. “Don’t miss this,
Amanda,” I told myself. “Just get it over the net and in the court.” As the
referee blew his whistle, I lingered for one final second, trying to calm my
nerves. I tossed the ball into the air, applauding myself on the solid
connection, the fabulous follow-through, the flat contact, and watched the ball
sail... straight into the net. I was living the moment athletes have nightmares
about. I had single-handedly lost the game for my team.
This experience came to mind as I started playing
volleyball at Dixie State University. Practices are intense and a lot is
expected from every player. However, when it is my turn to perform and the game
is on the line, I am no longer afraid. The pressure is not as great because I
have been in the same situation hundreds of times, and I know I can do it.
As I pondered this idea, I wanted to know more about what goes through an
athlete’s head when the game comes down the wire. I decided to pose the
following research question: How does an athlete’s mental game affect their
physical performance?
To start, I thought it would be best to further
understand how mental toughness relates to athletes. After using the search
phrase “athletes and mental toughness” in Academic Search Premier, the
first item on the list jumped out at me. The article was simply titled “Mental
Toughness” and was written by James G. Skakoon in October 2015.
He explains that mental toughness is just as important for an athlete as
practicing and conditioning. According to Skakoon, the mind has to be in top
shape along with the body. He continues to discuss the disadvantages athletes
that are not mentally strong face: shallow-breathing, blurred vision, increased
heart rate, and decreased blood-flow. This article helped me to understand the
direct impact an athlete’s mind can have on their performance. If athletes do
not take time to prepare their minds, the stress of the game can become too
much and cause the symptoms that Skakoon mentioned. This article made me think
about how physically demanding sports already are without the extra
complications added by high-stress. I know I would not be able to perform well
if I could not breathe and my head was pounding.
After reading this article, I think I need to do
some more research on the body’s response to stress and methods of coping with
stress. Since mental toughness is mainly required in stressful situations, how
the body deals with stress can also affect how the mind deals with stress.
Using the same article database, I found an article titled “Management of
Stress and Coping Strategies.” The article was written by Dr. B. Sridevi and
Dr. V. Maheswer in 2015. Sridevi and Maheswer discuss the strategies of stress
management and reveal specific signs and symptoms of stress. They pinpoint the
direct impact stress has on the body and tell of stress indicators like cold,
tension, rapid pulse, headaches, and inability to focus. According to Sridevi
and Maheswer, the best ways of coping with stress include deep breathing,
meditation, positive and rational thinking, and muscle relaxation.
Overall, I found this article very helpful in my
research. This article explained to me exactly what stress does to our bodies,
and made me realize the correlation between high-stress and performance. I
agree with Sridevi and Maheswer when they say that positive thinking is a
successful way of coping with stress. If negative or discouraging thoughts are
all that run through an athlete’s brain during a stressful moment, then their
level of performance is most likely going to drop. I think that if athletes can
find a way to utilize coping methods during an intense game, they can increase
their mental toughness. Whether it be deep breaths or visualization, coping
with the stress can be a good way to condition the mind and enhance mental
toughness.
At this point, I decided to further investigate why
some athletes perform better under pressure than others. The article by Sridevi
and Maheswer made me confident that stress and mental toughness go hand in
hand, so now I wonder what makes an athlete more resilient to high-stress. I
continued to use Academic Search Premiere, and entered the search phrase
“athletes and stress.” After looking at a few of the results, I found an
article by Markus Gerber titled, “Are Adolescents With High Mental Toughness
Levels More Resilient Against Stress?” In this article, Gerber explains the
factors that contribute to an individual having higher resiliency to intense
situations. He mentions how society, genetics, and emotional stableness all
play a role in developing mental toughness. Gerber describes mental toughness
as “the ability and motivation to solve problems, bounce back, learn from
mistakes and act self-efficaciously” (164). I think athletes with a
strong sense of self-efficacy have an edge when it comes to mental toughness. They
know it’s not the end of the world if they make a mistake, yet they are
internally motivated to not make that same mistake again. This article brought
to my attention the fact that mental toughness also has to do with how an
athlete thinks about herself, not just her performance.
Knowing how crucial mental toughness is when it
comes to competing, I was curious to know exactly how one measures mental
toughness. With that in mind, I did several Google searches using search terms
such as “measuring mental toughness” and “mental toughness scale.” After many
in-depth searches, I found a promising article by John Wayne Creasy Jr., Doctor
of Philosophy at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. He
acknowledges the fact that mental toughness is a topic that has yet to be
explored fully. However, Creasy breaks down mental toughness into five main
categories: perseverance, resilience, psychological characteristics, coping
strategies, and theoretical foundation. He explains the process of the
Psychological Performance Industry (PPI), a strategy that is commonly used to
measure an athlete's level of mental toughness. According to Creasy,
self-confidence and negative energy control are two measurable attributes that
can determine the strength of an athlete’s mental game.
This article by Creasy has me convinced that mental
toughness is an area that still needs to be explored. It brought to my
attention the fact that while there are some advancements being made, it is
difficult to know exactly what makes an athlete think certain things. While I
think Creasy is right about more research needing to be done on the topic, I do
find his study on qualities that increase mental toughness credible and
convincing.
Creasy’s testimonial of measurable qualities
mentally tough athletes possess piqued my interest on what constitutes an elite
level of mental toughness. In a sport full of mentally strong athletes, what
puts one player above the rest? To find out, I did another search in Academic
Search Premiere. I found an article from July 2012 titled “Measuring Mental
Toughness in Sport” by Daniel F. Gucciardi. Gucciardi emphasizes the importance
of attitude, emotional awareness, low anxiety, and maturity when it comes to
mental toughness, but he also mentions three other attributes believed to
define an elite athlete: outgoing, experienced, and a belief that they control
their own destiny. This article really helped my research because of
Gucciardi’s analysis of what makes a mentally strong athlete stand out amongst
a crowd of fellow athletes. The information I found could be helpful to young
athletes trying to train their mind for competition.
Looking back over my research, I think that mental
toughness is a crucial component of sports and performance that often gets
overlooked. Athletes are getting better and the competition levels are
constantly rising. If athletes hope to rise to the top, they need to condition
their minds just as much as their bodies. As I conclude this exploratory paper,
I know that an athlete’s mind can often get in the way and cause unnecessary
stress. Therefore, an athlete’s mental game definitely affects their ability to
perform.
Creasy, John Wayne. "An Analysis of the Components of Mental
Toughness in Sport." 14 Nov. 2005. Web. 6 Mar. 2016. .
Gerber, Markus, et al. "Are Adolescents With High Mental
Toughness Levels More Resilient Against Stress?" Stress & Health:
Journal Of The International Society For The Investigation Of Stress 29.2
(2013): 164-171. Academic Search Premier. Web. 19 Feb. 2016.
Gucciardi, Daniel F. "Measuring Mental Toughness In Sport: A
Psychometric Examination Of The Psychological Performance Inventory–A And Its
Predecessor." Journal Of Personality Assessment 94.4 (2012):
393-403. Academic Search Premier. Web. 1 Mar. 2016.
Madrigal, Leilani, Sharon Hamill, and Diane L. Gill. "Mind
Over Matter: The Development Of The Mental Toughness Scale (MTS)." Sport
Psychologist 27.1 (2013): 62-77. Academic Search Premier. Web. 19
Feb. 2016.
Skakoon, James G. "Mental Toughness." Mechanical
Engineering 137.10 (2015): 16. Academic Search Premier. Web. 19 Feb.
2016
Sridevi, B., and V. Maheswar. "Management Of Stress And
Coping Strategies." International Journal Of Multidisciplinary Approach
& Studies 2.6 (2015): 60-67. Academic Search Premier. Web. 29
Feb. 2016.
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