Mental Toughness – NCAA Womens Final Four

First of all Congratulations to both teams. It was nice to see teams other than the perceived powerhouses make it to the final game. I too believe it was great for women’s sports and basketball in particular. Don’t get me wrong I’m a fan of one of the teams that made it to the final 4 – 4 times in the last few years and did not come out a winner.

I’m a big believer in the mental game. I think fundamentals are truly exemplified in women’s basketball, but mental toughness is the key factor that makes the ultimate difference. The powerhouse teams that did not make it, I’m sorry to say, were limited in their collective team mental toughness.

The winners always dig deep and find a way to be mentally tough and win as a team. In most cases its not about the one or two stars, but more about the collective power of the minds in the game that gets it done when the final seconds tick off the clock. “I heard a little voice in my head, don’t let this team down,” said Danielle Adams (Texas A&M).

3 Key Strengths to be Mentally Tough:

1. Trust, what you know to be true. Know you can get it done during crunch time.

2. Focus on the task at hand without worrying about the past or the future.

3. Keep the mind free of clutter and mental congestion. The mind has to remain flexible and not get bogged down on what’s not happening, and more focused on what needs to happen to get the job done. This is what mental toughness is all about!

“Better to win ugly than lose pretty”
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For more information on mental toughness please take a look at my article entitled, “6 Tips to Sustaining the Motivation to finish.” at http://protexsports.com/wp/?p=1225

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