A couple ways to develop mental toughness

Here are a couple of ways you can create frustration, distraction, and pressure on your players in practice to help them become mentally tougher.

If you think it’s them you should think some more

It's easy to place blame on players for their lacking in things like coachability and mental toughness, but to do so is a form of hypocrisy.

Linking mental toughness to fitness and fatigue

A player's mental toughness is closely linked to their fitness and the amount of rest and recovery they get - both in the short and long-term.

Book Review: The Brain Always Wins by John Sullivan and Chris Parker

The Brain Always Wins by John Sullivan and Chris Parker could be quite beneficial to both your coaching and your own personal health and development.

Technical vs Mental Training

I stopped being what I thought of as mainly a technical coach a number of years ago and began spending more time on the mental side of the game.

Dealing with perfectionist players

We've all had perfectionist players who are really hard on themselves, often without cause. Here are some ideas for dealing with that issue.

Are your players mentally or physically fatigued by training?

Mental training is at least as important as physical training. Are your players at least as mentally fatigued after practices as they are physically tired?

Training beyond technique and tactics

Sometimes our training focus is more mental than physical, and as a result we might have to sacrifice some game-like elements to achieve our objectives.