Mim Haigh

Using bullying as a tactic to develop mental skills or toughness is not effective for achieving long term results. During an interview with Dr Jen Fraser, for the End Bullying and Abuse in Sports Summit, Director and Senior Consultant at Athlete Assessments, Bo Hanson, explains Coaches who use bullying tactics will not attain long-term results or succeed in developing the personal growth, mental skills, or mental toughness of their athletes.

Losing is inevitable at least once during an athlete’s career but learning to reflect and reframe these performances can help us strengthen our resolve for next time. In this article 4x Olympian, Bo Hanson, reflects on his experiences with loss.

If mental toughness is a skill that can be learnt, as a Coach how do you teach it and ensure your athletes are equipped with the skills to produce the performances you expect? In this article we’ll take a look at some of the ways to learn mental toughness so that it’s easier to understand and include as an essential part of every program.

Mental toughness is a state of mind, it’s an identity, people who have it are survivors and in sport it’s the common factor among winning athletes. But what is it exactly? In this article we’ll define the constituent components of mental toughness: grit, resilience and the ability to perform under pressure. By the end of this article you’ll know how these skills work together, how they can be developed and the critical role Coaches can play in mental skill acquisition.