The purpose of this study was to develop an understanding of a super champion’s pathway, for the benefit of coaches and the next generation of athletes. This information is more critical now than ever explains Athlete Assessments’ Director and Author of ATHLETE TOUGH^TM, Bo Hanson, who says, “Across the world there are coaches we work with that often comment on how athletes from Gen Y and Gen Z have been sheltered from the harsher realities of the world. The absence of this conditioning is seen as the cause for a general lack of mental toughness among these younger athletes.”

The researchers also noted that talent identification programs provide smoother pathways for talented young athletes, due to the increased funding, equipment, and coaching providing the textbook road to success. Although this is considered beneficial to capitalizing on their talent and stimulating greater performance, the research reinforces the belief of many of our coaches, that supplying these resources takes away a lot of the life experience and previous struggles that molded super champion athletes.

The study finds that, “Early talent identification may often cause many young athletes to avoid encountering many challenges until late in their career. Increasingly, however, overcoming a degree of challenge during development is recognized as a vital attribute in athletes who ascend to the pinnacle of their sport.”

It is critical to note that the study highlights the subsequent importance of mental skills to transform those challenges into something useful. The authors state, “These challenge episodes should be preceded by mental skills training, and be fully supported and debriefed, if the athlete is to accrue the benefits of their experience.”

The report explained that a ‘challenge episode’ could mean “Playing up an age-group, in a different position, missing out on or being selected for particular competitions, or increases in training load.”

Broader findings from the report gave insight into the way super champions consider their own performance, their process of self-reflection and reward. Authors noted, “Distinct differences between how the separate levels of athletes approached their sport, perceived their progress and, consequently, administered self-reward. For example, the degree to which super champions seemed intrinsically driven was sometimes at an almost spiritual level of reflection.” 

The key findings from the report support the integration of mental skills training in sporting programs, by highlighting just how valuable it is for athletes to rise to any challenge and make the most of these experiences.

The research provides, “Super champions, and to a lesser extent the champions, approach a challenge with a purposeful attitude and determination, whilst the almost champions appear to be almost entirely reactive and unprepared.”

The importance of mental skills programs, or the development of a mental framework that enables athletes to proactively address and adapt to challenges as they appear, is further reinforced by the finding that super champions more commonly experienced facilitated styles of coaching.

Specifically, the study suggests, “That facilitative, rather than directive, styles of parenting and coaching that most super champions experienced may have contributed to their success.”

Furthermore, these top elite athletes “Are established in proactive coping habits.” These coping habits are what Bo Hanson refers to as Athlete Toughness Strategies.

To conclude the report the authors provide this crucial quote, “In summary, we feel that what separates the different levels of adult (athletic) achievement relates more to what performers bring to the challenges than what they experience.”