As we near Super Bowl Sunday and the much-anticipated rematch between the New England Patriots and the New York Giants, the talk is not only about which team will win but which one is more mentally tough.
This begs the question: what is mental toughness? Everyone from sports writers to fans throws that term around – sometimes incorrectly.
Sport psychologists coined the term years ago when they discovered that 50 to 90% of success in high-level sports could be attributed to mental factors, known collectively as mental toughness.
Ok, so what are those mental factors?
Well, first, let me tell you what they are NOT:
Mentally tough is not…
- Acting mean and aggressive
- Knocking the bejeezus out of another player just because you can
- Talking trash
- Thumping your chest or strutting like you’re “the man”
- Playing when injured (if doing so can cause further serious damage)
- Staring down your opponent in an effort to scare him
- Playing dirty
In other words, toughness or a display of toughness is not the same as being mentally tough.
About Pamela Enders
Dr. Pamela Enders is a psychologist/peak performance coach with 30 years experience who is on the faculty of Harvard Medical School. Pamela works with people who have to succeed in high stakes, high visibility situations such as athletes, professionals in law, medicine, and business plus performing artists - providing coaching and training in peak performance skills, mental toughness techniques, presentation skills, and business building strategies. When not working, Pamela enjoys hiking in the French Alps, biking in Maine (or anywhere) and cooking. She is also a performing artist with 3 CDs to her name.
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The Top 5 Sports Commentary Moments
by Thomas van Schaik|February 7th, 2011
A week ago, a British sports commentator was fired because of a sexist comment made when he believed the microphone to be off. The story was widely covered around the world and shows that being a sports commentator comes with its own set of challenges and responsibilities. Fortunately the profession also offers some very unique opportunities. While some of the best sports commentators are genuinely admired and appreciated for the drama, humor and passion they bring to the game, the very best of them are simply never forgotten!
What defines great sports commentary? Simply sharing your insights and knowing when to shut-up are clearly not good enough. Truly memorable commentary, the kind that firmly engraves itself in our collective memory, can only stands out because when the commentator is as passionate about the game as the audience itself. [click to continue…]
About Thomas van Schaik
Thomas studied Communications in Amsterdam and has been working in international sports for over 15 years. He started his professional career at the Amsterdam Admirals in the NFL Europe and moved to Dutch professional soccer champions PSV Eindhoven in 1997. In 2001 he moved to Southern Germany to join Adidas. He's filled a variety of roles with the sporting goods brand, including 'Head of Global PR'. In 2011 he moved into the role of Global Brand Director.
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