Coaches' views of mental toughness and how it is built

Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to explore coaches' perceptions of mental toughness attributes as well as the strategies used to build mental toughness. Participants were 10 National Collegiate Athletic Association head coaches from a variety of sports. In-depth interviews were conducted using standard qualitative methodology and content analyzed by three researchers. Based on raw data responses, lower and then higher-order themes were developed to capture the main ideas of mental toughness discussed by coaches. Regarding mental toughness attributes, psychological skills, motivation to succeed, and resilience emerged as higher-order themes, indicating some overlapping themes with previous studies exploring attributes from athletes' perspectives. Creating a tough physical practice environment, a positive mental environment, and providing mental toughness learning opportunities were themes that emerged as strategies coaches used to build mentally tough athletes. Findings are discussed in reference to previous literature on mental toughness and the psychology of excellence.