{"id":6912,"date":"2020-03-20T06:30:00","date_gmt":"2020-03-20T11:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thesportjournal.org\/?p=6912"},"modified":"2020-03-04T09:38:11","modified_gmt":"2020-03-04T15:38:11","slug":"mental-toughness-in-coaching-a-functional-definition-determined-by-elite-coaches","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thesportjournal.org\/article\/mental-toughness-in-coaching-a-functional-definition-determined-by-elite-coaches\/","title":{"rendered":"Mental Toughness in Coaching: A Functional Definition Determined by Elite Coaches"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Authors:<\/strong> William Steffen1<\/sup>, Conrad Woolsey2<\/sup>, Ronald Quinn3<\/sup>, Brandon Spradley4<\/sup> \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Affiliations:<\/strong> 1<\/sup>Wingate University, 2<\/sup>University of Western States, 3<\/sup>Xavier University, 4<\/sup>United States Sports Academy \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Corresponding Author:
<\/strong>Dr. Brandon Spradley
Chair of Sports Management
United States Sports Academy
One Academy Drive
Daphne, Alabama 36526
bspradley@ussa.edu<\/a>
251-626-3303<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr.\nBill Steffen<\/strong> is an Assistant Professor of Sport Science at\nWingate University and serves as the Chair of the United Soccer Coaches Ethics\nCommittee and a Senior National Staff Coach. Dr. Steffen won two NCAA National\nChampionships in women\u2019s soccer while coaching at the University of North\nCarolina and has 28 years of NCAA coaching experience, in addition to playing\nprofessional soccer for five years. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr.\nConrad Woolsey <\/strong>is the Director of Sport and Performance Psychology\nat the University of Western States. As a nationally recognized expert in the\nfield of sport and performance psychology he is a Certified Mental Performance\nConsultant (CMPC) through the Association for Applied Sport Psychology (AASP)\nand a member of the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) Sport Psychology\nRegistry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr.\nRonald Quinn <\/strong>is the Director of MEd in Coaching Education &\nAthlete Development at Xavier University. Dr. Quinn is considered a leading\nauthority in youth soccer and coaching education presenting at prestigious\nnational and international conferences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr.\nBrandon Spradley<\/strong> is the Chair of Sports Management and an Associate\nProfessor at the United States Sports Academy. \nDr. Spradley was a four-time NCAA regional qualifier and a two-time NCAA\nnational qualifier in track and field running on nationally ranked relay teams\nfor The University of Alabama. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mental\nToughness in Coaching    <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

ABSTRACT<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Researchers have explored the mental toughness\nthat is associated with elite athletes as a concept relating to specific\nactivities and sports; however, there is limited research concerning mental\ntoughness among elite coaches. This study expanded previous research by\ninvestigating elite coaches\u2019 (N=22) perspectives of what attributes were most\nimportant for defining mental toughness in coaching. Results of coaching focus\ngroups interviews yielded several themes which were incorporated into a\ndefinition of mental toughness of a coach. Mental toughness of a coach is a\ncomplex interaction of several characteristics: (1) a determined mindset; (2)\nresiliency; (3) confidence; and (4) a strong belief in the coach’s system,\nprocesses, and actions; all of these characteristics result in consistent behaviors\nand emotional responses. Coaches were asked to list attributes that they felt\nwere descriptive of the ideal mentally tough coach. Their list included\nconfident, resilient, consistent, positive spirit, energetic, passionate,\noptimistic, adaptable, possessing inner strength, and patient. These attributes\nwere discussed in consideration of coaches’ rationale for these choices.\nExamining mental toughness can positively assist coaches seeking to become the\nbest they can be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Key words: <\/strong>Mental toughness,sport coaching, psychological skills<\/p>\n\n\n\n

INTRODUCTION<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although mental toughness has been\nstudied extensively in recent years (2, 20, 24, 36), the concept has been\ndescribed as one of the most over-used, yet least understood, terms in sport\nwith nearly all desirable mental attributes linked to sport-related success\nbeing classified as mental toughness (23). Previous work in compiling desirable\ncognitive attributes attempted to better define the concept of mental toughness\n(4, 23). Crust (8) has more directly approached mental toughness with the\nfollowing suggestion: \u201ca mentally tough individual would exhibit different\npatterns of reactivity to standardized stressors, than would a less tough\nindividual\u201d (p. 594).  Additionally,\nCrust (8) reported that observable behaviors could be consistently noted in\nmentally tough individuals, and behavioral checklists could be created for\ncertain activities. Until recently, there has been little work in this area, considering\nthe historical importance placed on the mental toughness construct (32). However,\nCrust (7, 8) has written comprehensive reviews of investigations into mental\ntoughness with the goal of establishing a foundation of understanding. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Much of the early research that\nexamined mental toughness has focused on identifying potential constructs that\nmay lead to the development of mental toughness within athletes.  Gucciardi, Gordon, and Dimmock (22)\nidentified various roles that a coach may play in helping athletes develop\nmental toughness. These included the coach\u2013athlete relationship, coaching\nphilosophy, training strategies, and negative experiences. Additionally, many\nstudies have examined mental toughness in specific sports such as soccer (34),\ntennis (6), rugby (29), swimming (11), gymnastics (33), and cricket (2). Jones\net al. (23) has posited the need to examine mental toughness in alternative roles\nbeyond athletics. For example, a recent study examined the impact of a mental\ntoughness training program on early-career English football referees, which led\nto the referees\u2019 improved overall performance (31). While coaches have\nfrequently been studied to determine their perceptions in relation to mental\ntoughness (35), this has often been framed as the development of mental\ntoughness among athletes. Very little research has explored concepts of mental\ntoughness as it relates to the coaching profession. This study addresses the\nneed to investigate the mental toughness of coaches. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There should be an understanding\nthat while the definition of mental toughness may have common attributes across\nseveral roles, there may be differences among differing sport-specific roles,\nsuch as those of players and coaches. For example, athlete-specific mental\ntoughness for an offensive lineman in American football may feature many different\nkey factors than mental toughness for a billiards player. Indeed, mental\ntoughness can be expressed in many different ways across different sports (2).\nSimilarly, it can be hypothesized that the concept and constructs of mental\ntoughness among coaches may be quite different than those among athletes. Thus,\nin order to best assist coaches seeking to become mentally tough, examining a\ndefinition and attributes for mental toughness in coaching is appropriate and\nshould be further researched.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite limited education or\ntraining programs for assisting with such mental challenges, the stress and\npressure felt among coaches has been documented (25). These substantial mental\nchallenges experienced by coaches suggest a need for further exploration and\nthe development of a specific definition of mental toughness for coaches.  Such a definition may benefit coaches and\nathletes by helping coaches survive the rigors of coaching for greater lengths\nof time. As coaches continue their careers, they will have the opportunity to\nlearn more and continue to polish their craft. This definition of mental\ntoughness would be different from the Jones et al. (23), Crust and Clough (9),\nand Gucciardi, Gordon and Dimmock (21) definitions of mental toughness for\nathletes. Attributes should differ substantially as the job requirements for an\nathlete and coach contain significant differences. In an effort to advance the\nscience of mental toughness related to coaching, the purpose of this study was\nto explore the concept of mental toughness among a sample of elite sport\ncoaches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

METHODS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This Intuitional Review Board (IRB)\napproved study followed the methodology used by Coulter, Mallett, and Gucciardi\n(5) based on previous work by Jones, et al. (23).  Their process, however, used elite athletes instead\nof coaches to investigate mental toughness through focus group interviews. As\nin the previous study on athletes, data were gathered from semi-structured\ninterviews and were utilized to define mental toughness. In the present study, elite\ncoaches were operationally defined as having won a world, professional, or National\nCollegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) national championship. This definition\nis parallel to the structure of the elite athlete definition provided by Jones\net al. (23). Elite coaches (N=93) were contacted and invited to participate via\nemail. The email addressed the purpose, procedure, and requirements for the study.\nOf these elite coaches contacted, 22 coaches agreed to participate.  Each member of the group was then sent a\nmessage containing details of the study. Informed consent was obtained.\nPhone-based focus groups of four to seven coaches were formed based on\nparticipants\u2019 available schedules. A coach with training in sport psychology\nconducted semi-structured interviews with each group, keeping the discussion\nfocused while still allowing individual viewpoints and experiences to be\nexpressed (27). Demographic information included sport, number of years\ncoaching (all sports), levels coached, athletes\u2019 gender, and coach\u2019s ethnicity,\ngender, and age.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The interviews consisted of three\nsections: (1) defining mental toughness of coaches; (2) whether mental toughness\nof coaches can be developed; and (3) what the attributes of the ideal mentally\ntough coach are. Phone conversations from the focus group discussions were the\nprimary source of data. A second researcher typed transcripts from all\nconversations, which yielded 30 pages of text. This investigation differed from\nthe methods of Jones et al. (23) as that study\u2019s authors used three athletes\nper group. Larger focus groups were incorporated in this investigation as\nseveral researchers felt larger group numbers yielded richer, more diverse data\n(1, 13); thus, this study used focus groups consisting of 4\u20137 coaches.\nFollowing the completion of all group calls, data transcripts were grouped into\nmeaning units based on all researchers\u2019 agreement. Three investigators reviewed\nall commentaries from focus group discussion transcripts. Following review, meaning\nunits (dialog from the transcripts which represented a single idea) were\ndetermined. From the meaning units, raw themes emerged and were consolidated\ninto categories. For the next stage, individual coaches received an email\ncontaining a written consensus of the definition of mental toughness of coaches\nbased on the focus group calls for reflection and commentary. Additionally, the\nemail contained a compilation of all attributes from focus group calls. Coaches\nlisted their top ten mental attributes of the ideal mentally tough coach in\norder of priority with one being the most important attribute. Attributes were\nthen ranked on the result of the 22 elite coaches\u2019 responses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 RESULTS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Focus groups produced eight, 15,\n21, and 33 categories. The investigators compiled the categories and obtained\nthe following definition from the input of all elite coaches: Mental toughness of a coach is a complex\ninteraction of a determined mindset, resiliency, confidence and a strong belief\nin the coach’s system, processes, and actions, which result in consistent\nbehaviors and emotional responses.<\/em> <\/em>A list of 46 attributes of the ideal mentally tough\ncoach was collected (see Table 1). <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nTable 1<\/strong> Attributes of Mental Toughness According to Elite Coaches\n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n
Adaptable<\/td>\n Doesn’t ever want to show panic<\/td>\n Patient<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
Analytical<\/td>\n Doesn’t sacrifice respect to gain superficial popularity<\/td>\n Powerful<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
Believes<\/td>\n Empathetic<\/td>\n Process-oriented<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
Calculating<\/td>\n Energetic<\/td>\n Predictable<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
Calm<\/td>\n Flexible<\/strong><\/td>\n Proactive<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
Certain<\/td>\n Focused<\/td>\n Relentless<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
Confident<\/td>\n Good performer<\/td>\n Religious<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
Consistent<\/td>\n Has inner strength<\/strong><\/td>\n Resilient<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
Controls emotions<\/td>\n Has a positive spirit<\/td>\n Secure<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
Courageous<\/td>\n Has a willingness to push beyond perceived limits<\/td>\n Stoic<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
Decisive<\/td>\n Manager<\/td>\n Strong<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
Detached<\/td>\n Not afraid of what other people think<\/td>\n Strong-willed<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
Determined<\/td>\n Optimistic<\/td>\n Undaunted by small failures<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
Direct<\/td>\n Open-minded<\/td>\n Unpredictable<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
Disciplinarian<\/td>\n Passionate<\/td>\n  <\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
Doesn’t ever want to panic<\/td>\n Passionate to improve and get better<\/td>\n  <\/td>\n <\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n

Following the\nfocus group calls, the development of the definition of mental toughness of\ncoaches and the compilation of attributes, coaches were contacted individually\nto perform member checking. Coaches were emailed the definition of the mental\ntoughness of a coach and asked to consider the definition prior to a phone call\nfrom the researchers. Member checking allows members of a focus group to\nconsider the original conversations in addition to considering the results of\nthose conversations. All coaches felt the definition was appropriate and\naccurate. One coach felt the definition was too wordy and did not roll off the\ntongue; however, the coach agreed the definition was suitable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coaches\nsubmitted a list of the ten attributes that each felt were representative of\nthe ideal mentally tough coach. Attributes were ranked by coaches with 10\npoints for the most important characteristic, nine points for the second most\nimportant characteristic followed by decreasing importance for each decrement\nin score. A score was obtained by dividing the total number of points for each\ncharacteristic by the number of coaches. These attributes included ten\ncharacteristics: (1) Confident (M= 7.33); (2) Resiliency (M= 4.42); (3)\nConsistent (M= 4.08); (4) Has a positive spirit (M= 3.83); (5) Energetic (M=\n3.42); (6) Passionate (M= 3.17); (7) Optimistic (M= 2.75); (8) Adaptable (M=\n2.67); (9) Inner strength (M= 2.42); (10) Patient (M= 1.92).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The following\nattributes are discussed with inclusion of the coaches\u2019 comments obtained\nduring the focus groups. Several of the characteristics overlap, but coaches\nfelt these characteristics were necessary to help \u2018paint a picture\u2019 of the\nideal mentally tough coach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Confident<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coaches felt\nconfidence was a key ingredient of mental toughness for coaches. There were two\nmotivations for this mentioned by coaches. Coaches need to act confident themselves\nto develop confidence in their athletes (16). Additionally, coaches felt\nconfidence helped produce more productive coaching behaviors.  Coach A summarized confidence by saying \u201cmentally tough coaches definitely\nhave the attitude and project that to their players, that you can do this, that\nkind of confidence, that \u2018can do, we are going to figure it out\u2019 type\nattitude\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Resilient<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coaches\ndescribed the need to endure long hours of involvement. This involvement\nincludes practice and training, planning, recruiting, and travel. Beyond that,\ncoaches need to endure the ups and downs associated with competitive athletics.\nCoach B described the ideal mentally tough coach as \u201cbeing able to deal with the\nadversity and probably the successful moment equally as well\u201d. Thus, coaches\nfelt this characteristic is necessary for periods of both success and struggle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Consistent<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The \u201cability to kind of consistently\nbring together their best effort as a coach, a teacher, to the players to the\nteam that they have no matter what the circumstances\u201d was put forward by Coach\nC as a necessity for the mentally tough coach. Maintaining a consistent outlook\nthroughout the course of a season with the inherent ups and downs was mentioned\nby coaches in an attempt to describe attributes of the mentally tough coach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Has\na positive spirit<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Positivity was a necessary\ningredient for mentally tough coaches. Coach B stated a mentally tough coach\nwas \u201can optimist that isn\u2019t fazed by a few loses or setbacks, by a difficult\nchallenge with a difficult athlete and player management issues\u201d. Many coaches\nfelt it was easy to fall victim to negative experiences and have those\nexperiences determine an outlook. The mentally tough coach resisted and\nmaintained a positive spirit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Passionate<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coach D described the mentally\ntough coach by stating \u201cThey \u2018gotta\u2019 have passion for the game. A coach has to\nhave passion for the game and the kids feed off of that, and they know it.\u201d  This sentiment was shared by many\nparticipants as a source for other characteristics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Optimistic<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ability to be optimistic, tied\nto consistency and resilience, was summarized by Coach E\u2019s statement: \u201cThe\nreally great coaches, in their core, are optimistic about everything.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adaptable<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A mentally tough coach will likely\nhave a lengthy career. During their careers, coaches would need to progress and\nadapt to changing technical and tactical issues in addition to changing social\nphenomenon.  Coach F felt mentally tough\ncoaches \u201cthink that mental toughness also has to do with being able to adapt.\nIt\u2019s easy to, just particularly those of us that have done it for a number of\nyears, they kind of go back to what has worked. Well, what worked 20 years ago\ndoesn\u2019t work today and so you got to have that energy to bring, to go after and\nlook after new ideas and re-invent yourself and re-invent your process and\nplan\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Has\ninner strength<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many coaches felt being mentally\ntough requires fortitude. This inner strength was especially salient regarding coaching-related\npersonnel and management issues. Coach G summarized this sentiment by stating\nthat participating coaches: \u201cthink that this capacity to manage people, they\nare also very strong and powerful, is a critical quality in the mentally tough\ncoach\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Patient<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Patience is required to be a\nmentally tough coach. Similar to resilience, patience was seen to be important\nas those individuals surrounding the mentally tough coach may not demonstrate\npatience. The following statement from Coach B summarized this feeling:\n\u201cFlexible, patient, adaptable \u2026 you don\u2019t let your emotions determine your\nactions. That\u2019s a good point. To me that\u2019s mental toughness too. You know, when\nyou want to shoot somebody, or when somebody should be shot, and you handle\nit.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

DISCUSSION<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The value of mental toughness for\nathletes has been established for a long time (18), but this characteristic has\nonly recently been investigated on a more objective basis. Authors have investigated\nmental toughness in specific activities such as cricket (2), rugby (14, 16, 29),\nfootball\/soccer (5, 10, 19, 21, 32, 34), ice hockey (28), fencing (12),\nswimming (11), and gymnastics (33). This investigation examined coaching-related\nmental toughness. The value of learning more about mental toughness for\ncoaching and elite coaches\u2019 perspectives lies in understanding the specific\ncharacteristics that help create mentally tough coaches. Coaches demonstrating\nmental toughness may be more successful in their careers, and thus, bring more\nbenefits to the athletes they serve and support. The definition\nof mental toughness based on this investigation supports behaviors that will\nenable a coach to continue with positive, appropriate coaching behaviors\nthroughout any issues that may arise. This positive motivating factor could help\ncoaches seek to further understand how mental toughness can apply to their\nperformance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Several researchers have\ninvestigated the way in which mental toughness is developed (15, 17, 18, 22, 30).  Indeed, if mental toughness is such a\ndesirable characteristic, sport psychology practitioners need to pursue ideas\nregarding its development. By listing attributes of the ideal mentally tough\ncoach, coaches seeking to continue to improve by becoming more mentally tough\ncan work to develop these characteristics. Several of these characteristics can\nbe developed and demonstrated over time; thus, developing mental toughness is an\nexperiential improvement process. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The paradox between the mental\ntoughness attributes, consistency and adaptability, may be better understood\nthrough further examination of the coaches\u2019\nfocus group discussion comments. In the discussions, the focus of consistency\nwas on coaches\u2019 personality traits and interaction styles with others.\nAdaptability was considered necessary for technical and tactical changes needed\nfor successful training approaches and game(s) strategy management.\nAdditionally, changes in social phenomena, such as evolving technology, may\nrequire coaching changes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The leading factor, confidence, may\nbe an elusive attribute to develop as a beginning coach may not experience much\nsuccess as defined in terms of winning percentage. Coaches may need to focus on\nother positive developments, including personal development through means such\nas education and team\/athlete process gains, in order to help foster increased\nconfidence. Given the importance that these successful coaches placed on\nconfidence, coaches seeking increased mental toughness through greater\nconfidence should further their education relative to their sport and coaching\nmethodology. Coaches should take advantage of opportunities to coach in a\nvariety of circumstances in order to add experience and skills to their\nrepertoire. These factors may enhance confidence within the coaches to be able\nto effectively use mental toughness skills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Resiliency may be increased through\ncoaches\u2019 discussions of obstacles with mentors, peers, and staff. Learning how\nother coaches deal with difficult times may help coaches develop solutions to\naid in resolving problems occurring throughout their careers.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coaches may develop adaptability to\nchanges in technology and the way in which it is used by young people through\nestablishing a relationship with someone with expertise in information\ntechnology (IT). If a coach is affiliated with a school or other organization,\ncollaborating with a sports information director for support to stay aware of\nchanges in social media and other applications can help a coach understand\nplayers and communicate more effectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Professional development may help\ncoaches become aware of tactical or technical changes relevant to their\nsport.  Membership and participation in\nprofessional organizations may help coaches learn new methods and make tactical\nchanges within their specific sport. Coaches who are current with rule changes\ncan help players initiate new strategies to make best use of these shifts and\nmodifications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This investigation was limited to\ncoaches in the United States; thus, there may be cultural differences found in\nfuture studies in different countries. Further studies would be necessary in\norder to assess elite coaches for mental toughness and inquire as to their\ndevelopment of mental toughness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CONCLUSION<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By studying mental toughness for\ncoaching, the hope is to increase the quality of coaches leading to improved\nperformances and satisfaction for both coaches and the athletes they serve.\nDefining mental toughness in coaching and identifying the attributes can assist\ntoward this desired outcome. By further investigating the attributes of the\nideal mentally tough coach, coaches choosing to continually improve can look\nintrospectively for characteristics within themselves to improve. Additionally,\nsports psychology professionals should also seek to develop appropriately\ndesigned training or educational programs in order to assist coaches in\ndeveloping professional mental toughness. \n<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

APPLICATIONS IN SPORT <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Identifying attributes of mental toughness can serve the coaching field in a variety of ways, particularly helping coaches develop at all levels of sport. Coaches who consistently develop attributes of mental toughness may become more effective coaches and better serve their athletes.\u00a0 Through this study and continued study of mental toughness for coaching, the hope is to increase the quality of coaches leading to improved performances and satisfaction for both coaches and the athletes they serve. Defining mental toughness in coaching and identifying the attributes can assist toward this desired outcome. Many of the characteristics revealed by elite coaches are attainable through continued coaching practice.\u00a0 A danger to this process is each attempt has no guarantee of succeeding on an initial attempt.\u00a0 Coaches may be hesitant to try ideas and activities that may not provide quick, positive results.\u00a0 In a field increasingly emphasizing immediate results in terms of wins and losses, coaches may not be granted the amount of time necessary to attempt methods to develop mental toughness and learn from unsuccessful endeavors.\u00a0 Progress toward increasing mental toughness can be made as coaches learn from both successful and unsuccessful attempts at becoming more mentally tough.\u00a0 Coaches, assistant coaches, sport psychologists, and athletic administrators should be aware of the characteristics of a mentally tough coach and steps necessary to developing mental toughness.\u00a0 Coaches should strive to progress each of the characteristics listed in this study with the support of others associated with their athletic programs including their athletes.\u00a0 Through the list of characteristics of the ideal mentally tough coach, support staff can aid coaches seeking to develop mental toughness by regularly evaluating coaches\u2019 progress on each of these characteristics.\u00a0 By further investigating the attributes of the ideal mentally tough coach, coaches choosing to continually improve can look introspectively for characteristics within themselves to improve. Additionally, sports psychology professionals should also seek to develop appropriately designed training or educational programs in order to assist coaches in developing professional mental toughness.\u00a0\u00a0 Athletic administrators should provide time for coaches to make strides geared towards improving mental toughness.\u00a0 The potential benefits to coaches and their athletes can improve coach and athlete satisfaction and performance. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

None. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

REFERENCES<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    Authors: William Steffen1, Conrad Woolsey2, Ronald Quinn3, Brandon Spradley4 \u00a0 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_options":[]},"categories":[994,295],"tags":[1373,1570,224],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4btio-1Nu","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2293,"url":"https:\/\/thesportjournal.org\/article\/the-coachs-role-in-sport-concussion-care-developing-high-school-and-youth-coaches-through-the-concepts-of-deliberate-practice\/","url_meta":{"origin":6912,"position":0},"title":"The Coach\u2019s Role in Sport Concussion Care: Developing High School and Youth Coaches through the Concepts of Deliberate Practice","date":"March 5, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Submitted by Brandon D. Spradley1, EdD*, Fred Cromartie2, EdD* 1* Acting Director of Continuing Education at the United States Sports Academy, Daphne, Alabama 36526 2* Director of Doctoral Studies at the United States Sports Academy, Daphne, Alabama, 36526 Dr. Brandon Spradley is the Acting Director of Continuing Education at the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Contemporary Sports Issues"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":127,"url":"https:\/\/thesportjournal.org\/article\/selected-characteristics-of-division-i-boys-junior-high-basketball-coaches-in-taiwan\/","url_meta":{"origin":6912,"position":1},"title":"Selected Characteristics of Division-I Boys! Junior High Basketball Coaches in Taiwan","date":"February 15, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Submitted by: Steve Chen, D.S.M. Grad Student, United States Sports Academy and Mike M. Wu, B.S., Ta-cheng Junior High School I. 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