Steve Waugh, the great Australian cricket all-rounder and captain, was described by one of his opponents as being someone who “gave grit a good name”. When observers and critics of Steve Waugh consider his ability and achievements almost all recognise above his huge and very obvious talent the very real and clear resilience he had; he did not throw away his wicket cheaply but was rather a batsman who was incredibly difficult to get out, and who was more inclined to score big totals when the pressure was greater. It has been well documented that he stopped playing the hook shot as he saw it was a risky shot, an easy way to get out, while in his autobiography Waugh himself wrote a great deal of the mental toughness that any successful sportsman requires.
There is no question that sport is the supreme test of our physical ability; it depends on stamina, speed and strength on top of the necessary skill and systems. However, there must be no doubt that sport is also a test of our mental toughness. As Waugh put it, “top-level sport is won between the ears”. The question we have to ask ourselves when we consider sport at school is this: how much are we developing the mental toughness of our players? How much time do we give to developing the mental ability required, in comparison to the time we give to developing the physical skills? And to answer that question, we have to consider this: how on earth do we develop mental toughness in our youngsters? Well, it is simple, really; in fact, it is mental!
We develop mental toughness firstly by being funda-mental. We focus on and ensure that the basic skills are mastered (while at the same time noting that ‘fundamental’ begins with ‘fun’). Too often youngsters are trying to do difficult things when they have not even managed to do the basics; youngsters are being put in match situations when they cannot tackle, they cannot hit the ball, they do not know positions. Their minds are all over the place. They must know the fundamentals first.
For them to achieve the fundamental, we need to make it compart-mental; we need to break down the skills one by one, into smaller, easier steps – how they hold the stick, where they place their feet, what they look at and so on. They need to get their minds around each step before they try anything fancy. Furthermore, their progress needs to be incre-mental. Each part has to build on the previous; each lesson needs to follow on from the previous steps learned. This needs great concentration and focus, whereby the player stays in the present, taking one thought at a time, one ball at a time.
Their mental toughness will also be developed when it is experi-mental. Youngsters need to try and learn from mistakes. They must be willing to try and fail without being afraid to try; if not, their minds will play tricks on them. However, it should be added that much of the mental training needs to be regi-mental. The mental toughness will develop when they no longer need to think about what they are doing, as they will know what to do through constant repetition, though it must all be done at match speed, if it is to have any effect or impact. Youngsters must show respect, resilience and perspective when undergoing routines, if there is to be any advantage and benefit.
A great way to develop the mental toughness is to be supple-mental. We can add to the skills, tactics and mindset of our youngsters by using other sports and activities to challenge the youngsters, to take them out of their comfort zone (interestingly, Steve Waugh’s autobiography is entitled ‘Out of My Comfort Zone’). Having worked through the routines, they need also to work outside of them.
Having said all that, mental toughness will not be developed if we adopt a senti-mental approach (we must not allow feelings of self-pity or even self-importance to come into the equation), a judge mental attitude (branding youngsters with strong declarations or comparisons) or detri-mental actions (such as shouting abuse or even advice from the side-lines). We must steer clear of such.
Steve Waugh points out that when we come to seriously tough training sessions we have two options: we can “embrace and enjoy or disregard and disappear”. Our task is to help youngsters to achieve the former and they will only do that by strengthening their mentality. It is mental, for sure – totally mental! If we do not see or understand any of that, we must be mental! Think about it!
