{"id":7843,"date":"2016-10-20T20:27:00","date_gmt":"2016-10-20T20:27:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/?p=7843"},"modified":"2025-06-10T05:27:58","modified_gmt":"2025-06-10T09:27:58","slug":"mental-tougness-success-sports","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/mental-tougness-success-sports\/","title":{"rendered":"Mental Toughness and Success in Sports"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-7845\" src=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/developing-mental-toughness.jpg\" alt=\"Developing Mental Toughness\" width=\"600\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/developing-mental-toughness.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/developing-mental-toughness-300x150.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_to_be_Mentally_Tough_in_The_Face_of_Adversity\"><\/span>How to be Mentally Tough in The Face of Adversity<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2><div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_82_2 ez-toc-wrap-center counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-transparent ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Article Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #0769bf;color:#0769bf\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #0769bf;color:#0769bf\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/mental-tougness-success-sports\/#How_to_be_Mentally_Tough_in_The_Face_of_Adversity\" >How to be Mentally Tough in The Face of Adversity<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/mental-tougness-success-sports\/#What_exactly_is_mental_toughness\" >What exactly is mental toughness?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/mental-tougness-success-sports\/#Tips_For_Developing_Mental_Toughness\" >Tips For Developing Mental Toughness<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/mental-tougness-success-sports\/#Related_Sports_Psychology_Articles\" >Related Sports Psychology Articles<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/mental-tougness-success-sports\/#The_Confident_Athlete\" >The Confident Athlete<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<p>Athletes hear about the importance of <strong>mental<\/strong> <strong>toughness<\/strong> all the time. Successful athletes or teams often attribute <strong>mental<\/strong> <strong>toughness<\/strong> as the secret sauce that leads to victory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If <strong>mental<\/strong> <strong>toughness<\/strong> is a key to <strong>success<\/strong>, how do athletes develop this key ingredient to <strong>success<\/strong> and when faced with adversity?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Let\u2019s dive into the topic of <strong>mental<\/strong> <strong>toughness<\/strong>: What it is and what it is not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Mental<\/strong> <strong>toughness<\/strong> is not biological. There is no genetic code for <strong>mental<\/strong> <strong>toughness<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Mental<\/strong> <strong>toughness<\/strong> is more than just sucking it up and being a tough guy or gal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These two popular misconceptions are the reason why some athletes don\u2019t pursue <strong>mental<\/strong> <strong>toughness<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_exactly_is_mental_toughness\"><\/span>What exactly is mental toughness?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Mental<\/strong> <strong>toughness<\/strong> is a trained skill that helps you cope with challenging situations. <strong>Mental<\/strong> <strong>toughness<\/strong> is also a broad term that indicated the strength of your overall <strong>mental<\/strong> <strong>game<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Mental<\/strong> <strong>toughness<\/strong> does not guarantee victory, but it helps you push past adversity and allows you the opportunity to succeed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Daniel Gould, professor of Applied Sport Psychology at Michigan State University, defines <strong>mental<\/strong> <strong>toughness<\/strong> as: <em>&#8220;It&#8217;s an athlete&#8217;s ability to stay focused, motivated, committed in the pursuit of their goals, especially in the face of adversity and failure. It&#8217;s not like you show up on game day and have it.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If <strong>mental<\/strong> <strong>toughness<\/strong> is a skill, then it can be developed along with physical or technical skills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, the physical act of putting requires <strong>focus<\/strong>, repetition, evaluation, and adjustment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While practicing any skill you need to <strong>focus<\/strong> on what you are doing. You need to gain feedback after each attempt and make adjustments to your technique if necessary&#8230;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And you need to repeat this process over a period of time so you can develop <strong>confidence<\/strong> and <strong>trust<\/strong> in your ability to perform well when the pressure is on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Dan Gould also states that game simulations where you practice dealing with adverse conditions, is one way to build <strong>mental<\/strong> <strong>toughness<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>GOULD<\/strong>: <em>&#8220;Part of being mentally tough is when you have a plan A where everything goes perfectly, plan B something has gone wrong, plan C is all heck breaks loose. You have some strategies to go to in these events.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Mental<\/strong> <strong>toughness<\/strong> is like having <strong>mental<\/strong> contingency plans that kick into action when things go awry. It&#8217;s about anticipating what might happen and have coping plans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you practice tough conditions and perform well, you&#8217;ll have that <strong>mental<\/strong> <strong>toughness<\/strong> tool in your back pocket. This helps you push forward during challenging moments of competition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When you haven\u2019t developed your <strong>mental<\/strong> <strong>toughness<\/strong>, your response options are limited and the outcome is usually failure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When you commit to working on <strong>mental<\/strong> <strong>toughness<\/strong>, you&#8217;ll be able to handle failure better, bounce back from injuries, manage difficult game conditions (bad weather, delays, poor officiating, or malfunctioning equipment) and deal with distractions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you want to cope better with tough situations, you want to be prepared <strong>mentally<\/strong> with a coping action, be <strong>mentally<\/strong> <strong>tough<\/strong>, and use <strong>composure<\/strong> skills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Tips_For_Developing_Mental_Toughness\"><\/span>Tips For Developing Mental Toughness<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>How can you replicate challenges you will face in competition during training sessions?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>1. Anticipate what might rock your composure or confidence in competition, such as a bad call from an official.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>2. Imagine how you will cope with this challenge, such as telling yourself you have no control over the officials and to not give it any mental energy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>3. Create trying situations in practice that replicate competition so you can learn to perform under pressure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>4. Review your performance and identify coping strategies that worked for you or what you can do different in the next session.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Training to be mentally tough is the first step to competing mentally tough!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/the-confident-athlete-cd-program\/\"><strong>Click here to learn all of my secrets for ultimate self-confidence!<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-dots\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"block-979ef383-5bc7-43ee-b8f9-249663ca1a6c\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Related_Sports_Psychology_Articles\"><\/span>Related Sports Psychology Articles<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul id=\"block-05642731-8752-4dbf-9c18-5cc4d276e821\" class=\"wp-block-list has-normal-font-size\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/do-you-or-your-team-have-the-comeback-mindset\/\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/mental-toughness-as-an-underdog\/\"><strong>Mental Toughness as an Underdog<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/how-to-grow-competition-confidence\/\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/mental-toughness-tips-for-athletes\/\"><strong>Mental Toughness Tips\u00a0for Athletes<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/how-preparation-boosts-confidence\/\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/the-importance-of-mental-toughness\/\"><strong>The Importance of Mental Toughness<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-normal-font-size\" id=\"block-5726d13f-f715-4ca4-8813-2f8a9ebd8bc3\">*Subscribe to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/sports-psychology-podcast-by-peaksports-com\/id152566009\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>The Sports Psychology Podcast<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0on iTunes<br>*Subscribe to <a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/0ynyaalKxbnNmsoeL8gF5X?si=8224669de9b3435b\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>The Sports Psychology Podcast<\/strong><\/a> on Spotify<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-normal-font-size\" id=\"block-281f5afb-980b-4c71-9aa0-11d606b5f7c9\"><strong>Download a&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/mental-toughness-report-athletes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">free sports psychology report<\/a>&nbsp;to improve your mental game!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-normal-font-size\" id=\"block-94138e75-d591-4645-bb1d-212cf57a8841\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sport-psychology-training-athletes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Learn more about our one-on-one mental game coaching.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-css-opacity is-style-dots\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Confident_Athlete\"><\/span>The Confident Athlete <span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"225\" height=\"250\" src=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/confident-athlete-audio250.jpg\" alt=\"The Confident Athlete Audio\" class=\"wp-image-16347\" style=\"width:198px;height:auto\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe Confident Athlete\u201d consists of 2 audio programs that include 14 days of confidence fueling exercises and a simple to follow workbook that guides you through the 14 days, helps you apply the strategies, and customizes the exercises to your personal needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Let me help you put a <strong>stop to the confidence leak<\/strong>. You can learn to have greater levels of confidence in competition than you do in practice by identifying the specific ways you undermine your own confidence and <strong>how to convert your practice confidence into COMPETITIVE CONFIDENCE<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe Confident Athlete\u201d is a ground-breaking system to teach you how to think like a champion and have ultimate self-confidence every time you step on the playing field, court, track, or course. The confident athletes was <strong>developed for any athlete \u2013 junior to professional \u2013<\/strong>that wants to gain confidence. However, coaches and sports parents can learn how to teach others to perform with ultimate confidence. Use my program if you want to bust a slump or just wanting higher or more consistent levels of self-confidence.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"gb-container gb-container-0b39f7aa\">\n\n<a class=\"gb-button gb-button-a74417ae gb-button-text\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/the-confident-athlete-cd-program\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">GET DETAILS<\/a>\n\n\n\n<a class=\"gb-button gb-button-461ab57c gb-button-text\" href=\"https:\/\/shop.peaksports.com\/collections\/the-confident-athlete-series-digital-download\/products\/the-confident-athlete-digital\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">BUY NOW<\/a>\n\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>How to be Mentally Tough in The Face of Adversity Athletes hear about the importance of mental toughness all the time. Successful athletes or teams often attribute mental toughness as the secret sauce that leads to victory. If mental toughness is a key to success, how do athletes develop this key ingredient to success and when faced with &#8230; <a title=\"Mental Toughness and Success in Sports\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/mental-tougness-success-sports\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Mental Toughness and Success in Sports\">Sport Psychology Article&#8230;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7846,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[142],"tags":[246,728],"class_list":["post-7843","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports-psychology-tips","tag-mental-toughness","tag-success-in-sports"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t<!-- All in One SEO Pro 4.9.6.1 - aioseo.com -->\n\t<meta name=\"description\" content=\"If mental toughness is a key to success, how do athletes develop this key ingredient to success and when faced with adversity? Read to learn more!\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Patrick Cohn\"\/>\n\t<meta name=\"keywords\" content=\"mental toughness,success in sports\" \/>\n\t<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/mental-tougness-success-sports\/\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"generator\" content=\"All in One SEO Pro (AIOSEO) 4.9.6.1\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Sports Psychology Articles | Sport Psychology Articles for Athletes, Coaches, and Sports Parents\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Mental Toughness and Sports Success | Sports Psychology\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"If mental toughness is a key to success, how do athletes develop this key ingredient to success and when faced with adversity? Read to learn more!\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/mental-tougness-success-sports\/\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/blue-logo-512.png\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:image:secure_url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/blue-logo-512.png\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"512\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"512\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2016-10-20T20:27:00+00:00\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-06-10T09:27:58+00:00\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/PeakPerformanceSports\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/PeakPerformanceSports\" \/>\n\t\t<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary\" \/>\n\t\t<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@PeaksportsCoach\" \/>\n\t\t<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"Mental Toughness and Sports Success | Sports Psychology\" \/>\n\t\t<meta name=\"twitter:description\" content=\"If mental toughness is a key to success, how do athletes develop this key ingredient to success and when faced with adversity? Read to learn more!\" \/>\n\t\t<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@PeaksportsCoach\" \/>\n\t\t<meta name=\"twitter:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/blue-logo-512.png\" \/>\n\t\t<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"aioseo-schema\">\n\t\t\t{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"BlogPosting\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.peaksports.com\\\/sports-psychology-blog\\\/mental-tougness-success-sports\\\/#blogposting\",\"name\":\"Mental Toughness and Sports Success | Sports Psychology\",\"headline\":\"Mental Toughness and Success in Sports\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.peaksports.com\\\/sports-psychology-blog\\\/author\\\/doccohn\\\/#author\"},\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.peaksports.com\\\/sports-psychology-blog\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.peaksports.com\\\/sports-psychology-blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2016\\\/10\\\/developing-mental-toughness1.jpg\",\"width\":150,\"height\":150,\"caption\":\"Developing Mental Toughness\"},\"datePublished\":\"2016-10-20T20:27:00-04:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-06-10T05:27:58-04:00\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.peaksports.com\\\/sports-psychology-blog\\\/mental-tougness-success-sports\\\/#webpage\"},\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.peaksports.com\\\/sports-psychology-blog\\\/mental-tougness-success-sports\\\/#webpage\"},\"articleSection\":\"Mental Performance Articles, Mental Toughness, Success in Sports\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.peaksports.com\\\/sports-psychology-blog\\\/mental-tougness-success-sports\\\/#breadcrumblist\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.peaksports.com\\\/sports-psychology-blog#listItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.peaksports.com\\\/sports-psychology-blog\",\"nextItem\":{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.peaksports.com\\\/sports-psychology-blog\\\/category\\\/sports-psychology-tips\\\/#listItem\",\"name\":\"Mental Performance Articles\"}},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.peaksports.com\\\/sports-psychology-blog\\\/category\\\/sports-psychology-tips\\\/#listItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Mental Performance Articles\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.peaksports.com\\\/sports-psychology-blog\\\/category\\\/sports-psychology-tips\\\/\",\"nextItem\":{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.peaksports.com\\\/sports-psychology-blog\\\/mental-tougness-success-sports\\\/#listItem\",\"name\":\"Mental Toughness and Success in Sports\"},\"previousItem\":{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.peaksports.com\\\/sports-psychology-blog#listItem\",\"name\":\"Home\"}},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.peaksports.com\\\/sports-psychology-blog\\\/mental-tougness-success-sports\\\/#listItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Mental Toughness and Success in Sports\",\"previousItem\":{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.peaksports.com\\\/sports-psychology-blog\\\/category\\\/sports-psychology-tips\\\/#listItem\",\"name\":\"Mental Performance Articles\"}}]},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.peaksports.com\\\/sports-psychology-blog\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Peak Performance Sports, LLC\",\"description\":\"Sports psychology coaching, articles and tips for athletes, coaches, and performers excel in sports.\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.peaksports.com\\\/sports-psychology-blog\\\/\",\"email\":\"coach@peaksports.com\",\"telephone\":\"+14079091700\",\"foundingDate\":\"1996-08-01\",\"numberOfEmployees\":{\"@type\":\"QuantitativeValue\",\"value\":5},\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.peaksports.com\\\/sports-psychology-blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/06\\\/cropped-2022-Logo-Ball-Blue.jpg\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.peaksports.com\\\/sports-psychology-blog\\\/mental-tougness-success-sports\\\/#organizationLogo\",\"width\":512,\"height\":512,\"caption\":\"Sports Psychology for Athletes\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.peaksports.com\\\/sports-psychology-blog\\\/mental-tougness-success-sports\\\/#organizationLogo\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/PeakPerformanceSports\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/PeaksportsCoach\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/sportspsychcoach\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.tiktok.com\\\/@peakperformancesports\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/user\\\/MindsetForSports\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.peaksports.com\\\/sports-psychology-blog\\\/author\\\/doccohn\\\/#author\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.peaksports.com\\\/sports-psychology-blog\\\/author\\\/doccohn\\\/\",\"name\":\"Patrick Cohn\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.peaksports.com\\\/sports-psychology-blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/07\\\/patrick-cohn-mental-coach-web-sq.jpg\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/PeakPerformanceSports\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/PeaksportsCoach\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/sportspsychcoach\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.tiktok.com\\\/@peakperformancesports\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.pinterest.com\\\/peaksports\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/user\\\/MindsetForSports\"],\"description\":\"Mental Performance Coach Dr. Patrick Cohn has helped athletes for over 30 years enhance their performance. Dr. Cohn earned a master's degree in sports psychology from CSUF and a Ph.D. from the University of Virginia, specializing in Applied Sports Psychology. Today, he is the president and founder of Peak Performance Sports, LLC in Orlando, Florida, where his team offers mental performance coaching to individual and team athletes. He works with high-profile teams and athletes, such as the Miami Dolphins, NASCAR winners, NHL players, NFL players, National Motocross champions, and PGA Tour professional golfers. Visit full bio&gt;&gt;\",\"jobTitle\":\"Master Mental Performance Coach\",\"alumniOf\":[{\"@type\":\"EducationalOrganization\",\"name\":\"University of Virginia\",\"sameAs\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.virginia.edu\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"EducationalOrganization\",\"name\":\"California State University\",\"sameAs\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.fullerton.edu\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"EducationalOrganization\",\"name\":\"University of Buffalo\",\"sameAs\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.buffalo.edu\\\/\"}],\"knowsLanguage\":[\"english\"]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.peaksports.com\\\/sports-psychology-blog\\\/mental-tougness-success-sports\\\/#webpage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.peaksports.com\\\/sports-psychology-blog\\\/mental-tougness-success-sports\\\/\",\"name\":\"Mental Toughness and Sports Success | Sports Psychology\",\"description\":\"If mental toughness is a key to success, how do athletes develop this key ingredient to success and when faced with adversity? Read to learn more!\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.peaksports.com\\\/sports-psychology-blog\\\/#website\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.peaksports.com\\\/sports-psychology-blog\\\/mental-tougness-success-sports\\\/#breadcrumblist\"},\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.peaksports.com\\\/sports-psychology-blog\\\/author\\\/doccohn\\\/#author\"},\"creator\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.peaksports.com\\\/sports-psychology-blog\\\/author\\\/doccohn\\\/#author\"},\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.peaksports.com\\\/sports-psychology-blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2016\\\/10\\\/developing-mental-toughness1.jpg\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.peaksports.com\\\/sports-psychology-blog\\\/mental-tougness-success-sports\\\/#mainImage\",\"width\":150,\"height\":150,\"caption\":\"Developing Mental Toughness\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.peaksports.com\\\/sports-psychology-blog\\\/mental-tougness-success-sports\\\/#mainImage\"},\"datePublished\":\"2016-10-20T20:27:00-04:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-06-10T05:27:58-04:00\"},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.peaksports.com\\\/sports-psychology-blog\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.peaksports.com\\\/sports-psychology-blog\\\/\",\"name\":\"Sports Psychology Articles for Athletes\",\"description\":\"Sport Psychology Articles for Athletes, Coaches, and Sports Parents\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.peaksports.com\\\/sports-psychology-blog\\\/#organization\"}}]}\n\t\t<\/script>\n\t\t<!-- All in One SEO Pro -->\r\n\t\t<title>Mental Toughness and Sports Success | Sports Psychology<\/title>\n\n","aioseo_head_json":{"title":"Mental Toughness and Sports Success | Sports Psychology","description":"If mental toughness is a key to success, how do athletes develop this key ingredient to success and when faced with adversity? Read to learn more!","canonical_url":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/mental-tougness-success-sports\/","robots":"max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1","keywords":"mental toughness,success in sports","webmasterTools":{"miscellaneous":""},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/mental-tougness-success-sports\/#blogposting","name":"Mental Toughness and Sports Success | Sports Psychology","headline":"Mental Toughness and Success in Sports","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/author\/doccohn\/#author"},"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/developing-mental-toughness1.jpg","width":150,"height":150,"caption":"Developing Mental Toughness"},"datePublished":"2016-10-20T20:27:00-04:00","dateModified":"2025-06-10T05:27:58-04:00","inLanguage":"en-US","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/mental-tougness-success-sports\/#webpage"},"isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/mental-tougness-success-sports\/#webpage"},"articleSection":"Mental Performance Articles, Mental Toughness, Success in Sports"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/mental-tougness-success-sports\/#breadcrumblist","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","@id":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog#listItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog","nextItem":{"@type":"ListItem","@id":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/category\/sports-psychology-tips\/#listItem","name":"Mental Performance Articles"}},{"@type":"ListItem","@id":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/category\/sports-psychology-tips\/#listItem","position":2,"name":"Mental Performance Articles","item":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/category\/sports-psychology-tips\/","nextItem":{"@type":"ListItem","@id":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/mental-tougness-success-sports\/#listItem","name":"Mental Toughness and Success in Sports"},"previousItem":{"@type":"ListItem","@id":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog#listItem","name":"Home"}},{"@type":"ListItem","@id":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/mental-tougness-success-sports\/#listItem","position":3,"name":"Mental Toughness and Success in Sports","previousItem":{"@type":"ListItem","@id":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/category\/sports-psychology-tips\/#listItem","name":"Mental Performance Articles"}}]},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/#organization","name":"Peak Performance Sports, LLC","description":"Sports psychology coaching, articles and tips for athletes, coaches, and performers excel in sports.","url":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/","email":"coach@peaksports.com","telephone":"+14079091700","foundingDate":"1996-08-01","numberOfEmployees":{"@type":"QuantitativeValue","value":5},"logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/cropped-2022-Logo-Ball-Blue.jpg","@id":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/mental-tougness-success-sports\/#organizationLogo","width":512,"height":512,"caption":"Sports Psychology for Athletes"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/mental-tougness-success-sports\/#organizationLogo"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/PeakPerformanceSports","https:\/\/x.com\/PeaksportsCoach","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/sportspsychcoach\/","https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@peakperformancesports","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/MindsetForSports"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/author\/doccohn\/#author","url":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/author\/doccohn\/","name":"Patrick Cohn","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/patrick-cohn-mental-coach-web-sq.jpg"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/PeakPerformanceSports","https:\/\/x.com\/PeaksportsCoach","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/sportspsychcoach\/","https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@peakperformancesports","https:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/peaksports\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/MindsetForSports"],"description":"Mental Performance Coach Dr. Patrick Cohn has helped athletes for over 30 years enhance their performance. Dr. Cohn earned a master's degree in sports psychology from CSUF and a Ph.D. from the University of Virginia, specializing in Applied Sports Psychology. Today, he is the president and founder of Peak Performance Sports, LLC in Orlando, Florida, where his team offers mental performance coaching to individual and team athletes. He works with high-profile teams and athletes, such as the Miami Dolphins, NASCAR winners, NHL players, NFL players, National Motocross champions, and PGA Tour professional golfers. Visit full bio&gt;&gt;","jobTitle":"Master Mental Performance Coach","alumniOf":[{"@type":"EducationalOrganization","name":"University of Virginia","sameAs":"https:\/\/www.virginia.edu\/"},{"@type":"EducationalOrganization","name":"California State University","sameAs":"https:\/\/www.fullerton.edu\/"},{"@type":"EducationalOrganization","name":"University of Buffalo","sameAs":"https:\/\/www.buffalo.edu\/"}],"knowsLanguage":["english"]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/mental-tougness-success-sports\/#webpage","url":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/mental-tougness-success-sports\/","name":"Mental Toughness and Sports Success | Sports Psychology","description":"If mental toughness is a key to success, how do athletes develop this key ingredient to success and when faced with adversity? Read to learn more!","inLanguage":"en-US","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/#website"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/mental-tougness-success-sports\/#breadcrumblist"},"author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/author\/doccohn\/#author"},"creator":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/author\/doccohn\/#author"},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/developing-mental-toughness1.jpg","@id":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/mental-tougness-success-sports\/#mainImage","width":150,"height":150,"caption":"Developing Mental Toughness"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/mental-tougness-success-sports\/#mainImage"},"datePublished":"2016-10-20T20:27:00-04:00","dateModified":"2025-06-10T05:27:58-04:00"},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/","name":"Sports Psychology Articles for Athletes","description":"Sport Psychology Articles for Athletes, Coaches, and Sports Parents","inLanguage":"en-US","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/#organization"}}]},"og:locale":"en_US","og:site_name":"Sports Psychology Articles | Sport Psychology Articles for Athletes, Coaches, and Sports Parents","og:type":"article","og:title":"Mental Toughness and Sports Success | Sports Psychology","og:description":"If mental toughness is a key to success, how do athletes develop this key ingredient to success and when faced with adversity? Read to learn more!","og:url":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/mental-tougness-success-sports\/","og:image":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/blue-logo-512.png","og:image:secure_url":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/blue-logo-512.png","og:image:width":512,"og:image:height":512,"article:published_time":"2016-10-20T20:27:00+00:00","article:modified_time":"2025-06-10T09:27:58+00:00","article:publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/PeakPerformanceSports","article:author":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/PeakPerformanceSports","twitter:card":"summary","twitter:site":"@PeaksportsCoach","twitter:title":"Mental Toughness and Sports Success | Sports Psychology","twitter:description":"If mental toughness is a key to success, how do athletes develop this key ingredient to success and when faced with adversity? Read to learn more!","twitter:creator":"@PeaksportsCoach","twitter:image":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/blue-logo-512.png"},"aioseo_meta_data":{"post_id":"7843","title":"Mental Toughness and Sports Success | Sports Psychology","description":"If mental toughness is a key to success, how do athletes develop this key ingredient to success and when faced with adversity? Read to learn more!","keywords":null,"keyphrases":{"focus":{"keyphrase":"","score":0,"analysis":{"keyphraseInTitle":{"score":0,"maxScore":9,"error":1}}},"additional":[]},"primary_term":null,"canonical_url":null,"og_title":null,"og_description":null,"og_object_type":"default","og_image_type":"default","og_image_url":null,"og_image_width":null,"og_image_height":null,"og_image_custom_url":null,"og_image_custom_fields":null,"og_video":"","og_custom_url":null,"og_article_section":null,"og_article_tags":null,"twitter_use_og":false,"twitter_card":"default","twitter_image_type":"default","twitter_image_url":null,"twitter_image_custom_url":null,"twitter_image_custom_fields":null,"twitter_title":null,"twitter_description":null,"schema":{"blockGraphs":[],"customGraphs":[],"default":{"data":{"Article":[],"Course":[],"Dataset":[],"FAQPage":[],"Movie":[],"Person":[],"Product":[],"ProductReview":[],"Car":[],"Recipe":[],"Service":[],"SoftwareApplication":[],"WebPage":[]},"graphName":"Article","isEnabled":true},"graphs":[],"defaultGraph":"","defaultPostTypeGraph":""},"schema_type":null,"schema_type_options":null,"pillar_content":false,"robots_default":true,"robots_noindex":false,"robots_noarchive":false,"robots_nosnippet":false,"robots_nofollow":false,"robots_noimageindex":false,"robots_noodp":false,"robots_notranslate":false,"robots_max_snippet":"-1","robots_max_videopreview":"-1","robots_max_imagepreview":"large","priority":null,"frequency":"default","local_seo":null,"seo_analyzer_scan_date":"2025-08-16 00:40:02","breadcrumb_settings":null,"limit_modified_date":false,"reviewed_by":null,"open_ai":"{\"title\":{\"suggestions\":[],\"usage\":0},\"description\":{\"suggestions\":[],\"usage\":0}}","ai":null,"created":"2020-12-21 15:06:13","updated":"2025-08-16 00:40:02"},"aioseo_breadcrumb":"<div class=\"aioseo-breadcrumbs\"><span class=\"aioseo-breadcrumb\">\n\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\" title=\"Home\">Home<\/a>\n<\/span><span class=\"aioseo-breadcrumb-separator\">\u00bb<\/span><span class=\"aioseo-breadcrumb\">\n\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/category\/sports-psychology-tips\/\" title=\"Mental Performance Articles\">Mental Performance Articles<\/a>\n<\/span><span class=\"aioseo-breadcrumb-separator\">\u00bb<\/span><span class=\"aioseo-breadcrumb\">\n\tMental Toughness and Success in Sports\n<\/span><\/div>","aioseo_breadcrumb_json":[{"label":"Home","link":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog"},{"label":"Mental Performance Articles","link":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/category\/sports-psychology-tips\/"},{"label":"Mental Toughness and Success in Sports","link":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/mental-tougness-success-sports\/"}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7843","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7843"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7843\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7846"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7843"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7843"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7843"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}