What extreme athletes understand by mental strength
Who better to describe what mental toughness means than those who really have it? Two outstanding extreme athletes told the American sports and lifestyle magazine "Greatist" what mental toughness means to them. One of them is the American Andy Scott. He loves the challenge of the mountains. His hobbies include extreme mountain bike races through the mountains of Colorado and so-called "ski mountaineering." After climbing the mountain on skis, he then skis back down again. This is how he has climbed the biggest and most challenging mountains in all of America. Definitely not for the faint of heart! For Andy Scott, it is extremely important to pay attention to his environment. The battle with his own body and willpower is often overshadowed by the battle with nature for him. For Scott, the power of nature is, in a sense, the final boss that determines success or failure. For Andy Scott, mental strength means "ignoring the signs of weakness. Your body is capable of much more than it tells you. Feeling tired and exhausted? That's just your brain telling you you're tired. It's trying to protect you from hurting yourself. But your body is actually capable of much more. You can overcome this mental limitation."¹
Australian Samantha Gash has even more good tips. She's an extreme athlete and ultra-distance runner. But that alone is too boring for her. She prefers to complete the 250-kilometer route in the desert, carrying 10 kg of supplies on her back. But the seven days in the desert don't seem to have been enough for Gash. Within the following year, she completed four more multi-day ultramarathons through the desert, including in Chile and Egypt. These deserts are characterized by the harshest climatic conditions. Extreme heat, dryness, and wind are among the challenges. For Samantha Gash, mental strength means "embracing the challenging moments in sports and, in addition, having the ability to transform bad feelings into good ones in a very short time. I try to focus on the positive feeling when I've completed a challenge. I can never let the physical pain get to me, so I distract myself and think about why I'm doing this and what's so good about it."
Episode 56 | Mental resilience and challenges of professional athletes - Micha Østergaard
Mental training, but why?
For extreme athletes, every form of peak performance begins in the mind, namely with a decision . When it comes to pushing one's body beyond its limits, mental toughness is paramount. However, the importance of mental toughness is often underestimated. The University of Ottawa conducted a study with 235 Canadian Olympians. The study determined the participants' levels of mental preparedness and mental toughness. The results of the study were clear: The Olympians who were most successful during the Games were also mentally prepared to perform at their best. Winning and achieving their athletic goals had become the most important thing in life. A Canadian canoeist from the 1984 Olympic team commented as part of the study: "Everything I do is measured by how it affects my training. If I go to the movies instead of training, you have to ask yourself: Will this help me achieve my goal? If the answer is 'no,' you just have to stay strong and keep your athletic goal in mind." ² The mental strength of Olympians means one thing above all: having a clearly defined goal in mind that is pursued with utmost determination. Are you still lacking the necessary motivation boost? Then we also have 10 tips for more motivation and perseverance.
These skills can be improved through fairly simple exercises in the form of mental training. The most common form of mental training in the field of sports psychology is called visualization . A study on professional gymnasts published in the International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology confirms the success of the visualization technique.³ When you find yourself in extremely stressful sporting situations, you automatically fall back on existing behavior patterns. This would normally mean giving up when things get difficult. However, it can be helpful to create a “mental roadmap” in advance and to imagine the upcoming stressful situation in detail. If you then find yourself in an extreme situation, you can fall back on your own visualization and mentally persevere longer. Another important technique is called “ flow state ” and describes the state of complete concentration in which the extreme athlete performs at their best and is not distracted by anything. Any external influence (e.g. extreme weather conditions) or internal influence (e.g. feeling of exhaustion) does not penetrate your perception. Mental willpower is greater than anything else.
The 5 best tips summarized for you
1.) Overcoming mental weakness Are you tired and exhausted?
Trust in the strength of your body; it can do much more than your head tells you.
2.) Be determined and set priorities
Extreme athletes know every second why they train hard and sometimes have to make sacrifices. Never lose sight of your goal and be consistent in your implementation.
3.) Transform bad feelings into good ones
Sure, you're not really enjoying your training right now. But ignore those feelings and focus on your goal. What a great feeling to have reached it.
4.) Visualize problems
Extreme athletes use the principle of visualization, constantly visualizing where problems might arise. They then imagine the situation in detail. This way, you won't be caught off guard in an emergency.
5.) Stay in the flow
Once you're in the so-called "flow state," nothing distracts you. You're centered and perfectly focused on delivering peak performance. This is the state you're trying to achieve.
Podcast on the topic: Episode 25 | The Mindset of an Olympic Champion
Moritz Fürste, THE national hockey player, Olympic champion, world champion, former captain, and the man who took hockey in Germany to a whole new level, is on our podcast! We can hardly believe it ourselves, but we had the honor of speaking with Moritz. You'll learn how Moritz prepared for his games, the enormous influence the entire team's attitude has on the course of the game, and the routines the national team, and Moritz as a player, uses! Find out which tips you can implement for yourself to learn a thing or two from the mental strength of an Olympic champion. It was a huge honor to have a world-class athlete like Moritz on our podcast!
Sources:
1.) http://greatist.com/fitness/mental-training-tips-professional-athletes
2.) http://www.zoneofexcellence.ca/free/excellence/mental%20links%20to%20excellence.pdf
3.) http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/1612197X.2012.661202
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