The 2 Crucial Foundations of Player Mental Toughness (Video Post)...
We often find ourselves saying to coaches and players that "the components of tennis mental toughness are relatively easy to understand but very hard to do"...
At it's core players's mental toughness requires simply bringing their attention into the present at the start of a rally or point and choosing to commit to a helpful process (e.g., a technical cue like 'stay low', or a strategy such as 'rally deep and attack the short ball') during the rally or point.
In this way the formula for mental toughness is Present Moment Attention + Helpful Committed Action = Mental Toughness
And the key reflection...
Players must regularly check in at the end of rallies/points and ask the following question: Did I actually commit my actions to my chosen attention during the rally or point?
The bottom line is that, assuming that players know the processes that will most help him/her improve (in practice) and improve/win (in matches), the player who most frequently commits to repeating this simple formula in practice and matches will improve the most and become the most effective competitor in the long term...
So, of course, it's super important that players practice it..
Check out the video with USC All-American Jack Jaede to see how we tend to encourage players to practice this process...(We've also put together a Worksheet that players can use to help commit to the mental toughness formula as well.