.jpg)
Mental toughness is powerful, if not supreme. Given that our muscles are controlled by our brains it might seem logical that tough physical effort would be accompanied by tough gray matter.
If it weren’t for the “quit factor” that invades even the most determined mind, physical exertion might be an easier task.
Taking a typical body and mind to a professional level requires performance that ratchets to peak levels. The body and mind of an NFL player or a Sprint Cup driver has to be superior.
No doubt the physical ability of NFL players is special in many ways. NASCAR drivers are special too and although they don’t pound body against body, they take coordination to high levels as do NFL players.
To explain mental toughness this effort landed in the summer training camp of NFL Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Taking the question of what mental toughness is all about to those who draw on it in significant ways began with former NFL quarterback and Super Bowl winner Doug Williams, now in player development for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The question: What does mental toughness mean to you?
“I don’t know if you learn mental toughness or get mental toughness,” Williams said. “I think mental toughness comes with the territory. To me mental toughness is just like leadership. You just can’t bestow leadership on anybody. It’s just got to part of your character, part of your makeup.”
Tampa Bay Buccaneers center Jeff Fain snaps the ball that signals violent action, arm to arm, pad to pad, legs to turf. He added his thoughts to those of Williams.
Jeff Fain [C, No. 52, Buccaneers – 6-3 291 pounds]
“No matter what,” Fain said. “You’re never losing focus on your goal -- there’s a bad play or you got an injury that you can still play through.”
Running backs always explode out of a stance and often play hurt.
Earnest Graham [RB, No. 34, Buccaneers - 5-9 225 pounds]
“Mental toughness is being able to physically get through tough moments,” Graham said. When you’re tired. When you’re fatigued. When it’s a critical point in the game. When you’ve got to show some poise.”
Defensive ends are sometimes gentle giants before the snap of the football and then they look like they are going to devour the quarterback.
Gaines Adams [DE, No. 97, Buccaneers - 6-5, 260 pounds]
Mental toughness means to me when the times get tough,” Adams said. “How can you overcome it? Are you going to stop? Are you going to slow up? Are you going to give it your all? Mental toughness can mean a lot of things. It just depends on how you react to it.”
Certainly physicality in NFL and NASCAR differs, but it seems that the mentality required has common brain waves.
The same question: What does mental toughness mean to you?
Tony Stewart: [No 14. Office Depot Chevrolet]
“Mental toughness -- no matter what’s going on, you just have to stay focused,” Stewart said. “There’s a lot of outside distractions. In our field, no matter what’s going on the racetrack or what obstacles you have to overcome in a day, you just have to stay focused on what that goal is and what you have to do to overcome it. Every driver out there has to go through a certain level of mental toughness each weekend.”
Jeff Gordon [No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet]
“At this level of this sport, there is so much more than just driving the race car and dealing with what goes on when you’re on the racetrack,” Gordon said. “There’s the media, the fans, sponsors -- there’s constant distractions and things that your mind is on. To me, mental toughness is about being able to put yourself in that moment when it counts the most, which is when you have a shot to win the race and it all comes down to you making a good restart or the pit crew making a great pit stop. All those things are in my mind the definition of what makes mental toughness so important.”
Ryan Newman [No. 39 U.S. Army Chevrolet]
“Mental toughness is personally about overcoming adversity,” Newman said. “ You can be tough in the first place, but if something knocks you down and you're no longer tough, you're not as tough as you should have been. That's where the adversity – it's where you have to overcome that adversity. That mental toughness has to be recuperating, rebuilding at the same time.”
Greg Biffle [No. 16 3M Ford]
“That’s part of this sport. You’re in there for that period of time, it’s that hot, it’s easy to relax or lose concentration and focus and you can’t do that inside these cars.”
Photo credit: Dwight Drum @ Racetake.com
Comments