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Mental toughness is a contested term, in that many people use the term liberally to refer to any set of positive attributes that help a person cope with difficult situations. Coaches and sport commentators freely use the term mental toughness to describe the mental state of athletes who persevere through difficult sport circumstances to succeed. Only within the past ten years has scientific research attempted a formal definition of mental toughness as a psychological construct.
But it is coaches who have popularised the term mental toughness, and have aligned it with athletes who show a willingness to train hard, make sacrifices, tolerate difficult game situations, and emerge successfull.
Dr Jim Loehr of the Human Performance Institute, UK, in his book The New Toughness Training for Sports, defined mental toughness as: “the ability to consistently perform towards the upper range of your talent and skill regardless of competitive circumstances.”
At the top level of any competition, it is not your physical or technical expertise which separates you from the competition but your mental toughness.
To be outstanding you have to hold your nerve, perform under the most intense pressure, and consistently turn it on even when you don’t feel at your best. Mental toughness is what makes Michael Jordan (basketball legend) and Pete Sampras (former world tennis champion) so special.
These athletes knew their real battle was not so much on the court, but inside their heads. You absolutely must manage your mental side if you want to be the best, said a leading sport scientist in the UK.
“Given that mental strength is so vital, I find it truly amazing that it is so neglected in training routines. If you are one of those athletes who spend all their training time on technique and fitness while paying no attention to mental side, you are doing yourself a serious disservice.
“We know from countless studies that mental skills are acquirable and you can, with practice, learn to perform mentally. You can improve your confidence, concentration, motivation and anxiety levels if you chose to.”
Last season, champions Dynamos came from behind to clinch the title on the final day of the season with FC Platinum having led for the better part of the race. The Harare giants were at some point 11 points behind FC Platinum, but they soldiered on and managed to defeat the Zvishavane side in their own backyard in a match that tilted the scales in their favour.
When they had clinched the title, many looked back and applauded their mental strength. The championship this time around is there for the taking, with the defending champions at the top by virtue of superior goal difference to Highlanders, who however remain unbeaten this year in all competitions.
A few months back, Dynamos were far behind Highlanders, but they managed to claw their way back to the top after winning the games in hand and now they have an advantage over Bosso because they came from behind and they have history on their side to keep them going.
However, Highlanders coach, Kelvin Kaindu, has also realised that the next games will not be won on the field of play only, but also on the head. In an online story during the week, he was quoted as saying his unbeaten side must show “mental strength” as they enter the final nine-match stretch in the Premier League title race.
Despite being unbeaten, Highlanders have been overtaken by Dynamos who have already lost twice.
Having led in the title race for so long, Kaindu is concerned how his team will respond to falling behind the defending champions who have raced ahead by drawing only four times compared to Highlanders’ eight.
“We have gone this far unbeaten. We have not played that well in our recent matches. Perhaps it is complacency, so we need to change and take all the matches seriously. The race is not yet won or lost we need to keep on fighting and taking each game as we go. This is the time for the boys to show their mental strength. As coaches, we will work on that with the boys and try to get the best out of them.”
Highlanders face Shabanie Mine at Barbourfields tomorrow while Dynamos — who lead by two points — meet Motor Action at Rufaro. Kaindu’s concerns will not be lifted by injury scares for Eric Mudzingwa and Bruce Kangwa.
Defender Mudzingwa has an ankle sprain while Kangwa is nursing a knee injury. The two players will both undergo late fitness tests ahead of the Shabanie clash. Nonetheless, Kaindu will welcome back attacking midfielder Masimba Mambare who is back to full fitness.
The match between Highlanders and Shabanie is certain to be a thriller, although Shabanie have not done well in the past at Barbourfields, and so is the match between Dynamos and Motor Action, two teams that have faced each other rather too many times in recent years, by virtue of their respective fine runs in cup competitions.
Motor Action have come second best in most contests, and this time around, they face a fired up Dynamos in a season in which they have been flickering like a veld fire, literally blowing hot and cold, and they will need to dig deep into their bag of tricks to come out unscathed.
Highlanders also host a different Shabanie, a different team from the one that was fighting relegation last season and they too need to be at their best to bag maximum points if they are to remain relevant in the championship race.
Interestingly, Shabanie coach, Luke Masomere, is a modest guy who appreciates what his counterpart at Highlanders has done. He has praised Zambian coaches for taking local soccer to a higher level.
“Keagan Mumba, Tennant Chilumba and Kevin Kaindu have taken our soccer to a higher level. People had shunned Hwange Stadium and Barbourfields but fans are now coming to the stadia in their numbers because of the Zambian flavour,” said Masomere.
He spoke highly of Kaindu whom he said does not attack referees, despite that Bosso fans believe referees are out to frustrate their march to the winners podium.
“I have never heard Kaindu blasting referees but he respects the outcome of the match. He is a true professional and no other Zimbabwean coach has taken Highlanders to 21 unbeaten games except for our good friend Kaindu who is from neighbouring Zambia. Chilumba also introduced good football at Hwange and they have added value to local football and the same is true of Mumba when he was with Dynamos,” he said.
Masomere knows that the asbestos miners have never beaten Highlanders at Barbourfields since their first promotion in 2001 but believes he has what it takes to write history for himself and hand Bosso their first defeat this season and record Shabanie’s first victory ever at Emagumeni.
“History does not play a part in football. Shabanie have never beaten Highlanders in Bulawayo but Masomere has done it. I want to remind Kaindu that Vahombe (Masomere) will be in town on Sunday and he must be prepared for a battle. I praised them when they beat us 2-0 at Maglas because they were fired up,” he said.
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