Mental Toughness in Martial Arts

Mental toughness. How do you train that?

Below is an excerpt from an article about developing mental toughness in the sport of wrestling. It's a very good read. The whole article may be read here.

Mental Toughness Wins in Wrestling
November 19, 2010
By Steve Fraser
Toughness as defined in the dictionary:

1. Able to withstand great strain without breaking. 2. Physically hardy; rugged.       3. Severe; harsh. 4. Aggressive. 5. Demanding. 6. Strong-minded; resolute.

What is ‘toughness’ in the sport of wrestling? What does it mean to be mentally tough? How can mental toughness help us to overcome obstacles?
These questions – when answered and mastered – can catapult us and our team to the top of the wrestling world.

The reason Rulon Gardner, Olympic Champion, beat the Russian superstar; Alexander Karelin in the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games was because of Rulon’s toughness. Karelin had not been beaten in 13 years. The reason Matt Lindland won the 2000 Olympic and 2001 World silver medals is because of toughness. The reason our U.S. Greco-Roman wrestling team won the World Championships in 2007 in Baku, Azerbaijan was because of our team’s toughness.

I contend that the main reason wrestlers make it to the top in this game is because they learn to master their mental, physical and emotional toughness.
In my mind there is no doubt. Toughness in wrestling is the key to becoming one of the best! We can be brilliant technicians. We can be as quick as cats. We can be extremely talented. We can be strong as a freight train. But without exceptional toughness our road to the highest podium step will probably be very bumpy.