The Roar » Natalie Medhurst

Mental toughness the key to a successful season

Natalie Medhurst — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 17:01:40 +0000

NSW Swifts' Catherine Cox in action during the 2008 Netball Finals Series between the NSW Swifts and Waikato/Bay of Plenty Magic in Sydney, Monday, July 28, 2008. The Swifts won 65-56. AAP Image/Jenny Evans

As the finals approach, it raises the question of what it is that has separated the top four from the rest of the pack. Whilst it’s obvious that the teams in the four have a talented playing list, the ability to reach the finals relies on more than just playing talent.

This was no more evident than in the inaugural ANZ Championship season where the NSW Swifts took the flag ahead of other, more favoured and talented opposition.

Factors such as tactical plays, team cohesion – both on and off the court – technical skills, as well as fitness, all play a major part in putting together a team that can make it to the grand final.

But aside from this, one of the most important skills for an athlete to conquer is that of mental toughness, and it is this skill that is often skimmed over or ignored all together.

Throughout this season alone, there have been several games that have potentially affected the chances of teams making it to the final series.

No other team has damaged their season more than the New Zealand side, the Canterbury Tactix.

In several games this season, the Tactix have managed to go into overtime after being ahead, and lost, as well as having been in the position to win the game and yet lose in the dying moments of regular full time.

These wins may have resulted in a far different season for this team than the one that they have ended up having.

So what is it that has caused the Tactix, and other sporting teams and individuals in years gone by, to continually suffer these kinds of losses?

Is it fitness?

The ability of athletes to perform at a continual intense level, execute skills, and have correct decision making is so often reliant on the fitness levels of a player.

It is evident that in different sports, and certainly netball as well, that the fitness of some players can come in to question.

But perhaps experience, or the lack of, can affect a team as much as fitness.

Poor performances of teams are often attributed, by both coaches and players, to the fact that they have a young list or that they are not experienced enough.

In some cases this can be reality, but does this just become an easy way out for clubs to explain their losses?

At the end of the day, the mental toughness of individual players and that of a team can have a far greater impact on the results of a season.

History has shown that there have been athletes across all sports that may have not had the skill or even the experience of their opposition, but instead their strength has been in their mental capabilities – the ability to get back up and fight to the end, the ability to score the winning goal or to hit the winning runs when the pressure is on, to ignore all the interference and control what goes on between an athlete’s ears.

The experience of a player does not automatically result in that person being mentally tough.

It is something that needs to be worked on, as even the most experienced players can buckle under pressure.

After all, you just need to look at Donna Loffhagen missing that goal, right under the post in the 1999 World Netball Championship to lose the game for the Silver Ferns.

In reality, Loffhagen could probably shoot that goal with her eyes closed, but perhaps the time and the pressure of the situation was not something she was mentally prepared for.

With finals only weeks away, those teams in the final four will be hoping that all bases have been covered throughout the season.

And come that Grand Final weekend, perhaps the team who has prepared just as well or even more so mentally as they have physically and tactically, will end up with the silverware.

Roaring Hot

Yesterday’s most commented articles

The real story of how John O’Neill turned Manchester City down [66 comments]
Australian teams at Super disadvantage [54 comments]
Does the A-League need an injection of humour? [39 comments]

Most read articles last 3 days

Article link: Mental toughness the key to a successful season. Written by Natalie Medhurst, on The Roar - Your Sports Opinion

Footystars aren’t role models; parents are

Natalie Medhurst — Thu, 14 May 2009 20:56:44 +0000

Sydney, February 20, 2002. Cronulla Sharks rugby league new recruites Matthew Johns (centre) and Brett Kimmorley (right) share a joke with Jason Stevens (left) at team training at the Sutherland Police Citizen Youth Club. AAP Image/Dean Lewins

Athletes, and in particular those within Australia who play football (whether it be League, Union or AFL), live in a world where they are paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to play their chosen sport and where their actions, both on and off the field, are under a large scale microscope.

Umpires are putting the biff into netball

Natalie Medhurst — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 18:40:59 +0000

After two weeks of the ANZ Championship, two Australian teams – Melbourne Vixens and the Adelaide Thunderbirds, as well as the New Zealand’s Waikato Magic – remain undefeated and the competition so far has not been disappointing.

Netball’s clean image hurts our media coverage

Natalie Medhurst — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 20:16:14 +0000

Pull on those netball dresses, tie up your shoes and strap in, for what can only possibly be another exciting season in the ANZ Championship.

The coach must run the team, not the board

Natalie Medhurst — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 20:12:07 +0000

With the current issue facing NRL player Brett Stewart, some questions have been raised as to whether or not the NRL board has made the right decision in banning him from the game for several weeks.

Forget the hype, pre-season form means nothing

Natalie Medhurst — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 17:54:18 +0000

As the AFL pre-season competition kicks into gear, so too does the pre-season competitions for teams competing in this years ANZ Championship, with tournaments being held in different States as well as across the Tasman.

World Netball Series may fizz without crowd support

Natalie Medhurst — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 17:27:10 +0000

Netball is now following in the footsteps of cricket and rugby in providing a shorter version of the game, which will hopefully excite existing netball fans and grab the attention of new ones. Between October 9-11, a new World Netball Series will take place in Manchester, featuring the top six netballing countries: Australia, New Zealand, England, Jamaica, Samoa and Malwai.

Does sports science really produce better athletes?

Natalie Medhurst — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 19:07:41 +0000

In my first week back on the training track, things such as DNA testing, Ice Baths, and special computer software programs, as well as rehabilitation tools, have all been handed out to the girls to provide players with an insight into their genetic makeup, as well as aid them in the process of becoming the best netballers that they can be.

Why can the guys strip down, but not the girls?

Natalie Medhurst — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 22:31:30 +0000

This time of year is always my favourite. There are the Christmas and New Year festivities, the fantastic weather, and the love/hate relationship that comes along with the beginning of pre-season training. And of course the international cricket season kicks off here in Australia.

Despite the downturn, netball has never looked healthier

Natalie Medhurst — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 20:42:46 +0000

Netball appears to be in the best position that it has ever been in, despite the current financial crisis and the effects that this is having on major sporting teams and competitions across the globe.