Associations between physical fitness and mental toughness in adolescent competitive ballet dancers.

Background: Mental toughness (MT) is a critical psychological construct in competitive sports, yet its relationship with physical fitness (PF) remains underexplored, particularly in adolescent athletes.

Aim: The main purpose of the study was to examine the associations between MT and different components of PF.

Subjects and methods: We recruited 114 children and adolescents (14.3 ± 0.9 years; 73.7% girls), who were active ballet dancers and competed at national level. MT was assessed using the Sport Mental Toughness Questionnaire. Components of PF included: the 20-m shuttle run test (cardiorespiratory fitness; CRF), the 2-kg medicine ball throw and the countermovement jump (muscular fitness; MF), the sit-and-reach test (flexibility) and fat mass percentage (body composition).

Results: Subscales and overall MT were positively correlated with CRF (r = 0.69-0.71, p < 0.001), MF (r = 0.63-0.79, p < 0.001) and flexibility (r = 0.52-0.71, p < 0.001), yet an inverse correlation with fat mass percentage (r = -0.59 - -0.58, p < 0.001) was observed. Boys exhibited higher MT and PF values, compared to girls, except for flexibility.

Conclusion: These findings suggest that improving PF may enhance MT, offering potential strategies for training young athletes.