Developing mental toughness: Perspectives from NCAA Division I team sport coaches

ABSTRACT The purpose of this research was to determine strategies National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) head coaches use to develop mental toughness within collegiate team settings. Fifteen NCAA Division I head coaches (11 men; 4 women) participated in semi-structured interviews. Coaches came from team sports consisting of men’s and women’s soccer, men’s and women’s basketball, softball and baseball. The most consistently cited themes included: (a) establishing a coach–athlete relationship, mentioned by all 15 coaches, (b) establishing and enforcing a culture, addressed by 12 coaches, and (c) pressure activities and training, which was cited by 12 coaches. Additional strategies included using resources, mental skills training, using data, recruiting and use of classroom time. These findings broaden what is known in terms of mental toughness development by coaches at the collegiate level. Future work is needed on the effectiveness of such strategies as being most helpful to team sport athletes in collegiate settings.