What does it mean to be “mentally tough” as a NCAA division I collegiate coach?

Abstract

The purpose of the present investigation was to investigate what being a mentally tough coach means to NCAA Division I collegiate coaches who see themselves as, or becoming, mentally tough coaches. Twelve coaches were recruited who met the criteria concerning years coaching, winning percentage, and years with the same team. Qualitative interviews were conducted with the main question being “what does it mean to be a mentally tough coach in NCAA Division I (DI) collegiate sport today.” Results revealed the themes of Emotional Regulation and Endurance, embracing a particular Philosophy/Way of Thinking, and exhibiting certain Behaviors/Actions. These three themes of coach mental toughness were situated in and interacted with the Contexts of DI Collegiate Sport. In addition, these components of coach mental toughness were Developed Over Time and Required Balance across many areas. In relation to the extant coaching literature, these results suggest that study participants felt that coach mental toughness means productive self-management and modeling, and leadership within inherently inequitable and highly stressful and scrutinized contexts. Future directions for research include more ethnographic and case studies for more in-depth responses as well as including how cultural values may influence the conceptualization of a mentally tough coach. Lay summary: Results from interviews revealed that common themes for mentally tough NCAA Division I coaches included Emotional Regulation and Endurance, embracing a particular Philosophy/Way of Thinking, and exhibiting certain Behaviors/Actions. These components of coach mental toughness were Developed Over Time and Required Balance between being coaches, being educators and focusing on athlete development. Implications for Practice NCAA Division I coaches have to pursue high performance and winning to keep their jobs but also need to balance this with being educators and focusing on athlete development and well-being. Emotional regulation and self-control are key aspects of mental toughness in NCAA Division I coaches, and thus coaches need to develop these psychological skills to complement their other coaching skills (e.g., strategy, instruction). Having a consistent philosophy or way of thinking serves as a foundation for being a mentally tough NCAA Division I coach, including consistency in expectations, setting high standards, being committed to student-athlete development, adopting a growth mindset of professional (coach) development, and being genuine and optimally demanding.