Forging Mental Toughness: "The Hill"

     In sports, we judge the conditioning and mental toughness of our Athletes by how we finish in the 4th quarter. Everyone is going to be tired at the end of the game. Everyone is going to be mentally fatigued. It is the Team and individuals who can handle this discomfort and rise above the competition and finish. They draw upon the training they have been through. The heat of Summer conditioning and Coaches screaming and challenging them on every level. The Athletes that can get over the pain & discomfort and embrace & overcome the suck, will reap the benefits when it comes to closing people out late in competition.

     In order to ready our Athletes to close in competition we must challenge them mentally. We must step outside of the box and put them through something that will test the mind and question their heart. It needs to be attainable but taxing and miserable at the same time. This is the methodology behind why we run "The Hill." Plain and simple, it sucks! There is not a better way to explain it. Your body is confused as to which pain it needs to process:
a) The pain in your legs as the burning mounts with every rep
b) The pain in your lungs as the demand for oxygen grows
c) The management of the nausea you are experiencing


     All the while knowing how easy it would be to quit, they have to dig deep and find a way to finish. The sense of accomplishment of having completed "The Hill" with your teammates is a bonding experience. Suffering alongside the Men you are going to count on to grind out & win tough games during the season is vitally important in Football. The fire of competition in a Football game is unrivaled in any other sport. Our goal is to simulate & create situations where it is similarly intense and miserable so they can draw from those experiences and conquer the competition when it gets tough.

     In order to forge your Athletes, the fire has to be extremely hot. Find an obstacle for your Athletes to undertake. Something extremely challenging that will be a menacing task to complete & turn up the heat. It's gonna be a tough sell and there will be some confrontation and dissension among the ranks at times but in times like these the hope is that the leaders within your team would emerge. Just stay the course, hold your ground, hold all your Athletes to the same standard & I guarantee you will see results when it comes time for competition.

Keep pushing...PTG!