Seven C's of Mental Toughness

• Competitive
• A competitor will find a way to win. Competitors take bad breaks and use them to drive themselves just that much harder. Quitters take bad breaks and use them as reasons to give up. – Nancy Lopez
• Confident
• Mentally tough athletes have a can-do attitude, a belief they can handle whatever comes their way.
• Control
• The hallmark of mentally tough athletes is the ability to maintain poise, concentration, and emotional control under the greatest pressure and most challenging situations.
• Committed
• Mentally tough athletes focus their time and energy on their goals and dreams.
• Composure
• Mentally tough athletes know how to stay focused and deal with adversity
• A mentally tough player will say to himself, “Ok, if Ive got to beat the other guy and the referee, then fine – Ill do that.”
•  Courage
• A mentally tough athlete must be willing to take a risk
• Consistency
• Mentally tough athletes possess an inner strength

From "Mind Gym" by Gary Mack and David Casstevens 

Jay Bilas on Communication

"When communication is built on trust, true toughness can emerge"

"Being a good team defender was not about keeping my assignment from scoring, but making certain that our team kept their team from scoring." 

"To be an effective communicator, a great teammate and tough player has to talk, but also has to be able to listen."

"On defense, a true team player, a tough player, needs to be responsible for his specific role and assignment, but accountable to the mission, which is to stop the opponent from scoring on the defensive end." 

From Toughness by Jay Bilas 

Jay Bilas on Courage

"To me, courage isn’t the absence of fear or doubt. Rather, courage is overcoming it." 

"In any action, tension is the enemy of performance."

"Concentration is a measure of toughness, and a skill that needs to be exercised to improve just like your fitness."

"Embracing fear and using it to push yourself to get better takes courage."

"Preparation and work in your routine are the keys to confidence and courage in any spot or in any endeavor."

"You cannot be tough without being confident, and you cannot be confident without working hard and preparing." 



From Toughness  by Jay Bilas