Competing Under Pressure

When college coaches at D1, D2, D3, JUCO, and NAIA evaluate recruits, they're watching for the same mental qualities regardless of level. THE MENTAL TRAITS COACHES EVALUATE 1. How does this athlete respond to failure? - Do they drop their head, make excuses, or point fingers? - Or do they reset, refocus, and compete on the next play? 2. How does this athlete handle adversity during a game? - When things go wrong — a bad call, a turnover, a missed shot — what happens to their body language? - Coaches are watching the bench as much as the field. 3. How does this athlete compete when they're not playing well? - The best athletes compete hard even on their worst days. - The ones who only show up mentally when things are going well are liabilities at the next level. 4. How does this athlete handle the big moment? - Do they shrink from it or rise to it? - Coaches want athletes who want the ball when the game is on the line. 5. How does this athlete respond to coaching? - Mental toughness and coachability are connected. The mentally tough athlete doesn't take coaching personally. WHAT THIS MEANS FOR YOU Every time you compete — in practice, in games, in workouts — you are either building or eroding your reputation for mental toughness. Coaches remember the athlete who competed hard after a bad call. They also remember the one who sulked.