This content is included in your SPKN Membership

Training Mental Toughness Through Discomfort: A Coach’s Guide to Building Resilient Athletes

AUTHOR:

Lily Haverstock

Link to Resource
Training Mental Toughness Through Discomfort: A Coach’s Guide to Building Resilient Athletes
Training Mental Toughness Through Discomfort: A Coach’s Guide to Building Resilient Athletes

In the world of sports, mental toughness is often mistaken for blind grit—“push through the pain,” “no excuses,” “grind harder.” But Steve Magness, a performance coach to Olympians and NBA teams, challenges this outdated mindset. In his book Do Hard Things, Magness presents a more powerful and sustainable view: mental toughness is not about being unbreakable—it’s about being adaptable under stress.

For coaches, this means shifting how we define strength in our athletes.

What Is Mental Toughness—Really?

Magness defines true mental toughness as awareness, flexibility, and control under pressure. It’s the ability to pause, assess discomfort, and choose a response instead of reacting impulsively.

“Toughness is about responding, not resisting.” — Steve Magness

As coaches, our role isn’t just to build stronger bodies—it’s to help athletes become more mentally agile, emotionally aware, and resilient in the face of setbacks.

Discomfort Is the Training Ground

Whether it’s a brutal workout, a benching decision, or a missed opportunity, athletes are constantly met with discomfort. Rather than shielding them from these moments, coaches can frame discomfort as a tool:

  • It teaches athletes how to stay composed when games get tight.
  • It exposes their inner dialogue under stress.
  • It builds emotional intelligence through adversity.

Discomfort, if used wisely, becomes the arena where resilience is trained.

3 Mental Toughness Strategies for Coaches to Use Today

1. Create Low-Stakes Pressure Moments

Build discomfort into practice intentionally:

  • Simulate game-like pressure (e.g., free throws after sprints).
  • Add surprise challenges mid-drill.
  • Rotate athletes into unfamiliar roles.

These stressors build decision-making capacity and composure in real-time.

2. Train the Inner Voice

Help athletes shift their mindset from “I can’t” to “What can I control right now?”

  • Use reflection journals.
  • Ask post-practice prompts like, “What were you telling yourself when it got hard?”
  • Model positive self-talk in your own coaching language.

3. Encourage Recovery of Confidence

After failure or high stress, Magness encourages compassionate reflection, not criticism.

  • Talk about what went well—even in a loss.
  • Ask athletes what they learned from discomfort.

Normalize nervousness and fear as signs of growth.

Conclusion

Mental toughness isn’t forged through yelling or grinding—it’s coached through context, reflection, and trust. By leaning into discomfort with intention, you’re not only creating better athletes—you’re helping young people become more confident, grounded, and resilient for life beyond sport.

Let’s shift the narrative from toughness as brute force to toughness as thoughtful, adaptable strength.

Resources

Magness, S. (2022). Do hard things: Why we get resilience wrong and the surprising science of real toughness. HarperOne.

Magness, S. (n.d.). Quotes by Steve Magness. Goodreads. Retrieved June 4, 2025, from https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/7858420.Steve_Magness

Yong, E. (2022, July 6). Steve Magness on why everything you know about toughness is wrong. GQ Magazine. Retrieved June 4, 2025, from https://www.gq.com/story/steve-magness-do-hard-things-interview

Next Big Idea Club. (2022). Book Bite: Do Hard Things by Steve Magness. Retrieved June 4, 2025, from https://nextbigideaclub.com/magazine/hard-things-get-resilience-wrong-surprising-science-real-toughness-bookbite/35029/