“The most important attribute a player must have is mental toughness” – Mia Hamm.
I’ve made August ”Mental Toughness Month” for Camille. It began with last week with a surprise run to Butt’s Brow, the Mt Vesuvius of Eastbourne…
By Coach Adrianne.
Jim Afremow describes mental toughness as “the ability to remain positive and proactive in the most adverse of circumstances.” As you can imagine, mental toughness is an essential trait for a boxer – The need to keep positive and keep boxing, not just surviving throughout the 2 or 3 minute rounds whilst potentially getting pummelled and battered at all angles. And that’s just the competition aspect… The mental toughness needed to make weight, to get up and run, to get those sprints down until you feel nauseous despite a rough long day at work, to turn down that rather large glass of wine after a horrible week, to keep your cool in a bad spar… You might be asking ‘how we do it?’. – When you want something that much, you don’t give up until you’ve got it.
The run up Butt’s Brow last night was a perfect test of Camille’s and my mental limits. I don’t know if you know Butt’s Brow (you probably don’t), but it’s an enormously long hill in East Sussex that leads to the Sussex Downs. One of the team members who led the run even admitted that his Renaut Clio struggles to get up there…
The run started off quite nicely. It was a beautiful summer’s evening and we have a team of 6 of us ready to conquer it. We warmed up with a polite 3km along the flat. I was feeling good…
We turned onto Butt’s Lane ready to take on the nemesis. Camille asked how long it was… None of us knew. But, I’ll be honest, it felt like a marathon up a mountain.
I’ve always felt that mental toughness is something that I had cracked. I lost 6 bouts in a row a couple of seasons ago and I didn’t let it stop me. I will push myself on my sprints until I’m sick. I will get up and run in the snow at 5am! However, as soon as the boys up the front disappeared out of view, the struggle kicked in. My quads were burning and my chest was wheezing. Camille was nearby and I didn’t want her to see me give up, because I feared that may have been an easy “out” for her if she saw her coach walking. However, my head gave up. I walked. I walked and I absolutely kicked myself for doing it.
Give us our due; after a breather up the top for 5 minutes or so soaking up the beautiful views of Sussex, we then completed 10 reps of hideous hills sprints. To test Camille and the other’s mental game even more, I initially agreed 8 repetitions with the team. As soon as the last person crossed the finish line after the 8th sprint, I announced we had 2 more. They were less than impressed… But all completed it. Granted, I nearly vomited down my t-shirt after number 10, and my stomach churns as I have flash backs…
However, we now have a new goal to fulfil and if we document it here, it will happen: By 18th September, we shall run up Butt’s Brow without stopping.
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