The Science Behind This Test:

Watch any sporting event, and you'll probably hear someone say: “That athlete is mentally tough.” In our experience however, commentators and pros across all sports rarely have an accurate understanding of what it means to be mentally tough:

Staying calm after mistakes
Adaptable when faced with adversity
Performing well when it matters most

Whether it's sport or business, how you train and prepare mentally is the same. It breaks down into four pillars:

Motivation
Concentration
Overcoming Pressure
Confidence

If you can get all four of those pillars to be highly positive at the same time, that is how you achieve peak performance. The first step is finding out how you rank in those pillars. Then you can learn how to improve them. That is what this test is all about.

The 4 Pillars of Mental Toughness:

Here is what it looks like to master each of the Pillars of Mental Toughness:

Motivation:

Pushing yourself beyond your abilities
Working hard (harder than others)
Persistence – refusal to give up
Setting difficult/attainable goals
Bouncing back from performance setbacks
Internal motive to succeed

Concentration (Attentional Focus):

Remaining totally focused on the task
Not being distracted by events surrounding the performance of the task
Not being distracted by personal events
Remaining in control despite unexpected, uncontrollable events

Overcoming Pressure:

Cope effectively with adversity
Stay calm under pressure
Accept that anxiety is inevitable – enjoy it
Make quick decisions under pressure
Thrive on the pressure
Maintain focus and effort under pressure

Confidence (Self-Belief):

Having an unshakable belief in your ability to achieve your goals
Believing that you have unique qualities that will allow you to succeed
Believing that you can overcome obstacles placed in your way

How You Can Trust Us:

Mental Training, Inc. was founded in 2006 by Dr. Robert Neff. After playing professional tennis, Dr. Neff completed a Ph.D. in Sport Psychology from Michigan State University. Dr. Neff has been providing mental toughness training services for Olympic and professional athletes, coaches, and business professionals since 1990. Dr. Neff was on the United States Olympic Committee Sport Psychology Registry from 2006-2016 and has been a Certified Mental Trainer® (CMT) since 1994. His athlete clients include countless national junior and collegiate champions, professionals, world champions, and Olympic gold medalists.

Mental Training, Inc. has developed several web-based and mobile training programs and services to address the key elements needed to develop effective mental skills. These are taught by sport psychology experts following best practices in mental training, and provide useful tools and support to enhance individual program success. Performers must be able to satisfy all 3 mastery steps in order to perform consistently when it matters most:

Understanding the key mental skills
Converting the skills into habits
Applying the skills appropriately when needed

MTI publishes its client mental skill improvement data annually. Within the first month, clients improve 55% and within 3 months, clients improve over 110% (based on 1244 clients over 10 years).

Here are some of MTI’s Partners & Clients:

Meet Dr. Bob

The skills, apps, processes, and resources in this program are based on Dr. Bob Neff's 30+ years training professional athletes, Olympic medalists, world champions, national junior and collegiate champions, coaches, parents, business executives, and performing artists from around the world.

Dr. Bob earned his doctorate in 1997 from one of the leading Sport Psychology programs in the world - Michigan State University. He founded Mental Training, Inc. in 2006 and over the past decade, he provided mental training for USTA Player Development at the National Tennis Training Center in Carson, California.