Alan McKay on developing mental toughness

This is the question Dr Alan McKay set out to answer through his work with the Football Association of Wales (FAW). In this instalment of the Science Explained series, he explains how he went about creating a shared understanding of the abstract concept of “mental toughness” to help develop the psychosocial pillar of “The Welsh Way” national syllabus. Further, Dr McKay suggests an approach practitioners might take to aid young footballers in fostering this crucial attribute. The session is hosted by FIFA’s Professor Paul Bradley, and is followed by an in-depth Q&A.

Set out a definition of mental toughness.
Suggest how practitioners can apply that definition to the context of international youth football, and how coaches and practitioners across football associations might try to foster mentally tough behaviours during international camps.

Mental toughness can be taught, but only if you define exactly which “tough” behaviours you want to see from your players.
Those behaviours need to be clearly understood and measurable.
Success requires buy-in at all levels of your club or association, not just from sports psychologists.

Formulate your definition of mental toughness in terms of concrete results and specific behaviours, to make it a coachable skill.
When you see the behaviour you want, reinforce it at every opportunity, on and off the training ground.
Consider carefully how you provide feedback to players, particularly when working under the time pressure of an international training camp.

Welcome by Dr Paul Bradley

Part 1: Introduction and background

Part 2: What is mental toughness?

Part 3: A framework for mental toughness

Part 4: The framework in practice

Part 5: Q&A

Part 1: Introduction and background
One of the FAW’s strategic priorities is to create a national footballing identity, developing tactical excellence via the “Welsh Way” and using physical and positional profiling to develop outstanding technical skills. They are also committed to fostering the psychosocial characteristics needed to deliver outstanding performance. With this in mind, they were keen to learn more about how to integrate psychological development into their coaching framework, the demands players encounter at various stages along the development pathway, and how player support and psychological development could be improved to boost performance. Answering these questions meant clarifying the psychosocial demands associated with the club-to-international transition, and finding out how to prepare players to cope with them.

Part 2: What is mental toughness?
Before you can promote mental toughness, you have to explain what the term means. Researchers have proposed a number of definitions, but this study used one centred on players’ ability to display the mentally tough behaviours required to perform consistently under pressure. This behaviour-based approach has several potential advantages. First, it concentrates on identifying characteristics in context (most coaches are already experts at this). Second, it focuses on attributes that can be trained and measured against objective criteria, and improved over time. Finally, it is predicated on developing specific behaviours players can control, rather than trying to develop an abstract concept.

Part 3: A framework for developing mental toughness
In this part of his presentation, Dr McKay explains the pillars of the mental toughness framework he developed with the FAW. Codifying a framework like this requires a shared understanding of which behaviours you are trying to encourage at all levels of the organisation, from players and coaches to senior officials and support staff. It is also important to recognise the potential to develop mentally tough behaviours off the pitch as well as on it. Good communication and cultivating strong, trust-based relationships away from the training ground might help to forge a mentally tough squad.

Part 4: The framework in practice
Finally, Dr McKay sets out how he implemented this theoretical framework at a U-15 Wales camp. As well as briefing staff and players about the framework and its implications, he asked players to complete a “mental toughness inventory” before and after the camp, which allowed the FAW to measure progress objectively. He then took an active part in training sessions, helping coaches to set up and deliver exercises designed to help players demonstrate the exact behaviours required to perform consistently under pressure. Afterwards, he interviewed players and staff to get their views on interventions during the camp and how effective they were.

00:57
How might other football organisations apply your findings in their own contexts, and where should they start?

03:27
How might the way you develop the framework you talked about differ between clubs and national sides, and what are the key factors to take into account?

06:09
According to the coaches you interviewed, one of the key strategies was layering expectations across age groups. How might you go about adopting a phased approach to developing mental toughness as players move up the age groups?

10:06
How much responsibility for developing mental toughness should be on players, as opposed to coaches and other practitioners?

13:42
How do coaches strike the right balance between giving players control and issuing clear, fixed instructions?

16:21
We know youth players spend a very limited amount of time in international camps. What can parents and club coaches do to make sure players continue to develop in their clubs and in daily life?

20:06
How might coaches go about developing their own mentally tough behaviours so they can lead by example?

23:10
What are the next steps for this type of framework? Are there any plans to use it more widely across different talent development pathways?

25:57
What are the key messages you would like practitioners to take away from this session?

Dr Alan McKay is a UK-registered sport psychologist. He specialises in helping high-performing teams create and implement psychology frameworks that enhance athletes’ mental toughness and their ability to perform under pressure. As well as working with organisations including Arsenal and the Football Association of Wales, he has also collaborated with the Welsh Institute of Performance Sciences research steering group. In the latter role, he joined forces with academics and industry partners to produce world-leading applied performance science projects that have enhanced the performance of Welsh athletes, from grassroots to elite level, across a range of sports.