spartans and mental toughness

"How do I get my athletes to be more mentally tough?"

This is the most popular question I get from coaches and parents. They want to know how to teach an athlete to "tough it out" or "grind with a smile." I could go on and on, but let's get to the meat of what I want to share—a practical application on learning to be comfortable with being uncomfortable.

It's 480 B.C. The Spartans are known to the world as the most fearsome warriors on the planet. I read years ago that one of the tactics generals would challenge the Spartans to do during training was to run a 1/2 marathon with a swig of water in their mouth. After completing the roughly 13 mile run, the warrior would spit out the water in a show of willpower and mental resiliency.

2021 A.D. 2,500 years later, I am in the classroom with 18 high school basketball players talking about the importance of breathing, being in the moment, and getting comfortable with being uncomfortable. On the projector is a scene from the movie 300, the movie about the Spartans that brought the ancient warriors back to pop culture.

"Here is my challenge. You now know the benefits of breathing deep and mostly through your nose, but I wonder who is here is mentally tough enough to go through wind sprints with a swig of water in their mouth, only to spit it out after we are through."

"Let's go right now." Adam, the team captain, takes a drink of water and heads out of the classroom toward the courts.

Now THAT is leadership.

The rest of the team takes a drink of water and follows their leader.
Their coach is speechless.
"Do you mind if I run them a bit?" I ask.
"They are all yours, man."
We run the court 7 times. "Who is ready to spit?"
No one raises their hand.
I tell them to bust out 10 pushups. They all do it.
"We have two more sprints. Afterward, let's all go outside, get in a big circle, and we will see who is mentally tough," I challenge them.
We finish the sprints, walk outside, get in a big circle, and every single player spits out their water.

You would have thought they won the championship.

The next few minutes, I let them share about the experience. After all, it is their experience--not mine, not the coach's.

Give it a try and let me know how it goes.

For more information on breathing and mental toughness, check out Breath by and the Wim Hof Breathing Method.