Physical performance associated with mental toughness in elite soccer players

Although mental toughness (MT) is considered a crucial psychological component of sports performance, little evidence has been provided so far regarding the associations between MT and sport-specific performance in laboratory and on-field conditions. The main purpose of the study was to investigate the associations between MT and physical performance. In this observational study, 76 professional U21 male soccer players from six clubs were recruited. MT was assessed by the Sport mental toughness questionnaire (SMTQ), while laboratory and on-field data included maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) and distance traveled in various speed bouts (walking, jogging, running, sprinting). Sub-scales of MT were positively and moderately/strongly correlated with laboratory and on-field performance (r = 0.32–0.66). The overall MT score was moderately correlated with ‘jogging’ (r = 0.44), yet strong correlations were observed for ‘running’ (r = 0.67), ‘sprinting’ (r = 0.54), ‘number of changes’ (r = 0.53), ‘total distance traveled’ (r = 0.54) and ‘VO2max’ (r = 0.68). This study shows that physical performance parameters are correlated well with MT. This would suggest that both physical and psychological components need to be investigated to examine potential co-existence between them. Also, interventions aiming to enhance MT throughout performance are warranted.