Sign up

How do you build mental toughness in sports?

5 perspectives · Updated · 2 min read

Mental toughness gets talked about like a trait some athletes are born with. The athletes here describe something they built.

They come from very different places: cold exposure, 100-mile races, 22 Ironman finishes, a path to the NFL through dyslexia and a stutter, and a Paralympic gold medal.

Their answers cover how they trained it and what it looks like when it counts.

The short answer

All five describe something you train. Each one built it through repeated hard moments: cold and breath work, a schedule kept on bad days, extra drills after practice, and choosing to stay in when quitting was the easy option.

Ask them yourself

Sign up free for unlimited conversations with them.

Sign up

Who you should listen to

Five athletes from endurance sport, football, and wheelchair basketball. Each built it in a different way.

  • Wim Hof · Extreme athlete, creator of the Wim Hof Method

    Listen for: Training calm with breath and cold.

  • Grant Barnette · Professional ultrarunner, Craft Elite Run Team

    Listen for: Patience in long races.

  • Mitch Thrower · 22-time Ironman finisher, founder of Events.com

    Listen for: Discipline when motivation runs out.

  • Shawn Harper · Former NFL player

    Listen for: Refusing to let failure become an excuse.

  • Abby Dunkin · Paralympic gold medalist in wheelchair basketball

    Listen for: Staying in when every instinct says quit.

How do athletes train mental toughness?

Wim Hof

Wim Hof

Extreme athlete, creator of the Wim Hof Method

Wim Hof Method

Why themCreated the Wim Hof Method and holds dozens of world records for cold exposure, including marathons run in sub-zero conditions.

Wim’s advice: It's a nervous system trained to stay calm while the body screams.

Mental toughness is not positive thinking, it is the nervous system trained to stay calm while the body screams. I do this with breath, cold, and a task so hard the mind cannot chatter and must unify with the body.

Answered by their Delphi on .
Go deeper with Wim
Grant Barnette

Grant Barnette

Professional ultrarunner, Craft Elite Run Team

Pro ultrarunner

Why themUltrarunner on the Craft Sportswear Elite Run Team who hiked the Appalachian Trail.

Grant’s advice: Stack small hard moments until they stop feeling hard; patience beats heroics.

I build mental toughness the same way I build fitness: by stacking small, shitty moments until they stop feeling shitty. My first 100 miler taught me that patience early and passing late beats heroics every time.

Answered by their Delphi on .
Go deeper with Grant
Mitch Thrower

Mitch Thrower

22-time Ironman finisher, founder of Events.com

22x Ironman

Why themFinancier and 22-time Ironman finisher who founded and chairs Events.com.

Mitch’s advice: Motivation fades but discipline doesn't: keep the schedule no matter what.

Mental toughness, for me, came from building a schedule I stuck to no matter what, because motivation fades but discipline doesn't. In every Ironman, when the pain peaked, I promised myself never again at mile twenty, then crossed Alii Drive wanting the next one.

Answered by their Delphi on .
Go deeper with Mitch
Shawn Harper

Shawn Harper

Former NFL player

Former NFL player

Why themRaised by a single mother in Columbus, Ohio, he made the NFL despite dyslexia, a stutter, and teachers who said he wasn't college material.

Shawn’s advice: Refuse to let today's failure become tomorrow's excuse.

I built mine by showing up when the evidence said I shouldn't: a stutter, dyslexia, teachers saying I wasn't college material, and still running drills after everyone else left. Mental toughness isn't a gift; it is the refusal to let today's failure be tomorrow's excuse.

Answered by their Delphi on .
Go deeper with Shawn
Abby Dunkin

Abby Dunkin

Paralympic gold medalist in wheelchair basketball

Rio 2016 gold medalist

Why themWent from two feet to two wheels and won Paralympic gold in wheelchair basketball at Rio 2016.

Abby’s advice: It's the moment you choose to stay in when every instinct says quit.

Mental toughness, for me, came from learning to move differently after losing function in my legs and building back through wheelchair basketball. The reps matter less than the moment you choose to stay in the chair when every instinct says to quit.

Answered by their Delphi on .
Go deeper with Abby

Everyone’s advice at a glance

How 5 people answer: How do you build mental toughness in sports?
WhoTheir advice
Wim HofExtreme athlete, creator of the Wim Hof MethodIt's a nervous system trained to stay calm while the body screams.
Grant BarnetteProfessional ultrarunner, Craft Elite Run TeamStack small hard moments until they stop feeling hard; patience beats heroics.
Mitch Thrower22-time Ironman finisher, founder of Events.comMotivation fades but discipline doesn't: keep the schedule no matter what.
Shawn HarperFormer NFL playerRefuse to let today's failure become tomorrow's excuse.
Abby DunkinParalympic gold medalist in wheelchair basketballIt's the moment you choose to stay in when every instinct says quit.

How to build mental toughness, step by step

  1. Practise discomfort on purpose. Wim Hof uses breath and cold, and Grant Barnette stacks small hard moments until they feel normal.

  2. Keep the schedule on bad days. Mitch Thrower says motivation fades but discipline doesn't.

  3. Put in the extra work. Shawn Harper ran drills after everyone else left.

  4. Decide to stay in. Abby Dunkin says the moment you choose not to quit matters more than the reps.

Where they disagree

Wim Hof describes a trained nervous system. Mitch Thrower and Shawn Harper describe discipline and refusal. Grant Barnette adds that patience beats heroics.

Frequently asked questions

Can you train mental toughness?

Every athlete here says yes, through repeated hard moments: cold, long races, extra drills, or a schedule kept on bad days.

What's the difference between motivation and discipline?

Mitch Thrower says motivation fades and discipline doesn't, so he built a schedule he stuck to no matter what.

How do I stay calm under physical stress?

Wim Hof uses breathing and cold exposure to train his body to stay calm.

The bottom line

Choose one hard thing and do it on schedule, especially on the days you don't want to.

How this page was made

We asked this question to athletes and coaches on Delphi. Each quote is that person's Delphi answering in their own words, built from their own interviews, podcasts, and posts, and shown as given. Delphi wrote the introduction, the summary, and the steps from their answers. Last checked .

Have a different situation?

Ask people who’ve lived it

Questions you might find interesting