ABSTRACT
We live in pressured, stressful times. Whether living through this
period is any more stressful for us than experiencing the Industrial
Revolution or either of the last century's World Wars was for
previous generations is highly debatable. The challenges today's
sports stars face are slight compared with those of, for example,
the legendary Australian cricketer Keith Miller who famously
remarked: ``When athletes nowadays talk of pressure they only
reveal what they don't know of life'' (as cited in Parkinson, 2004,
p. 8). Miller had plenty to talk about and his approach to cricket,
as well as life, was shaped during the Second World War, when he
¯ew ®ghter planes over Britain for the Royal Australian Air Force.
Having come through such a terrifying experience it is easy to
understand why he felt there was more to life than cricket. Indeed,
he had the perfect answer when asked if he ever felt under pressure
on the cricket ®eld: ``Pressure, I'll tell you what pressure is.
Pressure is a Messerschmitt up your arse, playing cricket is not''
(as cited in Fraser, 2004, p. 58). If only we could have measured his
level of mental toughness!
