ABSTRACT
The potentially stressful nature of being involved in competitive
sport is well documented. Athletes participating in training and
competition frequently encounter stressors, whether in individual
(e.g., Cohn, 1990; Giacobbi, Foore, & Weinberg, 2004; Giacobbi,
Lynn, Wetherington, Jenkins, Bodendorf, & Langley, 2004;
McKay, Niven, Lavallee, & White, 2008; Nicholls, Holt, &
Polman, 2005) or team (e.g., Anshel, 2001; Holt & Hogg, 2002;
Nicholls, Holt, Polman, & Bloom®eld, 2006; Noblet & Gifford,
2002; Noblet, Rodwell, & McWilliams, 2003) sport environments.
Sport performers, particularly those operating at the highest
professional levels, must cope with the stressors they experience in
order to sustain high levels of performance and maintain their
status. Participating in competitive sport requires athletes not only
to develop and maintain a high level of sport ability, but also to
assemble a collection of skills to cope with stressful encounters in a
challenging environment. To this end, the lessons of success in
sport are often linked with the ability to display mental toughness
in stressful situations.
