Hello,
Interesting thought. I agree 100% that (very) few are born with it. But I also disagree 100% that all can learn it. Some can. How many? Who knows, but certainly not all. This is akin to teaching motivation and desire. Sometimes yes... sometimes no...
I agree with that. You just can not force someone to learn something, whether it is "physical" or "mental". IMHO, those who learn do so because they need it or want to simply get better 'for the sake of getting better'.
If we consider toughness as a result of a training, therefore as a "skill", then you have to identify the components which build it. This can be extremely difficult and close to impossible. Indeed, there is a great probability that you train something you do not need.
One could argue the BUDS and similar selection training teaches mental toughness; yet people drop like flies, because they can’t pick it up.
Hard selection training can be tricky to describe. You can find a lot of people clearly physically underprepared (or not specifically prepared) but who wanted to succeed so much, that they eventually succeeded. As Henry Ford said : "whether you think you can or you can't you are right". The y may have internal or external motivation.
As an example, UK SAS selection. The first guy who were selected during WW2 were not as prepared to endure the selection as guys today. However, the selection process and difficulty have remained the same. I bought a book dedicated to their physical training, written by a former operator. These current guys are just "monsters" in terms of physical capabilities. They are probably stronger, have more endurance, etc... but they do the same things than their ancestors
I have always considered my ‘doing’ to be my training for the most part. Almost 5 decades of doing hard as coffin nails stuff in the mountains and deserts (and all places in between).
+1to this. Nothing beats specificity.
I remember a Dan John's podcast where he said that in his prime, he did not do "conditioning". He just played. He just supplemented his game with weightlifting. The conditioning he has came only from the games.
In most cases, as long as you build experience, you are learning. Learning builds efficacy on the field. Learning "from the field", will IMHO be superior to a good looking theory. Additional training may help to progress faster, but nothing "more".
That being said... at one time we would do so called ‘depletion days’ that were I guess as much mental toughness as anything else. These usually consisted of some combination of an early start followed by: 2+ hrs cycling, calisthenics workout 1, 5k run, climb at gym or crag for 4+ hrs, calisthenics workout 2, heavy ruck 1hr, run 5-10k. This was a full day. Usually fasted. Usually after a whiskey night.
This is your Hell Week version !
Also way back in the bad old days I would sometimes sleep out overnight in winter in the lightest of gear. What did this accomplish? I got cold and miserable. As one great alpinist once quipped... “why practice to get a crappy nights sleep, when you are going to have them regardless...”
This can be considered as "progressive stress inoculation". You progressively tell your body and mind that it can endure something which is not "comfortable" or at least, which is not "normal". That way, when you are not in training anymore, your body already knows what is happening. This kind of strategy prevents the body to be "surprised".
This has been brought up before but environment probably plays a large part in mental toughness. And not just geographical. Most (but not all) of the hard men and women I know have either lived in harsh latitudes and/or in tough socioeconomic climates.
Again, +1 to this.
My grand-parents lived during WW2. At the end of it, and after obviously, they had this "positivity" thing. They always saw the positive side in everything. They also had this determination, this will to get what they want.
Kind regards,
Pet'
