Leadership is... Toughness

The game of football requires physical and mental toughness.

Physical toughness means:

• Enjoying the contact that is a part of football.
• Making it a goal to hit your opponent harder than he hits you.
• Being willing to play through the minor bumps and bruises that are a part of the game.
• Ignoring fatigue.
• Practicing with an all out effort, all the time.
• Playing every play as if it were the only one that counts.
• Winning games in the fourth quarter.

Mental toughness means:

• Being self-motivated and self-directed. 
• Choosing to be positive and confident at all times.
• Not being afraid to make a mistake.
• Learning from mistakes and letting them go.
• Keeping emotions under control.
• Enjoying the challenge of pressure situations.
• Having the ability to get pumped up for all types of competition.
• Being relentless in pursuit of goals.
• Developing a long concentration span.
• Never being intimidated.
• Standing tall in the face of adversity.
• Being able to focus on those things that are within your control.

Toughness is the ability to consistently perform toward the upper range of your talent and skill regardless of competitive circumstances. A fundamental component of toughness is physical fitness. Great coaches have always understood the connection between fitness and confidence, and between fitness and the ability to hold up under pressure. Being more physically fit means you’ll have the energy to fight mental, physical, and emotional battles. Becoming physically stronger deepens your belief in yourself. You become confident that you can go the distance; you simply refuse to surrender. You truly believe that you can handle anything your opponent throws at you.