Practical Individual Mental Toughness Program: A Case of Hong Kong Non-Elite Shuttlecock Youth Athletes

Abstract

This study aimed to develop the first Individualized Mental Toughness Program (IMTP) to improve Hong Kong non-elite shuttlecock youth athletes’ MT under pressure in competition. The program identified the individual differences and examined whether mental toughness (MT) program with pressure training (PT), may lead to greater MT. A total of 14 shuttlecock athletes, aged 16–23, and 1 head coach participated in a 14-week intervention with psychological skills training (PST) and pressure training (PT). One-way repeated MANOVA (1 group × 2 time points) was applied to examine the changes. Results reported there were statistically significant in Detrimental Mental Toughness (DMT), passing errors in pressure training (PT) and mental toughness (MT). However, the study’s small sample size and lack of control group limit generalizability. This study presented the flow of implementing the IMTP with 3 steps (Assessment, Intervention and Evaluation).