Why, despite some top-notch players, is Central Pulse still flat-lining?
Why is the Pulse continuing to lose in spectacular fashion with the likes of Irene van Dyk, Joline Henry, Katrina Grant and Donna Wilkins in its ranks?
On paper, it looks like a physically and mentally tough team, but in reality it has experienced its third loss in five games.
Coach Robyn Broughton is pulling her hair out trying to determine how to kick-start this team into the winning habit. Her frustration can be heard loud and clear when she resorted to questioning the ''mental toughness'' of her squad after the loss to the New South Wales Swifts.
The term mental toughness tends to be over-used and is very rarely understood.
Many athletes, coaches, sport psychologists and couch critics claim it is important, but we still don't really know what it is.
Is it a mindset and thus able to be developed, a personality trait and therefore genetically inherited, or does it morph between the two depending on the sporting context and performance outcome?
In 2002, several academics defined mental toughness as having the natural or developed psychological edge that enables you to, generally, cope better than your opponents with the many demands (competition, training, lifestyle) that sport places on a performer and, specifically, be more consistent and better than your opponents in remaining determined, focused, confident and in control under pressure.
There is agreement that mentally tough athletes tend to be highly competitive, committed, self-motivated, cope effectively and maintain concentration in pressurised situations, persist when the going gets tough, and retain high levels of self-belief even after setbacks.
In other words, they've mastered the four Cs - control, challenge, commitment, confidence.
In a nutshell, if you don't have the four Cs, you are more likely to lose and if you have them in abundance you tend to be more resilient, adaptable and ultimately successful in sport.
Broughton's comments seemed to be directed at the squad as a whole, rather than at individuals, so what can coaches like her do to enhance the mental toughness of their players and team?
It's easy to point the finger at individuals and demand they ''harden up'', but it's more complex than that - mental toughness doesn't exist in a vacuum and it won't happen overnight.
Experiential and environmental factors play a key role in setting a solid foundation for mental toughness and this includes elements such as having supportive parents who instil a hard-work ethic, but also traumatic experiences that create resilience later in life.
Research found that promising football players who experienced a divorce in their family at a young age were more likely to transition into the world of professional football, suggesting that adversity helps in developing coping strategies and re-evaluating priorities that promote success in sport.
Sibling rivalry is also a key ingredient for creating mentally tough people. That would suggest that the more siblings there are in a family, the mentally tougher the athlete.
So, should the Central Pulse selectors and coaches include in their selection criteria individuals who have supportive parents, some traumatic/challenging event in their early years and are members of the Brady bunch?
Significant others also have an impact on the development of mental toughness which includes peers (who offer rivalry and support), senior athletes (as role models), and, last but not least, coaches who create challenging situations in practice and foster high expectations.
Ultimately, any coach seeking to improve their career will turn the critical lens inward, and Broughton will be reflecting on what role she plays in developing a mentally tough team.
Are there enough challenging scenarios created for athletes that include distractions, pressure and problem-solving during training? Are her expectations of the team high and are these clearly communicated?
What else can she do to ensure they have every opportunity to master the elements of control, challenge, commitment and confidence?
The losing legacy the Pulse has endured in past seasons must have some lasting impact on the team culture, so it will take Broughton and key players a few seasons to shift the mindset of the team from one of expecting failure to demanding success.
The Pulse players still have time to reflect as individuals and as a team on what is going on, and how they can muster their mental toughness collectively to get out of this rut.
