Top 10 mentally tough sports giants

Sports stars whose mental abilities gave them the edge

Mental toughness is what gives sportsmen and women that extra few per cent required to truly excel at the top. Without mental strength, sports competitors are relying in their physical capabilities alone to see them through, which on their own are often not enough.

Sport has been filled with a host of winners who undoubtedly had mental strength in vast quantities. You just knew that no matter how much pressure they were put under, it would be very unlikely that they would crack – if anything, their body would be more likely to give out before their mind did.

Here’s realbuzz.com’s top 10 of those sporting giants who seemingly have or had that mental edge:

Bjorn Borg

Borg at the age of seventeen with his female fans.

Unquestionably one of the coolest customers on the tennis court, so much so that the words ‘ice, cool, and Swede’ came to be associated with him. His calm court demeanor and unflappability earned him the nickname of the ‘Ice Man’ or ‘Ice-Borg’. The Swede never seemed flustered – unlike some of his main rivals such as Jimmy Connors or John McEnroe – and he has been the model on which many coaches have tried to get their protégés to follow. His winning of a fifth consecutive Wimbledon singles title in a five-set epic with John McEnroe came after the American had saved five match points in the fourth set. That would usually have been enough to break many.

Muhammad Ali

Can anyone in sport have ever displayed as much confidence as Muhammad Ali? Self titling himself ‘the greatest’, Ali was the best at talking himself up, and his psychological tactics before, during, and after fights are the stuff of legend. Ali talked as good a fight as he fought, and his victory in the ‘Rumble in Jungle’ in 1974 against George Foreman – when he largely retreated to the ropes and invited Foreman onto him while taunting him verbally – were aimed at exhausting Foreman mentally and physically. It worked, and Ali regained his World Heavyweight title when few had given him a chance.

Steve Waugh

There is no other way to describe Steve Waugh, other than one of the most obdurate mentally tough batsman cricket has ever seen. Waugh took himself from average cricketer to one of the best with a change of batting approach where he eliminated any flashiness, focusing purely on accumulating runs by punishing the bad balls. Waugh never seemed to be ruffled and put his success down to having an ability to focus solely on the next ball without a though to what had gone before. Anyone who witnessed his double century epic innings in 1995 against rip-roaring bowling assault from Curtly Ambrose and co knew they’d seen mental toughness of the highest order. Waugh’s Test match batting average of 51.06 says it all.

Pete Sampras

‘Pistol Pete’ had the uncanny knack of backing himself even in the most precarious of positions. With break points, set points and even match points against him, Sampras would go for broke and come up with a superb second serve that left his opponents dumbfounded.  His mental focus allowed him to play his best at these decisive moments so that opponents often knew that an ace would be coming up – even on a second serve! Despite appearing rather dour on court and being accused of not showing any emotion, 14 Grand Slam titles are testament to Sampras’ toughness.

Michael Schumacher

German F1 driver Schumacher has always been viewed as a ‘win at all costs’ driver whose approach on the race track has drawn plenty of criticism. In both 1994 and 1997 he was involved in collisions, one of which gave him the title and another which cost him it. It was Schumi’s ability to produce fast laps and turn it on at crucial moments in a race that made his name. In races when the rain came, Schumacher’s opponents would crumble, with the German having the confidence to know that he was the best driver in the wet, and deserving of his name ‘the rainmaster’. Not satisfied with what he had achieved in his career, he returned to F1 in 2009.

Tiger Woods

Tiger Woods is in the unenviable position of knowing that he’s the best and that most others just think they are competing for the runner up spot. Tiger has proven his mental superiority time and time again. Many questioned whether his focus would still be there when he got married. The same happened when kids came along, when his father died, and even when his marriage collapsed due to his infidelities, but each time he has bounced back and been as good as ever, if not better. Golf is a mental game and Tiger is the master. His victory in the US Open in 2008 when clearly struggling with a knee injury was clearly a case of mind over matter.

Niki Lauda

No sportsman has ever shown the same kind of toughness as F1 driver Niki Lauda, who given up for dead following an appalling accident, yet was back behind the racing wheel just weeks later. In what many commentators have described as the most courageous comeback in sporting history, the Austrian driver was pulled from the burning inferno that was his Ferrari at the Nurburgring in 1976. Suffering first  to third degree burns on his head and wrists, several broken bones and lungs scorched from inhaling toxic fumes, he was actually given the last rites by a priest. Just six weeks and two races later, he returned and finished fourth in the Italian Grand Prix. He went on to win the F1 title in 1977, retired in 1979, and then returned three years later before going on to clinch his final world title in 1984.

Haile Gebrselassie

Has the world of athletics ever been graced with as wide a smile as Haile Gebrselassie’s? Win or lose, the Ethiopian takes it in his stride and continually confounds those who have written him off. From a 1993 World Championship gold on the track to setting a new marathon world record (2:03:59 in Berlin in 2008), Gebrselassie has allied his immense running talent with a will to win. To date he has broken well in excess of 20 world records and won numerous world and Olympic titles. His decision to return to the sport after announcing his retirement prematurely is testament to his will to win.

Lance Armstrong

Few sports can be more testing mentally than endurance cycling and Lance Armstrong has to be considered the best. Not only did he win the Tour De France seven times (1999-2005), but this came against the background of having survived testicular cancer which had spread to his brain and lungs in 1996 when he had been given only a 40 per cent chance of survival. As if that wasn’t enough, Amstrong had it in him to make a return to professional cycling after a three-year absence in order to raise awareness of cancer.

Don Bradman

The best ever.

The volume of runs scored on uncovered pitches against some of the best bowlers of the time at a Test career average of 99.94 pretty much says it all. Bradman’s career figures are considered statistically the greatest achievement in any sport. But his greatest achievement could arguably be the 396 runs (at an average of 56.57) for the series that he scored in the infamous Bodyline series. With a ruthless tactic, the English sought to counter Bradman’s brilliance by bowling leg-side short-pitched deliveries aimed to unnerve the batsman and consistently aim the ball at the batsman. Under  such trying circumstances it was amazing that The Don was able to hold his nerve and produce such as series of great unorthodox shots to counter the English spoiling tactics.

 

Ice hockey in the United Kingdom

Ice hockey has been played in the United Kingdom since the beginning of the twentieth century, and it was a game between Englishmen that is generally accepted to have started the modern-era of the sport. The Great Britain men's national ice hockey team enjoyed world wide success through the 1920s and 1930s, achieving bronze at the 1924 Olympics, and gold twelve years later. They also won medals at the World Championships in 1935, 1937 and 1938, though never won the tournament. The national team has struggled since the Second World War, and has not finished better than twelfth in the World Championships since 1962. Ice hockey is played professionally in the United Kingdom in the Elite Ice Hockey League, a ten-team league which was founded in 2003.

Great Britain won gold at the 1936 Winter Olympics, but have generally struggled since the Second World War

History

Ice hockey was first played in Canada during the early nineteenth century, based on similar sports such as field hockey that were played in Europe.^[1] The sport was originally played with a stick and ball, but in 1860 a group of English veterans from the Royal Canadian Rifle Regiment played a game in Kingston, Ontario, utilising a puck for what is believed to be the first time.^[2] This match, played on the frozen harbour by the city, is sometimes considered to be the birth of modern ice hockey.^[2] The game developed quickly in Canada, and in the late nineteenth century, Frederick Stanley, 16th Earl of Derby purchased a decorative punch bowl from a London silversmith to award to the leading amateur side in the country: this became known as the Stanley Cup.^[3]

In the United Kingdom, a five team league was in operation in England in 1903;^[2] the first in Europe.^[4] The league was contested at two rinks in London: the Prince's Skating Club in Knightsbridge andHengler's Ice Rink in the City of Westminster. It was won by the London Canadians.^[4] The first game to be played in Scotland occurred five years later in Crossmyloof, Glasgow. The same year saw the creation of the International Ice Hockey Federation, of which Great Britain was a founding member. The British Ice Hockey Association was set up in 1914, and continued until 1999, when it was replaced by Ice Hockey UK.^[2]

Ice Hockey Rink Zones	Ice Hockey Rink	Ice Hockey Puck	Ice Hockey Stick
Ice Hockey Net	Ice Hockey Skater	Ice Hockey Goaltender	Ice Hockey Faceoff

The world's greatest and most exciting game is easy to follow once you know a few basic rules and practices. Here is a brief guide to the essential ice hockey rules.

The Playing Surface

 

• The ice sheet is commonly known as the rink.

• The rink is divided into zones by a red line at center ice and twoblue lines.
• A standard North American rink measures 200 feet by 85 feet.
• European ice surfaces are slightly larger.
• The ice is enclosed by boards and Plexiglas.

Rink "Zones" 

• The ice surface is divided into three zones.
• The area where the goal net is located is the "defending zone" for the team defending that net.
• The middle of the rink, between two blue lines, is the "neutral zone."
• The area where the opposing net is located is the "attacking zone" or "offensive zone."

The Puck
see picture

• The puck is made of black, vulcanized rubber.
• A standard puck measures one inch thick and three inches in diameter, and weighs between 5.5 and 6 ounces.
• The puck can be moved with the hockey stick or the feet, but picking it up with the hands is illegal.

The Hockey Stick

• A stick held by each player and used to retrieve, control, carry, pass and shoot the puck.
• Goals are scored by using the stick to shoot the puck into the opponent's net.
• A shot that inadvertently deflects into the net off another player's body is allowed to stand as a goal.

The Net

• A   cage measuring four feet tall and six feet wide, strung with nylon mesh in the back.
• There are two nets at opposite ends of the ice, guarded by the goaltenders.

Object of the Game

• The object of the game is to score more goals than the opposition.

The Teams

• Each team has six players on the ice, one goaltender (see picture) and five "skaters" (see picture).

• The five http://proicehockey.about.com/od/hockeyglossarydg/g/defenseman.htmskaters have assigned positions: three forwards and two defensemen.
• Regardless of assigned positions, all players except the goaltender can go anywhere on the ice.
• The goaltender cannot cross the center ice red line that divides the rink in half.

Substitutions

• Substitutions are unlimited and can be made at any time.
• A substitution does not require an official's permission, or a stoppage in play.
• A player can join the game "on the fly" - during the flow of play - as long as the departing player is within five feet of the bench and not involved in the play or with an opponent.

The Faceoff

• The game begins when the referee drops the puck between two opposing forwards.
• During the faceoff all other players are positioned on the defensive side of the puck.
• The faceoff is used to resume play following any stoppage in the game.
• There are nine designated faceoff spots painted on the ice.

The Game Clock

• The game is played in three 20-minute periods.
• The clock is stopped during all stoppages in play.

Body Checking

• A player can use a shoulder, hip or torso to hit or impede an opponent, but only when the opponent is in possession of the puck.
• A body check that targets the head is illegal.
• A body check to an opponent's back is illegal if the opponent is facing the boards.

Minor Penalties
Note that the difference between a legal check and a penalty is open to interpretation, and remains a source of dispute among fans, players, and everyone else involved in the game.

• A player charged with a minor penalty is sent off the ice for two minutes, with no substitution allowed.
• The penalty ends immediately if a goal is scored by the opposing team.

Minor penalties are called for obstructing an opponent. Infractions include:

• Tripping (with the stick or knee)
• Holding (with stick or hands)
• Hooking (with stick)
• Interferance (checking or impeding a player without the puck)

Penalties are called for dangerous use of the stick, including:

• Slashing
• Spearing
• High-sticking (hitting an opponent in the head or face)
• Cross-checking (hitting an opponent with the shaft of the stick)

Penalties are called for dangerous physical fouls, including:

• Elbowing
• Checking from behind
• Kneeing
• Roughing (broadly defined; usually involves a wrestling or shoving match)

Major Penalties

• A player charged with a major penalty is sent of the ice for five minutes.
• The most common major penalty is fighting. If both fighters receive five-minute penalties, substitutions can be made.
• At the referee's discretion, an infraction commonly deemed a minor penalty can be increased to a major. This usually occurs if an opponent has been seriously injured, or if the referee believes there was a deliberate attempt to injure.
• A player charged with a major penalty involving serious injury or attempt to injure is ejected from the game.
• If a penalized player is ejected, a teammate is assigned to serve his major penalty. No substitution is allowed.