Article Developing Mental Toughness

[T2W Bot]

Trading Psychology ? Learn from Tennis Champions to Develop Mental Toughness
Occasionally, we get to ‘look’ inside the mind of a great performer.  This year’s programming for the Wimbledon Tennis Championships offered such an opportunity.  What many consider the greatest tie-break in tennis history – the completion of the fourth set of the 1980 Wimbledon Men’s Final between John McEnroe and Bjorn Borg – was replayed point-by-point with both McEnroe and Borg providing commentary.  We got to see and hear what was going on in the minds of two great tennis champions.
Momentum Shift
McEnroe won the tie-break, 18-16, bringing the match to dead-even with one set left to play. Although the match was even, momentum had clearly shifted to McEnroe as he overcame Borg’s deft, expert play.
Commenting 30 years later, McEnroe said he knew the momentum had shifted.  Borg had had several match point chances during the tie-break, but couldn’t convert them.  McEnroe...

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[sall]

just when i was going to give up after 8 years of losses i start again with vigour after reading this article

 

[DitterPD]

just when i was going to give up after 8 years of losses i start again with vigour after reading this article

Have your heard about "letting go & moving on" concept? :cheesy:

 

[Purple Brain]

This rather goes against the more recent research which suggests that relaxing and 'leaning back' are probably a better approach to efficiency and productivity for intellectual pursuits. Another piece of recent gumpf suggests attempting to cross-utilise what works in a totally atypical enterprise is attractive for all the wrong reasons in that it can't be measured or quantified out of it's original context. Makes an empirical challenge almost impossible and the blind acceptance of its utility far more likely.

The macho 'Alpha male style approach of the 80s has rather had its day apparently and the more refined and intelligent naughties have updated our thinking. Again. Just as they did in the 80s. A seemingly never ending cycle of advice from experts none of which actually count as much as the individual finding their own way, in their own way.

Personally I'm more of a relaxed lean back type and I feel (totally deluded I'm sure) more in control that way.

A great quote from Ronald Reagan on this topic: "They say that hard work never killed anyone, but I figure, why take the chance?"

 

[NVP]

Good advice

Good advice but in truth it doesnt address the issue that anyone can hit a tennis ball ....its obvious ...in trading the process of understanding and finding a winning system and the processes to even step up to trade properly is where the battle is won or lost.....if you 100% understand the market then achieving HVA is easy and you can acknowledge losing trades.......thats different to picking up a Tennis racket and hitting a few balls ..........

NVP

 

[NVP]

just when i was going to give up after 8 years of losses i start again with vigour after reading this article

see my comments ..........you are losing because you need to understand the market first............you cant even start to address the matters in this article until you get to that point

as I say any idiot can hit a tennis ball........

N

 

[DitterPD]

This rather goes against the more recent research which suggests that relaxing and 'leaning back' are probably a better approach to efficiency and productivity for intellectual pursuits. Another piece of recent gumpf suggests attempting to cross-utilise what works in a totally atypical enterprise is attractive for all the wrong reasons in that it can't be measured or quantified out of it's original context. Makes an empirical challenge almost impossible and the blind acceptance of its utility far more likely.

The macho 'Alpha male style approach of the 80s has rather had its day apparently and the more refined and intelligent naughties have updated our thinking. Again. Just as they did in the 80s. A seemingly never ending cycle of advice from experts none of which actually count as much as the individual finding their own way, in their own way.

Personally I'm more of a relaxed lean back type and I feel (totally deluded I'm sure) more in control that way.

A great quote from Ronald Reagan on this topic: "They say that hard work never killed anyone, but I figure, why take the chance?"

Seeing how you consider yourself more laid back and calm person, may I ask you a question, if you ever try meditation as way of strengthening your mental toughness?

 

[Purple Brain]

Seeing how you consider yourself more laid back and calm person, may I ask you a question, if you ever try meditation as way of strengthening your mental toughness?

I've never considered my mental toughness to be an issue as I'm not sure what it really means. Sounds to me more like fixedness of mind and inflexibility which isn't what I want. As for meditation, I have heard good things, but not got round to seriously considering it.

 

[Purple Brain]

Seeing how you consider yourself more laid back and calm person, may I ask you a question, if you ever try meditation as way of strengthening your mental toughness?

I hope I didn’t come across with any sense of hubris or bravado – I meant quite the opposite. I look on in awe at the Alpha types who run the show/are the life of the party and would like in some ways to be more like that myself. My pacificity is probably more of a weakness and liability than anything on the positive side of the character balance sheet.

 

[Purple Brain]

The mental toughness I could do with is nothing to do with handling the emotional impact (?) of losses, but staying sharp past midday. On the days that I’m trading I typically start my day around 4am UK time to catch the end of the Asian and start of middle-east sessions. In principle I’ll take trades any time up to about 4pm UK time. So it’s only 12 hours, but I find the mental or perhaps more likely the physical fatigue significant by about midday and I am aware I become less willing to take trades even when there’s no reason not to, simply to avoid having to do the fairly minor analysis effort required to construct the trade.

I’ve tried all the normal stuff to stay sharp, but it’s a problem.

 

[DitterPD]

I've never considered my mental toughness to be an issue as I'm not sure what it really means. Sounds to me more like fixedness of mind and inflexibility which isn't what I want. As for meditation, I have heard good things, but not got round to seriously considering it.

I was skeptical about it as well, but stumbled upon an articles how it's beneficial, studies, brains scans before and after and decided give it a try.

I'm doing it for more than a month and I can say that it's probably made me happier and calmer person. Calmer in a sense not worrying about every little detail and small fry in general.

You may give it a go and see for yourself, I'm sure you'll find it helpful at least in relaxing and unwinding you mind after intense day.

 

[DitterPD]

The mental toughness I could do with is nothing to do with handling the emotional impact (?) of losses, but staying sharp past midday. On the days that I’m trading I typically start my day around 4am UK time to catch the end of the Asian and start of middle-east sessions. In principle I’ll take trades any time up to about 4pm UK time. So it’s only 12 hours, but I find the mental or perhaps more likely the physical fatigue significant by about midday and I am aware I become less willing to take trades even when there’s no reason not to, simply to avoid having to do the fairly minor analysis effort required to construct the trade.

I’ve tried all the normal stuff to stay sharp, but it’s a problem.

It's called willpower and you are depleting it with each conscious decision. The best way to replenish it either to take a quick nap (10-30min) or raise your glucose levels by eating something, preferably a little bit sweet.

You can do a google search on the subject by "ego depletion" or "willpower depletion" words.