The debate on whether athlete success comes more from their mental or physical attributes has been going on as long as sports have been around. We all know now that a great athlete will need both great mental attributes and physical talent to be as successful as the top athletes around the world. We interviewed college coaches from top Universities like Northwestern, San Diego State University, Illinois, and Clemson to get their take on how they view athlete success and how mental vs. physical talent impacts that success. 

Melanie Greene is the Recruiting Coordinator and Assistant Women’s Volleyball Coach with San Diego State University.  San Diego State University is a NCAA DI program located in San Diego, California. SDSU is a member of the Mountain West Conference along with other programs such as Colorado State, University of Wyoming and University of Nevada Las Vegas.

Melanie shares some great tips and stories of past teams that have had some levels of success. Both the mental and physical side of the game are important but she also gives us insight into “attitude” and having that innate drive to be successful. Learn more about how to find success.

Jeff Freeman is the Associate Head Women’s Soccer Coach with the University of Illinois.  U of I or Illinois as it is commonly called is a NCAA Division I institution located in Champaign, IL which is about 1 hour south of Chicago, IL. Illinois is a member of the Big 10 Conference along with other schools such as University of Wisconsin, Rutgers University, University of Michigan and University of Iowa. 

Coach Freeman shares with us his thoughts on what makes a college athlete more successful. He explains what will help push athletes through the tough times and a long season. His response may shock you!

Miles Maynard is the Assistant Women’s Soccer coach with Clemson University. Clemson University is a NCAA DI institution located in Clemson, South Carolina. The Women’s Soccer program is a member of the ACC or Atlantic Coast Conference along with other schools such as Duke, Wake Forest, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and University of Virginia.

Miles shares some inspiring stories about successful teams both on the field and as a coach on the sidelines. His insight offers up some good tips for athletes on what it takes to be successful at a high level.

Kevin Moore is the Assistant Women’s Volleyball coach with Northwestern University. Northwestern University is a NCAA DI Institution located in Evanston, IL which is about 30 minutes north of Chicago, IL. Northwestern is a member of the Big 10 Conference with other schools such as University of Nebraska, University of Wisconsin, Penn State University and the University of Illinois. 

During this clip, Kevin talks about why he thinks that mental toughness and talent will make you more successful. Accountability and pushing yourself internally are two key factors in becoming mentally tough.