Associations between physical fitness and mental toughness in adolescent competitive ballet dancers

Mental toughness (MT) is a critical psychological construct in competitive sports, yet its relationship with physical fitness (PF) remains underexplored, particularly in adolescent athletes.

The main purpose of the study was to examine the associations between MT and different components of PF.

We recruited 114 children and adolescents (14.3 ± 0.9 years; 73.7% girls), who were active ballet dancers and competed at national level. MT was assessed using the Sport Mental Toughness Questionnaire. Components of PF included: the 20-m shuttle run test (cardiorespiratory fitness; CRF), the 2-kg medicine ball throw and the countermovement jump (muscular fitness; MF), the sit-and-reach test (flexibility) and fat mass percentage (body composition).

Subscales and overall MT were positively correlated with CRF (r = 0.69-0.71, p < 0.001), MF (r = 0.63-0.79, p < 0.001) and flexibility (r = 0.52-0.71, p < 0.001), yet an inverse correlation with fat mass percentage (r = -0.59 - -0.58, p < 0.001) was observed. Boys exhibited higher MT and PF values, compared to girls, except for flexibility.

These findings suggest that improving PF may enhance MT, offering potential strategies for training young athletes.