When I started writing about various challenges one one's training path (also here, here, and here), it was mostly about the elements that a good training process required, one way or another, in order to produce good results. This time, however, I'd like to address one of the desired outcomes of such process, as there are some debates on whether it can be achieved.
The way I see it, for many people their skepticism with regards to whether training could yield toughness in a practitioner (if they hadn't already possessed this quality) is rooted in what seems to me to be the wrong question - can it be taught? From that standpoint, I would probably be inclined to agree... Because it is not meant to be taught! Toughness is the kind of attribute that can definitely be cultivated.
But, to get there, we first need to have some kind of working definition of just what is it that we are seeking to develop in a trainee. In the field of engineering toughness, as a mechanical quality of a certain material, is not the same thing as hardness or resilience etc. But then, they do not have to be concerned with the mental component, right? And in the realm of physical training, toughness is actually predominantly mentioned as a mental attribute.
In the fight game, this quality is also described as grit, clout, guts etc. So, to be on the same page, let's describe toughness as the ability to stay on the course and get to the goal, in face of challenges and despite the obstacles. Obviously, in the combative world, whether it be a sport arena, field of battle, or mean city streets, challenges and obstacles may vary, thus implying several building blocks of toughness. For example, tolerance to pain, ability to take a hit (physical traits), as well as executing proper tactical maneuvers effectively and efficiently (technical traits), but also facing the unfavorable odds and refusing to surrender (mental traits).
Once we take stock of all those necessary components, it becomes clearer why toughness cannot be taught, especially not in a single act; cultivation, on the other hand is process, and as such it takes time and effort...from both the trainees and their coaches. All right, so how to tackle this thing? Well, actually, we might take a look at the mechanical engineering for some hints!
In the above formula (gasp!), we see that the toughness is the result of a few other parts of the equation. For our purpose, let's look at Y (geometrical factor) as the sum of technical prerequisites of a given discipline (stance, balance, power generation, offensive/defensive moves); the next element - σ (Greek letter sigma) - i.e. the applied engineering stress stands for the selection of adequate training methods (pressure drills, sparring, scenarios, doing reps, equipment training etc.); while the final a points to adequate challenge/demand setting - just beyond the current reach of the trainee, but that does not look beyond achievable at all (if it seems impossible or unrealistic, it will fail to motivate action).
Pay attention to the sequence of things here! It is frequently said that once the athlete has all the technical demands and physical conditioning in order, the work is 90% mental and 10% physical (search for "fitness" on this blog). This is why raw laypeople, taken from the street are unable to defeat high-level athletes despite how bad they might want it, but when two elite competitors face each other the mental preparation usually tips the scale.
On more of a meta-level, in his book Do Hard Things [...] Science of Real Toughness author Steve Magness points to four pillars of successful work on the development of this quality: 1) ditch the façade, face the reality; 2) listen to your body; 3) respond, instead of react; 4) transcend discomfort. This is a pretty good sublimation of some of the topics discussed in the links in the above text, and although the book itself is not aimed at martial artists as such, it is a good read for those interested in this particular issue.
In the end, I'd like to conclude with a couple of pointers - be patient, work with long-term in mind, trust the process!
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