THE 'toughest day' challenge will push Gloucester's mental strength to the limits this pre-season.
Kingsholm bosses are masterminding weekly team-building trips to keep the Cherry and Whites on their toes as they gear up for their second campaign under rugby director Nigel Davies.
One day of each week's pre-season training will be the most demanding mental and strategic test.
Taskmaster strength and conditioning boss Paddy Anson has devised a series of team-building exercises and trips for the Cherry and Whites.
And the ex-Royal Marine admitted he has a few tricks up his sleeve for the Gloucester squad.
Davies' men start pre-season training on Thursday week, with the JP Morgan Sevens on August 1 their first competitive action.
Davies' men will take on Toulon at Stade Mayol on August 9, Munster at Thomond Park on August 24 and then entertain both Plymouth and Llanelli Scarlets on August 30.
And the former Wales centre has been at pains to match those testing warm-up clashes with preparations off the field.
Former Exeter Chiefs man Anson explained: "We're going to make one of the days of the week the toughest day.
"It will be a mentally challenging day for the players.
"The demands of the Premiership call for mentally tough players.
"Because it's such a tough competition, if the players simply must be mentally switched on week in week out.
"When they are fatigued, when they are under pressure, when the crowd's back is up home or away, the players have to be mentally tough and I think in this league, the top-four teams have demonstrated that.
"Over the majority of the season they have come out on top in those pressure situations, regardless of the opposition, and that's how we need to improve our game next season, decision-making and discipline.
"You have to be tested in a mentally-challenging environment, and sometimes your training venue isn't going to give you that.
"With professional athletes you have to bring variety into it, but they've also got to see an objective.
"If you just thrash players that's not necessarily mentally challenging.
"You can take them out of the environment and put them somewhere else, doing more contact work but also challenging them mentally.
"You can put them in team building situations, to determine strengths and weaknesses.
"There's a way of manipulating what we're doing as a team to work on our discipline.
"We'll put all our ideas in a bag, and we'll see if we can manage that day to become a tough day, and ensure the players respect why we're doing that."
Anson said it is vital to avoid any potential for monotony by going through the same routines in the same places during a lengthy training schedule.
He believes smart decisions made under pressure always set the very best sides apart from the rest.
And now he is ready to push the Gloucester squad to new duress in order to help improve those little calls made in the dying stages of the most intense Premiership and Heineken Cup clashes.
He continued: "Sometimes the decisions you make are the wrong decisions, but it's vital you don't back that up with another wrong decision and another wrong decision – it's important not to compound mistakes or those decisions in a negative way.
"Everyone makes poor decisions during a game, but it's how you react to those that counts.
"And if you can put players in situations that give you those sorts of scenarios hopefully you can manipulate positives out of every situation.
"These sorts of challenges help keep things fresh during pre-season too, and I think it's something the players appreciate."
