Undoubtedly, athletes thrive on important levels of confidence. Examples exist where performers score a goal and then continue to score because of renewed confidence.
A tennis performer may suddenly start to gain belief in individual sports, having been 2 sets down. A golfer may start to reach the fairway and greens with a smoother technique. These are just a few examples that we can use where self-confidence can be the difference between success and failure given the fine margins in sport. Despite this, we must acknowledge that self-confidence is like a rollercoaster, which means levels of confidence can fluctuate between high and low.
But how do we really rediscover our beliefs when setbacks occur?
Let's dive into 12 essential steps to help you solve the inner belief that happens to us all.
Remember that somebody believes in you. This somebody could be a coach, manager, trainer, or fellow performer. They will have the belief in your ability that you currently may not have. There is no harm in asking them for purposes of re-assurance.
Always think in positive ways. Positivity can be developed by assessing each day (training) and game/competition sessions. Assess your own positivity through forms of achievement through technique, practice and movement. Thinking positively leads to better mind and body balance. Positive thinking enables the neural pathways within the mind to operate with clarity and purpose. For example, a hockey player can look onto the ice between shifts and use positive self-talk to guide them when carrying out the action.
Understand that it can be done. Embark on each task as a champion by having a clear and defined plan. Achieve your task step by step. Do not take on a big task and expect to complete it quickly. Have patience and believe in yourself. Rome was never built in a day. For example, golfers have 18 holes to play, and each shot and hole should be looked at from a strength and area to improve opportunity. Performers should become talkers in the mind to appreciate and become aware of how it can be done.
Stay in control of the controllable. Maintaining the controllable builds self-confidence because it provides you with a sense of focus and directive. Remember that you can never control what others are thinking/doing but you can control what you are achieving. There are a range of variables within sport that can lead to performers losing sight of the controllable. External factors/influences will only hinder performance and must be beaten. For example, in team games there is no need to get involved with the mind games that sometimes are played in public.
Engage in mental preparation. One should work on engaging their mind onto each task they embark on. Mental preparation can follow many trends like, mindfulness, imagery, reflective thinking, positive self-talk, goal setting, meditation and concentration training amongst others. One should find a strategy that works for them and then use this to provide that inner desire to build confidence. There has been plenty of evidence within elite sport of the use of mental preparation. Mental preparation is useful as it can support the levels of self-confidence required to perform. For example, a gymnast will need to have balance and resilience to perfect routines. By engaging in mental preparation practices the performer can start to use routines to help them relax and perform on the task at hand.
Recall previous success. A mantra that I use is related to distance travelled. Think about previous successes that you have had. What did that feel like? How were your emotions during this time? Further, how confident did that make you feel? Recall is a positive mechanism to enable one to re-build confidence as it associates with belief. One just needs to look at body language during competition of teams in winning positions against those in losing positions. These positions are good experiences that can be used when required.
Be constructive in own self-evaluation. Through self-evaluation one can become more effective at building self-confidence. Building your own level of evaluation will enable you to become critical. But it also enables you to build on this critique to create higher levels of confidence. Alex Ferguson suggested that he learnt more from defeat than success. This is true of most successful performers as they use defeat/backward steps/rejection to fuel the fire to comeback stronger.
Reflect positively following performances. There is no doubt that the more you reflect the better you become at practice/competition. Reflective practice relates to becoming aware of your strengths and identifying areas that you can improve. Therefore, logically the more you reflect the higher chance you will increase your self-confidence levels. For example, performers should use training and competition settings to reflect robustly.
Continuously set short-term goals. Most performers suffer from low self-confidence because they allow the issue(s) to prolong and as a consequence fail to deal with problems head on. To overcome these issues, set short-term goals that will enable the flow of confidence (no matter how small) to start. Through constantly achieving your short-term goals you will build your levels of self-confidence like a snowball growing bigger. Short-term goals should be related to processes that can be achieved.
Respect yourself and don’t be too harsh on own performances. Life is about trial and error. Performers should learn from the many challenges that they face. However, performers must not be too harsh and should take regular breaks when needed. Performers should eat well and sleep well. Performers should respect mind and body. It is through respect that performers can learn to rebuild confidence.
Focus leads to natural confidence. When focused there is no doubt that body language is good. Therefore, performers should develop focus through appreciating what is required and build this through application. Performers should address concerns and tackle any issues early. Confidence building is about remaining resilient in the face of pressure.
Until next time,
Coach Nye
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