Developing Self-Confidence In Sports
Self-confidence is one of the most important mental skills in sports.
Self-confidence is the belief in your ability to perform well.
Without confidence, you cannot fire on all cylinders and perform your best in competition.
Many athletes talk about losing confidence as if it’s something that is out of their control.
These athletes allow the level of confidence to change easily depending on many factors such as the level of competition and immediate success.
When these athletes are performing well, their confidence is high. When they are mired in a performance slump, their confidence suffers. But confidence is one thing that despite results, confidence is one thing you have control over.
If you allow chance to dictate your confidence, you will forever be on the confidence roller coaster as you go through the ups and downs of performance.
If you are proactive with your confidence it will help you perform better in competition with more consistent results.
Devin Smith is a rookie wide receiver for the New York Jets with a lot of upside.
Smith is a speedy receiver drafted in the second round and was known in college for his big, game-changing plays.
Smith’s self-confidence has been tested after dealing with preseason injuries, drops, difficulty getting open and botched kickoff returns.
Through it all, Smith has maintained an even-keeled perspective as he works through his performance drought.
SMITH: “My season had its ups and downs, but that’s just life. It happens to everyone, so I’m just going to take it in stride and keep working every single day to get better, and just know that my opportunity and my time are going to come.”
Veteran Jet receiver Brandon Marshall has been through his share of ups and downs during his career but stated that it is important to find a middle ground when evaluating your performance in order to maintain confidence.
MARSHALL: ”When you lose or make a bad play, you can’t put your head down, and when you make a good play you can’t hang from the rafters.”
Jets offensive coordinator Chan Gailey wants Smith to not dwell on mistakes and continue to look for opportunities to make plays.
GAILEY: ”We’ve got to keep letting him have the opportunity. If he’s open, he’ll eventually catch it… I’ve just got to make sure that he keeps confidence in himself.”
When it comes to confidence, you have the “fester versus foster” choice.
You can allow miscues to fester in the back of your mind or you can foster confidence by understanding that there will be slumps in your performances.
You want to keep looking for opportunities to succeed.
Mental Game Tips to Foster Confidence:
Tip #1: You, first, must understand that you are in control of your confidence.
Learn to be proactive with your self-confidence even after performance slumps.
Tip #2: Foster confidence by continuing to prepare at a high level, celebrate your successes, and look for opportunities to improve. Don’t allow mistakes to derail your confidence on the next play. Have trust in your skills and training, that they will pay off.
Related Sports Psychology Articles
- Mindset to Maintain Confidence After a Mistake
- How to Maintain Confidence After an Injury
- Evaluating Performance and Maintaining Confidence
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