How do You Stay Confident When Others Doubt Your Abilities?
Dealing with Doubters in Sports
Have you ever been bothered by others doubting your abilities?4 Strategies to Deal with Doubters
Have those outside doubts ever hurt your performance?
Every athlete, no matter how talented or accomplished, will face doubters.
How you deal with the doubts expressed by others can have a significant impact on your performance.
For example, you can listen to the doubters and take on those doubts as your own. When you accept doubts, they take hold in your mind, and you lose confidence, which could eventually lead to a slump.
The alternative response is to reject doubts from others as mere opinions. When you view doubts as opinions, you can use them as fuel to grow stronger, more resilient, and more confident in your performance.
This is the core of dealing with doubters in sports — choosing how you respond.
Three Basic Truths About Outside Doubt
- People will doubt you. It happens to everyone, whether you are a novice or an elite athlete.
- You cannot change the opinions of others. No matter how well you perform, you have no control over what people think or say about you.
- You don’t need to buy into the doubts. Your response to the doubts is 100 percent within your control. You can either accept or reject the opinions of others.
Hailey Van Lith’s Example
WNBA rookie Hailey Van Lith is fully committed to being the best player she can be and leaving her mark on the WNBA. During her college career, Van Lith started in more games and played more minutes than any other NCAA women’s basketball player. She’s also the only player in NCAA history to reach the Elite Eight of March Madness with three different teams.
Still, there are those who doubt Van Lith’s ability to make an impact at the professional level.
VAN LITH:
“As an athlete, we’re in a world where we’re constantly evaluated. I think there have been many times throughout my career when people didn’t think I would be successful at the next level… There’s not one person that is trying to do something great that hasn’t been told they can’t do it.”
Her response highlights the mindset of dealing with doubters in sports: not internalizing outside criticism, but instead turning it into motivation.
4 Effective Strategies to Deal with Doubters in Sports
1. Turn Doubt into Fuel
Instead of letting negative comments sink into your mind, flip the script and use them as motivation. Every time someone doubts you, see it as an opportunity to push harder in training, sharpen your focus, and prove yourself in competition. Keep a journal of moments when you’ve already proved people wrong — reviewing it can remind you of your resilience when doubt resurfaces.
2. Focus on What You Control
You can’t stop people from making judgments, but you can control your own effort, preparation, and mindset. Shift your energy away from critics and direct it toward daily habits: sticking to your training plan, preparing with intent, and showing up mentally ready to compete. Creating a pre-game routine can also keep your focus centered on what matters most — your performance.
3. Surround Yourself with Support
When outside negativity feels heavy, lean on the people who believe in you. Teammates, coaches, family, and friends can provide encouragement and perspective when you start second-guessing yourself. Build a “support team” you can count on for reminders of your strengths, especially before big competitions.
4. Look at the Evidence
Instead of blindly accepting criticism, fact-check the doubters. Review your stats, past performances, or training improvements to remind yourself of what you’ve achieved. This evidence-based approach silences empty opinions and reinforces your confidence. Athletes like Hailey Van Lith credit this mindset — focusing on proof of progress instead of critics’ words — as the foundation of their confidence.
FAQ – Dealing with Doubters in Sports
Q1: Why do people doubt athletes?
A: Doubt is a common part of sports. Some people project their own insecurities, while others simply underestimate what you’re capable of. Every athlete—from beginners to professionals—will face doubters.
Q2: How can doubters affect performance?
A: If you internalize doubt, it can chip away at your confidence, distract your focus, and even cause slumps. However, when you view doubt as just an opinion, you can use it as motivation to grow stronger and more resilient.
Q3: What’s the best way to respond to doubters?
A: Focus on what you can control: your effort, preparation, and mindset. Surround yourself with people who believe in you, and treat outside negativity as fuel to sharpen your performance.
Q4: Can doubt ever be a good thing?
A: Yes. When used correctly, doubt can push you to train harder, stay focused, and prove yourself on your own terms. Many elite athletes—including WNBA rookie Hailey Van Lith—have used outside doubt to strengthen their mental game.
Q5: What’s the most important mindset for handling doubt?
A: Remember that the only opinion that truly matters is the one you hold about yourself. Confidence comes from trusting your preparation and believing in your ability to show up and perform.
Related Sports Psychology Article
- 5 Ways to Deal with Athletic Setbacks
- 4 Ways to Overcome Self-Doubt for Athletes
- 4 Ways Athletes Can Build a Competitive Mindset
The Fearless Athletes: A 14-Day Program for Unbeatable Trust
The Fearless Athlete program is ideal for any athlete that wants to overcome fear of failure and uncover inhibiting perfectionistic traits; or for any coach or parent who wants to teach athletes to perform with trust and freedom in competition.
“The Fearless Athlete” program is presented on two 75-minute CD’s with a 78-page step-by-step workbook. I combine a practical and real-life workbook with a step-by-step CD program that takes you through each day of the 14 day program – like having your own personal mental coach. It’s a complete system for reprogramming your mindset for unbeatable trust in competition
You can use these CDs at home with the practical workbook or download them onto your iPod so you can listen to them in your car or van repeatedly until the strategies are stored in your sub-conscious mind.
