Confidence in sports

Pregame Nerves Facts and Fiction

Facts and Fiction

How to Use Pregame “Nerves” to your Advantage Many athletes have misconceptions about the effects of pregame “nerves” before competition sport. *Misconception 1: Elite athletes are NEVER nervous. *Misconception 2: It’s the total lack of nerves that cause elite athletes to be successful. *Misconception 3: Elite athletes are born with the capacity to remain 100 percent calm even … Sport Psychology Article…

Athletes Who React Poorly to Criticism

React

How to Have Stable Confidence Do you buy into the negativity from other people? Do you lose confidence when others critique your game? Just this week, I received a message from a soccer player who said: “I’m often challenged mentally during practice if a teammate tells me how I can’t do a certain thing, such as properly marking … Sport Psychology Article…

Are You Good Enough to Start on Your Team, but Don’t?

Good Enough?

How to be Mentally Prepared on the Bench One of the most challenging situations for athletes is knowing you’re good enough to start, be on a relay team, get more playing time, or make a travel squad yet you are not given an opportunity by the coach. Not getting a chance to contribute to a team can erode … Sport Psychology Article…

How to Stay Confident Despite Obstacles

Confident to Face Obstacles

Why Stable Confidence is So Important Confidence is important for athletes… But confidence in the face of adversity is hallmark of champions. When having success, high confidence is much easier but, when obstacles appear, keeping your confidence high becomes more difficult. For example, the baseball pitcher who was awarded the MVP for two consecutive years but gives up … Sport Psychology Article…

How to Thrive as an Underdog in Sports

Underdog in Sports

The Underdog Mindset in Sports The definition of underdog is a team or individual that has a small chance of winning a competition. Here are a few examples when you may be considered the underdog: Athletes’ or teams’ mindset determines the chances to pull out a win or successful outcome when over-matched. Thus, you want to work on … Sport Psychology Article…

Drought or Slump? Getting Back on Track

Getting Back on Track

Maintain Confidence during a Performance Drought A drought or a slump… that is the question. The distinction between these two terms will determine how quickly you break through when you are not having your best athletic performances. When athletes label a couple of bad performances as a “slump,” they imply that it as a long-lasting problem. These athletes … Sport Psychology Article…