Do You See Yourself as a Confident Athlete?
Does your confidence go up and down throughout the season?
For many athletes, confidence is dependent upon their circumstances or opponents.
When these athletes compete against lower-ranked opponents, they “feel” confident. When their chances of success are high, they “feel” confident.
However, when they face undefeated opponents or competitors they have never beaten, they “feel” less confident.
The reality is that confidence comes from within. It is more than just a “feeling.” It’s a strong belief in your abilities, strengths, and ability to perform across a wide range of circumstances.
Confidence is controllable; it is within your power to build a strong belief in your ability to perform. This level of belief is referred to as “stable confidence,” or believing you can perform to your capabilities regardless of circumstances.
What factor most affects confidence?
The answer is quite simple…PREPARATION!
For example, if you decide to take a week off practice or merely go through the motions in training, you may question if you will be on top of your game. You might feel a lack of conditioning will hurt you late in a competition.
You may doubt your technical game and lack the trust in your skills to perform under pressure. This lack of preparation detracts from your confidence.
On the flip side, increased preparation improves confidence. When you are prepared, you are comfortable with your skills, improving your trust.
Preparation also leads to a sense of control. Preparation reduces anxiety because you are ready for most potential circumstances before and during a game.
Being prepared allows you to respond positively to the challenges throughout a competition. Self-belief provides the reassurance that you can handle anything that comes your way.
How to increase your level of preparation?
- Work on your technical skills
- Improve your conditioning, strength, speed, agility, reaction times, etc.
- Pay attention to your recovery
- Implement a mental skills training program
- Visualize performing at your peak
- Gameplan for each opponent
Victory often goes to the athlete or team who is most prepared, not necessarily the team with a better record or the athlete who is ranked higher.
In the 2023 NBA playoffs’ first round, the Boston Celtics beat the Atlanta Hawks 112-99. The Celtics led by as many as 32 points in the game.
Even though the Celtics dominated throughout the game, Celtics forward Jaylen Brown stated Boston needs to prepare even more for the next game.
BROWN: “We expect to get [Atlanta’s] best shot next game. Can’t take a team for granted. I expect for them the next game to be a little bit more prepared, so we’ve got to be a little more prepared as well.”
Preparation is a controllable factor that gives you a distinct advantage over your competition.
Out-preparing your competition gives you the confidence to out-work and out-perform your opponents throughout a game.
Tip for Building Confidence Through Preparation
To build confidence for your next competition, ask yourself:
- What do I need to do to prepare for the next game?
- What must I do to perform at my peak?
- How can I prepare for adversity or being slightly off my game?
Related Sports Psychology Articles
- How Consistent Preparation is Key to Performance
- Athletes Who Worry About Preparation
- Anticipation and Mental Preparation
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The Confident Athlete
“The Confident Athlete” consists of 2 audio programs that include 14 days of confidence fueling exercises and a simple to follow workbook that guides you through the 14 days, helps you apply the strategies, and customizes the exercises to your personal needs.
Let me help you put a stop to the confidence leak. You can learn to have greater levels of confidence in competition than you do in practice by identifying the specific ways you undermine your own confidence and how to convert your practice confidence into COMPETITIVE CONFIDENCE.
“The Confident Athlete” is a ground-breaking system to teach you how to think like a champion and have ultimate self-confidence every time you step on the playing field, court, track, or course. The confident athletes was developed for any athlete – junior to professional –that wants to gain confidence. However, coaches and sports parents can learn how to teach others to perform with ultimate confidence. Use my program if you want to bust a slump or just wanting higher or more consistent levels of self-confidence.