Does Having a Bad Game Mess with Your Emotions and Confidence?
It may not be your performance that is problematic, but how you evaluate your performance. Most athletes give themselves a pass/ fail grade after a competition, usually based on statistics.
For example, a basketball player records a double-double, she might view her performance as successful. Conversely, if she scored 15 points but only recorded nine assists, she might give herself a failing grade.
Likewise, a tennis player may see success as a win and a loss as a failure, no matter how highly ranked their opponent.
Or a hockey player may equate success with scoring one or more goals in a game. A game without a goal is then viewed as failure.
As you can guess, there is a problem with a pass/ fail grading system. With a limited view of success, your confidence will rise and fall according to whether or not you achieve a pre-ordained number.
When confidence is tied to numbers, it becomes unstable and leads to inconsistent performance. The issue with a limited definition of success is that it doesn’t take into account the whole picture.
A stat sheet doesn’t reflect your effort, improvement, decision-making, resilience, leadership, positive impact on your teammates, or positive aspects of your performance. It also doesn’t provide feedback for what went wrong and how to grow from those lessons.
Defining success strictly by the numbers is not a healthy or accurate way to evaluate performance. A better approach is to evaluate your performance through a wider lens.
- Did you give full effort?
- Did you stay composed under pressure?
- Did you adjust when your first strategy didn’t work?
- Did you put your teammates in a position to make plays?
- Did you implement strategies that you were working on during practices?
A performance evaluation that includes internal metrics helps strengthen confidence and consistency.
Take, for example, USMNT and Leeds United midfielder Brenden Aaronson. During the 2025 season, Aaronson scored nine goals and two assists in 46 matches.
What you don’t see from the numbers alone is the contribution Aaronson made to Leeds United’s promotion back to the Premier League after two years in the Championship League. While not ignoring the significance of numbers, Aaronson views individual success through a broader scope.
AARONSON: “People say stats ruin the game, and in one way I kind of agree because you can partly judge a player on how many assists or goals, but you also have to look at the pre-assists or what they do throughout the game to influence it.”
How you evaluate your performance significantly impacts confidence, improvement, and ultimately, how much you advance your game in the future.
Shifting from a narrow, numbers-only perspective to a broader, more realistic performance assessment gives you a clearer, more constructive view of your overall game.
Confidence built on effort, adaptability, resilience, and growth is far more stable and the key to unlocking your potential as an athlete.
Next time you evaluate your performance, ask better questions:
What did I learn today? What did I do well? Where can I grow? Over time, you will notice a boost in your confidence and a greater sense of control over your athletic development.
Related Sports Psychology Article
- How Pro Athletes Respond After a Team Loss
- How to Deal with an Unexpected Sports Loss
- How Athletes Respond to a Loss
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