You may be the best-trained athlete in the world, but if your head is not in the game and you lack self-confidence in your abilities, you will receive poor performance results. If this is the case, don't give up hope, as sports psychologists and coaches around the world can offer you legitimate, easy-to-use methods to boost your confidence and help you to focus and perform your best in your sport.
Affirmations & Self-Talk
As Steven Ungerleider, Ph.D., so aptly points out in his article "Build Confidence With Affirmations and Self-Talk" on CoachR.org, most people don't even realize how much internal dialogue they have with themselves. Athletes are no different in this respect, and the results are readily apparent in their resulting poor sports performance, especially if the self-talk is negative. Ungerleider states that using positive self-affirmations and self-talk are effective tools in boosting your ability and performance in your training and competitions.
Using Past Expereince
Another key in helping to boost your self-confidence in your athletic performance is remembering past events while performing your sport. Ungerleider uses elite marathon runner Kenny Moore's example of remembering gutting it out during tough training runs. This remembrance allows Moore to self-affirm that he can overcome his fatigue and pain during the late 3 or 4 miles of a marathon race to run his best and finish well. This linking past success with a current effort increases your self-confidence during your current workout or race.
Imagery & Injury
The article "Keeping Your Head in the Game: Sport-Specific Imagery and Anxiety Among Injured Athletes" from the "Journal of Athletic Training" states that many athletes lose self-confidence in their athletic abilities when injured. Studies done on injured athletes showed that, while some undirected self-imaging of an injured athlete can be negative and debilitating, focused positive self-imaging lends itself to positive injury recovery and sports performance. So even if you are injured and can't perform your sport, you can apply positive thoughts and images to help you recover well and get back to success in your sport.
Goal Setting
Former All-American high school track star and Ohio State 200- and 400-meter State Champion Denny Dickie says in his 2007 book "Unleash the Champion" that one of the best ways to succeed in your sport is to write down your personal goals. Clearly stating your goals in writing and in your mind before your season begins helps to establish the foundation for future success and aids you in reaching your full potential.
Dickie states that it is essential that your goals be written in the past tense as if you have already successfully achieved them. This helps you build confidence and allows you to see yourself as already successful.
Member Comments