Sports Confidence

Sports and General Performance Enhancement

There are many super effective techniques that can be utilised to improve your sporting performance, or anything else you would like to achieve. In fact, there is a field of Sports Psychology, (although I am not a sports psychologist) which many sports people find useful.

I have worked with a young soccer team who achieved amazing results, with a swimmer, and a shooter, and all found that the techniques they learnt to reduce stress and visualise success in their particular sport, were of great benefit.

Below is an article on what’s involved in being Sport Confident when you are a competitive athlete, in any sport.

Self Confidence Vital in Sport

© Narelle Stratford, 1997

Self Confidence in sport, known as Sport Confidence, is said to be the most important ingredient in competitive performance, according to US sports researcher Robin Vealey.

But what is Sport Confidence?  How do you measure sport confidence to know if you have it? And if you don’t have it how can you get it?

Sport confidence comes from mastery of your sports’ technical elements, and through demonstrating that ability or mastery. Your sport confidence is regulated by your physical and your mental-psychological preparation, and self-presentation or how you present yourself physically.

There are five factors which can influence your sport confidence, outside of yourself. They are:

  1. Support from your coach, friends and family
  2. Your coach’s leadership
  3. Vicarious experience – that’s the experiences you have that have given you confidence outside of the competitive arena
  4. Environmental comfort – whether you feel comfortable in your uniform or outfit, whether the temperature is balanced, whether the competition area is safe and suitable to the meet
  5. Situation favourableness – what is the situation you are competing in?  Is it your first competition, or is it the final of a series? Is this a home or an away game? Are the odds stacked against you?  Having the odds stacked against you can actually help by taking the pressure off you, so you can relax and focus.

Sport confidence is obviously lacking when an athlete “chokes”, “slumps” or is “inconsistent” in her or his performance. The term choking refers to a competitor who is so far ahead, they could not possibly lose, and yet they do.