Building Confidence

Confidence...I have heard all sorts of comments regarding confidence. Things like, "She just isn't a confident person," or, "He is our go to player. He has all the confidence in the world." Confidence is not wholly a personality trait. Some people do not have to work as hard to be self-confident, but there is no rule that says that you either have it or you don't.

Confidence is BELIEVING that our ability and preparation is greater than, or at least equal to, the task at hand. So many times we find athletes with all of the ability in the world, but in pressure situations they crack. It is not just "bad luck" that causes this. The dedicated athlete thinks that if they just practice harder things will turn around. Most likely the problem is not with the physical training, but with the mental training. So, the key is to help the athletes focus their attention on building belief in their abilities. Making that the highest priority while at the same time minimizing the situation. It is easy to have confidence when nothing is on the line. Players minds become over-complicated when everything is on the line. Does the player's ability change based on the situation? NO! The only thing that changes is their mindset. Players have to get to a state where their belief in themselves overrides any situation they may be in.

An important step in building confidence is to Focus on Strengths. Every athlete has strengths, both physical and mental. Focusing one's mind on all of the talents and abilities one has to offer puts the mind in a state prepared for success. The mind is a powerful instrument. If a payer goes to the plate thinking, "Don't strike out, don't strike out," striking out is what they are thinking about and there is a good chance it will happen. If a player thinks "Hit the ball up the middle, hit the ball up the middle," the focus of their thoughts is getting a hit and although they cannot control the result, the player can control putting good CONFIDENT swings on the ball. Take time to focus on strengths before every athletic performance.

Another important step is to Focus on Past Successes. Every athlete has had a performance, or performances where everything was clicking. Some people say not to live in the past. While I agree, I think the past is a powerful tool. Taking past successes and living them out again in your mind reminds a player of what they are capable of. This helps to build confidence as well as giving players a reference point of success. If they were successful then, then why not now!

Emphasize Quality Practices. Practice for practice sake is a waste of time. It is exhausting mentally and physically if practices are made to fit a time schedule. Practice is a time to emphasize fundamentals, fine tune skills, learn, but most importantly to increase teamwork and self-confidence. There should always be a purpose and a plan to each practice. Does that mean no more repetitious drills, NO, repetition is key to success. It means not continuing a drill when players have shown that they are flawless. It also means not stopping a drill that players have not yet completed the task on because the allotted time for that drill is up. Quality practices ensure that players are prepared when it is game time.

Another way to build confidence in a player is Praise. Praise is a great tool to build confidence. Each coach has to play to his personality, but praise goes a long way. It needs to be said though that there is a time and place to confront players sternly. But, if players feel that the coaches are always on them and that the coaches never say anything positive.....that players confidence is going to be down, and when the team needs the player to perform, they may not have the confidence in themselves to succeed.

It is important that the development of confidence take place in every player. If you know of any ways to build confidence, or if you have something that helps you to be confident, please share it with the rest of us.