Building Confidence as an Athlete

"Confidence comes from proven success." - Bill Parcells

Nobody can award themselves confidence. Yet, everyone would agree that confidence shapes successful athletes.

What strategies accompany confidence development? 

1. Positivity. Coach authentically and let players know, "I believe in you." Support from quality coaches changes everything. 

Positivity slideshow 1 from mcada99

2. Employ sports psychology. Some would argue the Carlstedt protocol is the gold standard, but techniques like self-tech and visualization can help. Jason Selk's book "10-Minute Toughness" excels. Part of his strategies employs breathing exercises, identity statement (who I am), highlight reel (visualization), and performance statement (how I play). 

3. Be conditioned as an elite athlete. What does that look like? The Cooper 12-minute running test correlates with the gold standard, the VO2Max, how much oxygen working muscle use. Self-comparisons have value. The original studies were done in Air Force personnel, who should be better conditioned than an average person. Normal values below.

4. Mindfulness. Many professional and Olympic athletes employ mindfulness (meditation) as part of their training to enhance focus, reduce stress hormones, improve sleep, and decrease anxiety and depression. 

5. Skill development. ACHIEVEMENT = Performance X Time 

Athletes achieve more with consistency over a longer period. There is no substitute for skill and even mental practice will improve results. 

6. Avoid self-destructive behaviors. Alcohol and substance abuse, poor nutrition, and inadequate sleep all degrade performance. 

7. Superior coaching. Find a mentor. "Mentoring is the only shortcut to excellence." Get advice on your strengths and weaknesses and ways to build strengths and limit weakness. Coaching builds confidence. 

After writing this brief piece, I consulted ChatGPT:

An athlete can build confidence by setting and achieving small goals, learning from mistakes, visualizing success, surrounding themselves with a supportive team or coach, and maintaining a positive attitude. Additionally, getting enough rest and proper nutrition can also help to improve an athlete's overall mental and physical well-being, which can contribute to increased confidence.

Lagniappe (something extra). Attacking tips. Who becomes the next Melrose elite outside hitter? What are you doing today to earn that right?